The next big killer application for the Internet is going to be education. Education over the Internet is going to be so big it is going to make email usage look like a rounding error. - John Chambers, president and CEO of Cisco Systems...
Friedman, T. (1999). Next, it's E-ducation. New York Times, A29, November 17.
...It seems as if every new medium or technology becomes training's new darling. Trainers blame their present tools and readily embrace new technologies. But in reality, these same trainers do not define performance problems and solutions in the required detail, hence, they go in quest of a silver bullet. . . but unfortunately there is no silver bullet or mystical orb to be found at the end of their journey. Reflections on eLearning
So, Donald Clark uses this quote to make an observation that every new technology is heralded as the answer to the problems with training. When Clark wrote "Reflections...," he was making this observation about elearning.
Clark rightly cautions educators against too quickly embracing "new technologies." I agree, while I am thoroughly excited about the possibilities of social networking and its application in education, I think it is still important to take a breath and consider the basics. Do we understand our audience? What is the learning goal? How do we measure performance?
I also wonder where the differences in learning styles fit in the social networking or informal learning model. What does this mean for the intrapersonal learner?
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