Q&A at OLN Ning

The Ohio Learning Network has an online learning community of sorts at Ning.com (it's private for OLN members) and has began a series of "Weekly Questions" on their forums that will no doubt deal with some of the issues I've been thinking about with the Polychronic Classroom. Perhaps I will start posting them here on this blog:

What new advances do you see educational technology making in the next 5 years? 10 years?

What a big question for week 1! I've been thinking about this question a lot at my blog: The Polychronic Classroom. To keep it short and sweet:

5 years from now we will be going to some - not all - of our classes by pulling out the hand held computer in our pocket (which will be a phone, laptop, textbook, virtual world browser, etc...). Our ideas about testing, productivity, and assessment will have changed radically. The essence of the classroom with one teacher and a body of students will be long gone, but probably still upheld by the majority of educational institutions unwilling to adapt. A new model of teaching and learning will have evolved, not by design, but by trail, error, and innovation. Much the same way this Ning community voiced it preference for communication and ended up with this weekly question! :)

10 years... Let's see 1998 to 2008. Wow! Could anyone really have predicted that much change? Classes in virtual worlds.... without goggles! Textbooks written by students... and free for all! At some point in time, if we end up keeping any idea of 'individual accomplishment', it will no doubt be measured by the contributions to the 'digital collective' we are building. Students will probably be out contributing Professors by this time, but will still need guidance and authority. After all, I still hope to have a job in 10 years. Now, 20 years... with advancements in AI, that's another question.