Learning Spaces The Final Frontier

What are learning spaces? I can define them 

in two different ways. Both are very important 

to the future of the Information Age student. 

The kind of student that we have in our classes 

today.  These students are described by Marc 

Prensky as "Digital Natives" and "Digital 

Immigrants". 

The first is the physical classroom including the 

teacher who facilitates the learning and the 

curriculum. Each and every classroom should be

 well equipped with the latest technology. A 

classroom should not have any computers that

have Windows 98 or system 9 in the case of a

Macintosh computer. The classroom should have 

XP or Vista in the case of a Windows PC or 

System 10 or above in the case of a Macintosh 

computer. We shouldn't have tape players but 

rather I-PODS should be the norm. Also the 

teacher needs to have the ability to evolve to the 

changing nature of E-education. And the curriculum

needs to be modified to include E- literacy.  

Adding  video games and the like to the 

curriculum should become the norm not the 

exception. Thus the student will become more

and better prepared for the future.

The second, learning space is the one that is

created not in the physical world but rather is 

created in the digital world. In the creation of

"worlds" any thing and any where is possible.

For example, Second Life  is created by hundreds 

of people for any number of reasons. All of which

have real meaning and purpose.  But the worlds

that are relevant to the educator are the virtual

Universities and other places of interest.

You as an avatar (not very risky) can fly in the 

Sistine Chapel to study Art and religion  of the

time. Or have a further understanding of 

schizophrenia by hearing voices in your head.

 

But this is already being done. Why not take 

the class on a field trip to the bottom of the 

ocean to learn about deep sea fish. Much of the

bottom of the sea was photographed. It could

be done.  Or go to Mars to explore the 

surface for possible colonization. The entire

surface was mapped by NASA and  a world

could be created with little effort.  The 

technology is already in use. Some school

districts like Jersey City have ITV Labs that

could accommodate a classroom of students.

Space could be obtained to create these worlds

by creating partnerships with science and 

technology concerns. Both governmental

and private industry could partner with 

universities to make this happen.