Emerging technologies have powerful impact on the future of education. A vision about future education which offers the best mode of education for children incorporates in itself a vision of a community which is built around the essence that learning is vital concept in the learning environment. This educational community would be based on caring for the youth and nurturing them as lifelong learners who move higher on the social and educational agendas. This is the vision which is futuristic about a decade ahead of time.
This vision is based on the seeds which are being planted today at the schools throughout the world. These seeds are already flowering in some areas. This is the vision where education begins in home surrounded by technology and gadgets supported by early childhood and parenting centers. Interestingly these programs may be spread in various parts of the world still connected in their approach and vision. A pioneering family may reside in t Venezuela, some early childhood schools may operate in Italy and many parents may find preschool programs in United States.
The essence of all this is that this is the future community of learners who are running the learning centers with supportive child/family services which might replace today’s traditional schools and storehouse of knowledge. This system inspired by connectivity and technological insight might evolve from existing public libraries into new low cost educational technologies which are becoming available throughout the world. This storehouse of knowledge is a large modern facility once known as local library but now transformed into a community of focal point.
It is an inspiring location which is open twenty four hours a day and is accessible to everyone and many of the resources are free. It is collection of library of real books which people can smell and feel. It has database of electronic books, access to internet, satellite broadcasting studios and receivers, multicast facilities, rooms which are used for shared virtual realities and other resources related to finding information and transforming it into knowledge throughout life.
This electronic storehouse of knowledge is maintained by a storehouse keeper who is in charge of maintaining a comprehensive database of all educational resource in the community, as well as booking uses of the facility. It is encouraged that the business and the individual entrepreneurs rent the space for telework and electronic meetings or for the use of the technologies for specialty training and distance learning. Interestingly the fee form individual entrepreneurs support the facility, and allow them to make space available for non-profits at low cost.
The learners are not just preschoolers and elementary students, but these special classrooms are also used by Global University, where adult learners also participate in the learning program. Adult learning programs have also become part of every learners work system. Much of learning is now electronic and connects students to experts throughout the world. There is still need for learners to collaborate with each other. They are encouraged to meet in small learning teams and use storehouse for meetings virtually with students from other parts of the country or from anywhere in the world.
The vision also incorporates the translation facility for those who do not share common knowledge. The facilities include rooms with interactive video walls so that distant students can see each other as they share information, collaborate on projects and learn together. The educational purpose is to meet the increasing demand by the parents for more choice in the kinds of schools which are available for their children. In the future scenario, this goal is achieved through the use of technology that matches the changing trends of thinking and acting.
Community learning centers are the hub of education for children from age 6 to 16 who attend the community center for different purposes. The interesting feature is the flexibility in ht location of the learning centers. Some may be located in the museums; others may be accessed from the greenhouses that produce healthful fruits and vegetables for the centers. Some may also be located near workplaces or near theatres or hospitals or connected to churches.
Some may also function as the malls right in the heart of the community to connect more directly with the resources. The objective of each community center is to address the needs of the interested students and meet the preferences of the community it serves. The community centers are part of the public and decentralized educational system which operates on the collaboration of the neighborhood councils which works through the coordinator for each community. Standards are all set based on the national standard and there is the limit which does not exceed them.
They implement wide variety of educational programs for students addressing the special need of the teenagers and student with special needs. The objective is to provide efficient and effective service program which meets the need of the community. There are also support services to identify problems and provide early interventions. The support system is unified not fragmented like the present system. It is an integrated system which runs through the collaborative , continually updated databases and websites assuring continuity and continuation of help as needed.