Synopses & Reviews
Praise for The World Is Open"In this epic effort, Dr. Bonk takes the technologies, the concepts, the future and even the past of distance education and synthesizes it into a comprehensible landscape. . . . Masterful!"
—Glenn R. Jones, chancellor, Jones International University
". . . .This book captures the true potential of technology and open and shared content to eliminate the educational divide. For this reason, The World Is Open is required reading for all participants in the world's ongoing, technology-led education revolution."
—Scott McNealy, chairman and co-founder, Sun Microsystems and founder, Curriki.org
"Curtis Bonk . . . . synthesizes a staggering range of views and tools into one of the widest and most readable overviews yet of the world of open learning starting to envelop all of us."
—Martin Dougiamas, founder and lead developer of Moodle and executive director of Moodle Pty. Ltd.
"As everyone now knows, thanks to Thomas Friedman, the world is flat. And now, thanks to Curtis Bonk, we know that the world of learning is open."
—Milton Chen, executive director, The George Lucas Educational Foundation, publishers of Edutopia magazine and edutopia.org
"Open software and open learning—those two concepts are rocking the world. . . . Bonk has brought together the key ideas underlying this wave of disruption in an engaging and provocative format."
—Elliot Soloway, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, University of Michigan and co-founder of GoKnow, Inc.
Review
"A hefty tome that nevertheless provides valuable, wide-ranging examples of the changes taking place in education worldwide." (
School Library Journal, February 2010)
"Technology is changing higher education in more ways than can be counted. Distance education has become common. Curtis J. Bonk, a professor of instructional systems technology at Indiana University, surveys this landscape in The World Is Open: How Web Technology is Revolutionizing Education (Jossey-Bass)." (Inside Higher Ed, August 25, 2009)
Synopsis
Discover the dramatic changes that are affecting all learnersWeb-based technology has opened up education around the world to the point where anyone can learn anything from anyone else at any time. To help educators and others understand what's possible, Curt Bonk employs his groundbreaking "WE-ALL-LEARN" model to outline ten key technology and learning trends, demonstrating how technology has transformed educational opportunities for learners of every age in every corner of the globe. The book is filled with inspiring stories of ordinary learners as well as interviews with technology and education leaders that reveal the power of this new way of learning.
- Captures the global nature of open education from those who are creating and using new learning technologies
- Includes a new Preface and Postscript with the latest updates
- A free companion web site provides additional stories and information
Using the dynamic "WE-ALL-LEARN" model, learners, educators, executives, administrators, instructors, and parents can discover how to tap into the power of Web technology and unleash a world of information.
Synopsis
Whether you are a scientist on a ship in Antarctic waters or a young girl in a Philippine village, you can learn whenever and whatever you want from whomever you are interested in learning it from.
As technologies have become more available, even in the most remote reaches of the world, and as more people contribute a wealth of online resources, the education world has become open to anyone anywhere. In The World Is Open, education technology guru Curtis Bonk explores ten key trends that together make up the "WE-ALL-LEARN" framework for understanding the potential of technology's impact on learning in the 21st century:
- Web Searching in the World of e-Books
E-Learning and Blended Learning
Availability of Open Source and Free Software
Leveraged Resources and OpenCourseWare
Learning Object Repositories and Portals
Learner Participation in Open Information Communities
Electronic Collaboration
Alternate Reality Learning
Real-Time Mobility and Portability
Networks of Personalized Learning
In addition, this important resource contains compelling interviews that capture the diverse global nature of the open educational world from those who are creating new learning technologies as well as those who are using them to learn and teach in new ways. Using the dynamic "WE-ALL-LEARN" model, learners, educators, executives, administrators, instructors, and parents can tap into the power of Web technology and unleash a world of information.
About the Author
Curtis J. Bonk, Ph.D., is professor of Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University. Drawing on his background as a corporate controller, CPA, educational psychologist, and instructional technologist, Bonk offers unique insights into the intersection of business, education, psychology, and technology. A well-known authority on emerging technologies for learning, Bonk reflects on his speaking experiences around the world in his popular blog, TravelinEdMan. He has written many articles and coauthored several widely used books, including Empowering Online Learning, The Handbook of Blended Learning, and Electronic Collaborators. He is also founder and president of SurveyShare and president of CourseShare.
Table of Contents
Prequel: Sharing . . . the Journey.
Introduction to the Open Learning World.
1 We All Learn.
2 To Search and to Scan.
Opener #1: Web Searching in the World of E-Books.
3 E-Demand Around the Globe.
Opener #2: E-Learning and Blended Learning.
4 It's a Free Software World After All.
Opener #3: Availability of Open Source and Free Software.
5 MIT in Every Home.
Opener #4: Leveraged Resources and OpenCourseWare.
6 Portals for the People.
Opener #5: Learning Object Repositories and Portals.
7 Making a Contribution.
Opener #6: Learner Participation in Open Information Communities.
8 Collaborate or Die!
Opener #7: Electronic Collaboration and Interaction.
9 Who Are You?
Opener #8: Alternative Reality Learning.
10 U-Learning?
Opener #9: Real-Time Mobility and Portability.
11 Learning at Your Service.
Opener #10: Networks of Personalized Learning.
12 The Treasures and Traps of This Open Learning World.
Acknowledgments.
Postscript: An Open Letter to the Learners of This Planet.
The Author.
Endnotes.
Index.