More than a year ago I
predicted the Kindle app for i-phone. I didn't know what apps were at the time but I knew enough that books could most certainly be read on devices other than the Kindle e-book Reader and that many people already owned an i-phone/i-touch.
Now, the
Kindle DX is out with implications for the
education community. I wrote about this
last year as well. My statement at the time was that if Jeff Bezos was looking for a market-the education market could be huge. Simply put, learning new things requires the ability to read. If one can read, one can learn.
Many education bloggers are writing about
learning these days. A concern is that we are not teaching students to
learn since we're obsessed with outcomes. There's evidence of this everywhere in U.S. Public Education.
Another post I wrote last year sought new roles for school districts with an emphasis on learning:
What’s needed are new roles. New positions. I wonder what school district will hire the first Assistant Superintendent of Information Management and (E)Learning.
A recent post by Will Richardson
underscored the same point.
The development of more sophisticated devices that bring learning into the palms of our (students) hands is a major disruption. It is no longer a theoretical issue. For example, what will be the response when a parent challenges the school system demanding that his daughter purchase a scientific calculator, a book by Mark Twain or a metronome for music class that can be downloaded for free? New technologies turn 'the way it used to be' upside down.
And 'free' is a powerful argument. Learning is actually free. Stop and think about that next time a school budget is being debated. Let's learn how to measure learning better. Let's value that more.
Apple Apps can provide a gateway to years of reading and learning for anyone who can afford one. Who will be the first to earn a degree from 'Me University
'.
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