Sunday, November 29, 2009
Even the Army embraces e-learning
When you think about the Army, you think about carrying around backpacks and digging holes to sleep in. That's what my father thought when I told him I joined the Army (my father is an Air Force retiree). It has changed as an organization since my joining. I was in missile maintenance, so I saw my share of electrical gadgets. We had educational opportunities everyone I was stationed, even in Bosnia. Before I left the Army they were offering laptops and Internet access so soldiers could take classes at various universities while deployed and in the field. The Internet access that was provided was via satellite. Even the weapon systems that the Army uses mimic gaming systems. Tanks and all terrain vehicle weapon systems look just an XBOX remote control. Soon computers will be accessible to people in remote parts of the world. They may even be able to use satellite access for Internet service. Education will be accessible all around the world and to different people. Here's a link to the armed services and what they are doing with gaming. http://www.dodgamecommunity.com
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That's a good point. Many, many things can be learned via simulation technology that aren't possible in the real world. I think education will go that way at some point too. However, will it be public education? I'm afraid to think that a private education company will some day offer P-12 education via simulation/virtual reality and then all the kiddies will stay home to go to school. It seems like with the way things are going, public education will only go on-line when some other private company challenges us to do so. Hmmm...
ReplyDeleteTechnology is truly an amazing thing that provides opportunities for us that we may not normally be able to access. When you look at the home schooling trends, the numbers have increased in the last decade because you don't need a certified teacher or qualified parent when you have technology to get the information you need. Just give them guidelines of what needs to be mastered and they are off. I'm not really a cheerleader for home schooling but it's interesting to see the growth in numbers due to the access of technology.
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