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The Exponential Educator

Few people would disagree that the state of education in America is in poor condition. Unfortunately, all too often the debate for fixing the problem centers on stale old nostrums, including paying teachers more money and making class sizes smaller. Rarely, do people discuss how emerging technologies have the potential to enrich the educational experience for students and teachers alike.

Three articles from today’s news help paint a different and exciting picture of the future state of education. The first was reported in Physorg. Com and it discusses how scientists are using virtual reality goggles to study out-of-body experiences. Now, out-of-body experiences aren’t something I would yet recommend teaching young students about, but what the study does indicate is that virtual reality technology might soon be used to help “train people to do delicate ‘teleoperating’ tasks, such as performing surgeries remotely.”

My point is that if this technology can be used to help doctors learn how to perform surgery remote, there are surely other educational applications it can also be used for, such as studying human anatomy in a biology class.

The second article was an editorial by Michael Granof in the New York Times addressing the insanity of how the market for college textbook market currently exploits students. In short, Granof proposes rather than having students shell out between $100-$150 for a textbook; schools and universities instead license the intellectual content of the material. He makes a compelling case and it is an excellent example of jumping the curve.

The final item comes compliments of CNET. It is a piece entitled, “Is the digital pen mightier,” and it discusses how digital pens are getting exponential better. The technology might not yet be ready for mainstream use but, mark my word, the time is coming and the “Exponential Educator” needs to begin thinking today about how these exciting new technologies and ideas can be used tomorrow to enhance the educational experience.

Jack Uldrich is a writer, public speaker and host of jumpthecurve.net. He is the author of seven books, including Jump the Curve and The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. He is also a frequenter speaker on future trends, innovation, change management and executive leadership.

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