I?m participating in a live chat on The Guardian tomorrow,?Universities in 2012. As The Guardian phrases it, the past 12 months have indeed been heady. For me it?s the most important year in higher education since I began following the ?industry? two decades ago. I think the developments we?ve followed this year???MOOCs, enhanced digital textbooks, mobile devices in the classroom, and much more???are truly taking root and will continue their explosive growth next year. I expect that 2012 will come to be designated as the year that education ?tipped?. Not only higher education. Because of the deserved popularity of tablets as teaching tools, K-12 as well.
Here?s a selection of the most significant online articles from the past year. Read these and you?ll be able to see the pattern of a year just passing, and a foundation for the year to come.
June: Secretary of Education Duncan Declares August ?Connected Educator? Month
The Obama administration made it very clear this year that it supports the increasing digitization of education. ?Every educator needs to be connected with the best digital content, tools, and resources in order to enliven the learning environment for students, and to fully connect with peers and experts,? said?Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in announcing that August 2012 would be ?Connected Educator Month.?
June: Reworking a Course Into an Online Format: ?Sort of?Like Moving?
The Chronicle of Higher Education?asked four professors teaching free online courses to?describe their experiences.
October:?University of Phoenix to Shutter 115?Locations
For-profit education had a rough year, for good reason. For the?University of Phoenix the result was shuttering 115 locations and?laying off 800 employees out of a staff of 17,000.
November:?The Most Important Education Technology in 200 Years
The MIT Technology Review?declares?the move to online is of major significance: ?It?s rare to see major technological advances in how people learn.?
November:?Online Courses Put Pressure on Universities in Poorer Nations
The move to online is a major shift in First World nations. For poorer nations it?s a radical game changer, disrupting entrenched interest and opening up education to millions of students who could never have afforded it before.
November:?Fleeing From ?Free?
Flat World Knowledge announces?plans to eliminate the free versions of its textbooks as of January 1, 2013.
December:?Online learning site Udemy nabs $12M to expand to new platforms, targeted content
Venture money increases its flow into online education: ?The San Francisco startup competes with plenty of other online learning sites,? but ?Udemy is unique in that it lets anyone become an instructor by creating and offering free and paid video-based classes on a range of subjects its site.?
More to follow?
Source: http://thefutureofpublishing.com/2012/12/higher-education-and-educational-publishing-in-2012/
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