On Education: Why The Future Is Now

I was asked to do an interview on the state of education. The piece was published today and covers student / teacher culture, the public vs. private sector, digital classrooms and a few other debatable topics. Here is a snippet:

How do you think education can be improved today?

The biggest setbacks in education include the access gap to technology and the bureaucratic, unionized culture. A classroom has been historically viewed as a single learning entity because teachers don’t have the resources to treat student needs individually. One solution could be personal computers, that with the aid of a teacher, would allow students to learn at their own pace, method and style, rather than matching the classroom average of the same factors. It’s a costly endeavor, but a shift that needs to be enforced technically, culturally and politically.

What do you think of schools, teachers, and students today?

We’re experiencing a market correction. Meaning, the interests, needs and goals of the key stakeholders–the schools, teachers and students–are not aligned. The number one reason, which shouldn’t be a surprise, routes back to financial interests. Universities should take innovation as seriously as any business institution would, but that requires a risk appetite they currently can’t afford. The education sector is facing a hurdle similar to the newspaper industry, where the available distribution technology wasn’t taken seriously until they were already lagging behind. The future to act is now, but may require the aid of the government to align the correction.

I’ve discussed education and technology numerous times before. My interest in the space was originally inspired by reading Fred Wilson’s piece titled Hacking Education. The business opportunity in the realm of education and technology is vast, and one I’m aggressively navigating for my next startup.

You can read the full interview here. If you like it, please forward it to a stubborn teacher you know.

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Post Tags: Digital, Interview, School

Comments ( View Comments )

Nicely done.

I like your comment on university going through a market correction. It's happening, but it's soooo slow. Not only is there a resistance to meet with new technology, but I also find it shocking that universities continue to provide only a degree when we know it isn't enough.

I've been wondering for awhile now how long it'll be before a progressive (probably private) university is formed that will meet the needs of the market. You know, a harmonization of experience, theory, and digital integration. Umair would call it education 2.0

Justin King added these pithy words on Nov 17 09 at 6:22 pm

Thanks.

The market correction could be eased, or at least sped up, with government
assistant. Or, it could be made worse. I don't know.

The technology, if implemented correctly, would help make degrees
individualized and potentially more economical.

Agreed on the 'futurized' university. Personalmba.com seems to be moving in
the right direction, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a private
institution pop up in the next ten years that's build on progressive
principles of learning.

alexjmann added these pithy words on Nov 17 09 at 8:54 pm

I'd think government assistance (technology and innovation grants especially) would speed up the correction as it alleviates risk. Unfortunately, government seems to be a little cash strapped these days and progressing a system that's worked for a hundred years is probably not a high priority right now. After all, the system still does work, it's just not optimized for today's world.

It would be awesome to see more individualization of degrees. I did my undergrad over a huge spread of disciplines and I'm really glad I did. It made a huge difference to my learning and overall enjoyment of university.

I also see we have similar avatars but I swear I didn't rip yours off!

Justin King added these pithy words on Nov 17 09 at 9:57 pm

Thanks.

The market correction could be eased, or at least sped up, with government
assistant. Or, it could be made worse. I don't know.

The technology, if implemented correctly, would help make degrees
individualized and potentially more economical.

Agreed on the 'futurized' university. Personalmba.com seems to be moving in
the right direction, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a private
institution pop up in the next ten years that's build on progressive
principles of learning.

alexjmann added these pithy words on Nov 17 09 at 11:54 pm

I'd think government assistance (technology and innovation grants especially) would speed up the correction as it alleviates risk. Unfortunately, government seems to be a little cash strapped these days and progressing a system that's worked for a hundred years is probably not a high priority right now. After all, the system still does work, it's just not optimized for today's world.

It would be awesome to see more individualization of degrees. I did my undergrad over a huge spread of disciplines and I'm really glad I did. It made a huge difference to my learning and overall enjoyment of university.

I also see we have similar avatars but I swear I didn't rip yours off!

Justin King added these pithy words on Nov 18 09 at 12:57 am

Nicely done.

I like your comment on university going through a market correction. It's happening, but it's soooo slow. Not only is there a resistance to meet with new technology, but I also find it shocking that universities continue to provide only a degree when we know it isn't enough.

I've been wondering for awhile now how long it'll be before a progressive (probably private) university is formed that will meet the needs of the market. You know, a harmonization of experience, theory, and digital integration. Umair would call it education 2.0

Justin King added these pithy words on Nov 18 09 at 2:22 am

Thanks.

The market correction could be eased, or at least sped up, with government
assistant. Or, it could be made worse. I don't know.

The technology, if implemented correctly, would help make degrees
individualized and potentially more economical.

Agreed on the 'futurized' university. Personalmba.com seems to be moving in
the right direction, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a private
institution pop up in the next ten years that's build on progressive
principles of learning.

alexjmann added these pithy words on Nov 18 09 at 4:54 am

I'd think government assistance (technology and innovation grants especially) would speed up the correction as it alleviates risk. Unfortunately, government seems to be a little cash strapped these days and progressing a system that's worked for a hundred years is probably not a high priority right now. After all, the system still does work, it's just not optimized for today's world.

It would be awesome to see more individualization of degrees. I did my undergrad over a huge spread of disciplines and I'm really glad I did. It made a huge difference to my learning and overall enjoyment of university.

I also see we have similar avatars but I swear I didn't rip yours off!

Justin King added these pithy words on Nov 18 09 at 5:57 am

alex j. mann (.com)

On Education: Why The Future Is Now

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