I am very pleased that my most recent book, “Harnessing America’s Wasted Talent: A New Ecology of Learning” (Jossey-Bass, Jan, 2010) was published in January. Writing the book has been a journey for me: changing me in the writing and changing the book as a result of the intellectual ferment created. I have come to understand this technological revolution as more  than a set of linked events with a cumulative widespread impact on almost every facet of our lives. Indeed, I now understand it as a new ecology, a new environment for information and intellectual activity which cannot be controlled by existing hierarchical structures, such as universities and governments. continue reading

I am excited and pleased today because I am holding my new book, Harnessing America’s Wasted Talent: A New Ecology of Learning (Jossey-Bass, Jan. 2010), in my hands. It lives up to its title, I think, describing how our technology-rich environment, populated with platforms, networks, social sites, and downloads, makes possible a level of access and completion in higher education that has been unattainable up to this point. I illustrate this point with a number of examples. Primary among them is being able to self-assess your experiential learning and then, if you wish, get it reviewed formally for academic credit , all on-line. continue reading

Two articles in today’s Chronicle (9/3/09) exemplify exactly how confused the academy is about online learning and the transformative impacts of the technological revolution on learning and higher education. First we read that professors are increasing their use of online learning even though they doubt its quality. The implication is that they are apparently reluctant participants driven by a necessity of someone else’s making. Then we are reminded that the University of Illinois is going to continue with the phase out of it Global Campus program, laying off the staff over the next 6-12 months and moving the currently independent structure back into the university in a more traditional relationship. continue reading