Wow this is an interesting idea. One that makes you think could it really work? Would your children learn more in this format.
I found this article by Richard Garner (The Independent), “No more school as council opens ‘learning centres’” via David Warlick’s post this morning So What Would My Daughter Do?. In an attempt to rebuild their secondary school program Knowsley Council in Merseyside (UK) is going to close all 11 of it’s secondary schools. Instead students will be able to access learning centres throughout the week where they will work online at their own speed on programs specific to their learning needs and interests.
“They will be given their day’s assignments in groups of 120 in the morning before dispersing to internet cafe-style zones in the learning centres to carry them out”, writes Garner.This new program will be focused towards 21,000 youths in secondary education and will be accessible from home as well.
Perhaps if this indeed the way of the future of educating children, as David wonders, have we begun to prepare kids for knowing how to seek out information electronically. Should we be focusing their education more and more on elearning tools, clarifying PLE’s, teaching education technology? If so what gets left behind? Dissecting frogs? Do second language courses disappear and become “technology language” courses? As always, something new to ponder and worry about.