Personalisation and choice key in 21st century

Rare for a keynoter to "blow me away."  Prof. Diana Laurillard did this month.

She is Head of the E-Learning Strategy Unit in the Department for Education and Skills in the United Kingdom. Prof. Laurillard keynoted the big national distance education conference in Madison this month. We hate the term 'distance education.' It's like 'horseless carriage.' but that's what they call it.

She called for "personalisation and choice" in education for the 21st century.
"We fail very large numbers of very talented students." Prof. Laurillard said, noting she meant "fail in both senses of the word."

"If we can't use technology to respond to personalisation and flexibility, then we shouldn't be using technology at all," she stated.  Citing the need to "connect with hard to reach groups," she noted that "technology is the very thing that can coax people back." 

And it can be done within both financial and time limits. "Technology is at its best when it achieves economy of scale."   She says to check this out for more info on the UK e-learning plans.

I asked Prof. Laurillard afterward if educators in the UK knew they were ahead of American educators, getting a polite reply, something about the UK being smaller and less federalized. But you can't expect UK educators to look back when they are running so far ahead of us. 

Comments

[Katherine Hayden]

I talked with you in Madison when I bought your book. I am going to use it for my course starting in 2 weeks. I will probably have 15-20 students ordering the book for the course.

Also, since this is a completely online couse, would you be willing to communicate with students in a chat for 45 minutes or so one Thursday night?

Here is the course description: This online course involves critical examination of school change to meet 21st century learner needs and exploration of how technology can support teaching and learning in new ways. The emphasis is on needs assessment tools and strategies, leadership, collaboration, and curriculum design to meet the changing needs of society. Through review of the National Educational Technology Plan, tools for surveying and accessing data and resources to support educational programs, innovative designs will be considered, critiqued, and applied to learning: the classroom, the school, and the larger neighborhood community within which the school resides. Working collaboratively, course participants will design a project to support the implementation of 21st century skills through development of grant applications to support the project.

Kathy Hayden, Ed.D.
Assistant Professor
Educational Technology
Cal State San Marcos