The idea that technology can be instrumental in connecting experts and novices who are separated by time or space inspired distance education pioneers over a century ago to take advantage of the innovations of their day—the printing press and postal system—to deliver the first correspondence courses. The technologies to facilitate learning at a distance have vastly evolved in the intervening years, becoming far more sophisticated and showing potential to break us free from old models of instruction. Yet instead of acting as transformative agents, the new technologies have often been assimilated to existing models, and it is not unusual to find ourselves strongly influenced by the methods found in the face-to-face classroom as we design instruction, monitor participant interaction, organize curricula, and conduct assessments in these new arenas. Still, the combination of a fast-changing, technologically-connected world and the expanding knowledge brought to our disciplines by advances in the learning sciences present an extraordinary opportunity for all of us to take part in the evolution and expansion of what we think of as ‘teaching and learning.’ Can technology help us reinvent how we prepare people for healthy and productive lives? This chapter asks that question and hopes to add at least a bit to the rich discussions in this book and sparked by it.
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Bransford, J., Slowinski, M., Vye, N., Mosborg, S. (2008). The Learning Sciences, Technology and Designs for Educational Systems: Some Thoughts About Change. In: Visser, J., Visser-Valfrey, M. (eds) Learners in a Changing Learning Landscape. Lifelong Learning Book Series, vol 12. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8299-3_3
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