By Alexandra Caufin
bloomua/Shutterstock.com It was a good year; 2013 saw the release of the first-ever Google laptop, the rise of globally accessible education via the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), the eager implementation of the flipped classroom model and growth of platforms like Khan Academy, and a new feverish development around cloud computing. The second era of online education—one with multimedia, interactivity and social media rich at its core—has, aptly, reached a galloping pace as it proceeds into 2014, the Year of the Horse.
It’s no coincidence. The technologies coming out of the woodwork are answering a public demand to make education more accessible globally, more affordable, more practical for working adults, and more relevant in our digital and mobile-centric world. We’ve reached unbelievable momentum in the evolution of online learning tools, and here’s what we’re betting you’ll see more of in 2014:
It’s no coincidence. The technologies coming out of the woodwork are answering a public demand to make education more accessible globally, more affordable, more practical for working adults, and more relevant in our digital and mobile-centric world. We’ve reached unbelievable momentum in the evolution of online learning tools, and here’s what we’re betting you’ll see more of in 2014:
 VIDEO BECOMES THE MEDIUM Heavy-hitting platforms like Skype, YouTube and Vimeo paved the way for the now massively popular TED talks, releases like 2013’s Vine, and a slough of other video-based mobile apps. Effectively every major social platform now boasts a video chat feature from Facebook to Gmail to your iPhone’s FaceTime. With video, we at last have the opportunity to change how we deliver knowledge, granting a perpetually widening access to learning content. As our methods for recording, live streaming and sharing continue to sophisticate with better hardware and software, video in everyday life will become as commonplace as the in-class lecture, boardroom presentation, conference or seminar. |  COLLABORATION 3.0 The buzzword of 2013, collaboration will only surge forward this year, fuelled by technologies that have been designed to facilitate peer-friendly group work. Advances in cloud computing—Dropbox, Google Docs, Wikis and blogs to name a few—offer the tools needed to collaborate on projects, whether that it be in the same office, in different states or provinces, or even, across the world. With these capabilities at their fingertips, new graduates will be able to work and learn in the way that they socialize, continuing to blur the lines between learning, networking and socializing. |
A ROGUE CERTIFICATE SYSTEM will rise from the influx of continuing education learners and the public’s ongoing criticism of the conventional university degree. We are beginning to see online programs that compete with university and college certification in the way of theory, practical skillsets and sophisticated evaluation systems (read: grades). Khan Academy for instance, awards ‘badges’ with the successful completion of its courses. Alternative learning certificates, diplomas and the acknowledged participation in online workshops and seminars will become the norm on resumes and CVs, complexifying the concept of a single person’s “education.” Associations and organizations, in turn, will be able to deliver more highly-recognized certification to their members.
 LEARNER CENTRIC EDUCATION Long ago we discovered that the learning process is as unique for every individual as their own fingerprint. And yet our education systems are still touting the one-way, one-time-only, one-size-fits-all lecture. Online initiatives are responding by providing unique, adaptive programs and technologies for a spiralling spectrum of students. With the advances in user-based customization on the Web (think LinkedIn suggesting job openings that fit within your skillset and suggesting articles that coincide with your social demographic), the future of education technology will offer platforms that empower the learner by pinpointing distinct strengths, weaknesses and interests. |  DIGITALLY SUSTAINABLE INSTITUTIONS will be the only institutions to survive in our brave new digital world. With an eager upcoming generation of digital natives who interact with mass media via a myriad of devices, those who fail to adapt will fail to capture their interest. Does your association have engaging online content accessible on computers, iPads and mobile devices? Do you use social media to share new learning opportunities with members? Do you offer any kind of digital environment that connects multimedia-rich learning with social collaboration? 2014 will make way for institutions who are ready and willing to join the digital revolution. Competition will up the stakes, entice innovators to push boundaries, and advance the face of learning online. |
