The Changing Face of Education

Once upon a time, schools were organized around the planting calendar. Students had summers off to help with harvesting. Now that scant few have ever been on a farm, let alone done any harvesting, some schools are moving to a schedule that matches up more appropriately with parent's work/holidays schedules.

But that's not the main reason that “back to school time” as a phrase will someday become as obsolete as measuring in rods and chains . No, it is computers and the internet that are changing how we learn and when we learn.

Online computer courses are now de rigueur for universities . Distance learning which used to be done by mail, is now online. And it's becoming interactive, with live teachers, webcasting, support groups and virtual classrooms. It is now possible to obtain over 100 different accredited degrees online – and that's just in Canada. Always wanted an economics degree from the London School of Economics, but just couldn't imagine moving into Grosvener House, well now you can do it online.

Availability combined with an ever more competitive workplace means that there's no time like the present to start upgrading academic skills.

Not sure if an online education is where it's at? Don't take my word for it. Bill Gates at the Techonomy 2010 conference in Lake Tahoe stated that the current university structure will not be able to match the internet with regards to providing the learning resources a student needs. He described traditional studies as "place-based" and inefficient, he forecasts that traditional university education will become less important within five years. He expects online lecture sources to gain the spotlight in educating our youth.

Right now the biggest shortcomings are in K-12 courses, but it is getting better. K12Connect is the province's online centre for K-12 distance learning. Virtually the entire K-12 curriculum is online, with teachers and classmates, group activities, assessments, planning and support. This isn't a call to abandon the classical classroom environment, by the way. Live contact with a skilled and motivated teacher is still one of the best ways to learn. And of course I'm not initiating a debate here on socialization. But, for example, what do you do if you want your child to take courses that aren't available locally? Well, no longer do you have to send them away. Now the courses come to you.

Or what about study aids? How about a site focused on flash card learning. Quizlet is just such a site. With over 2.5 million sets of free flashcards, it's a great resource for parents who feel their child needs more help in a particular area.

Other great resources are available, such as Kaboose.com. They have tons of learning games that let you engage in that age old parental activity of tricking your children into learning something while they think they're having fun.

Speaking of fun, in a rather ironic fashion, if your student is entering a grade where provincial exams are compulsory you can find past year's exams with answer sheets at the Ministry of Education website .

As a final tip, if you're thinking about buying a new computer, now is the time. The back to school period is usually one of the best times of the year to purchase new hardware. Other good times are just after the American Thanksgiving (preparing for Christmas) and February (dumping unsold Christmas stock). I always encourage people to buy 1 generation back when it comes to computers. Unless you absolutely have to run Crysis 2 in 3D at 120 fps in 1920 x 1280 you probably don't need the latest and greatest. Here's a test: if you have no idea what I'm talking about in that last sentence, there's a good chance you can get away with last year's upper end gear.

The price curve for computer hardware is a classic hockey stick shape with the latest and greatest being much more expensive. And of course I would be remiss if I didn't mention that donating old computers, recycling them or finding further uses for aging hardware is much more desirable than tossing it.