In 2011: How the Internet Revolutionized Education

December 26, 2011, by Courtney Boyd Myers Colorful Chalk at Chalkboard As connection speeds increase and the ubiquity of the Web pervades, free education has never been so accessible. An Internet connection gives lifelong learners the tools to become autodidacts, eschewing exorbitant tuition and joining the ranks of other self-taught great thinkers in history such as Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Paul Allen and Ernest Hemingway. We can be learning all the time now, whenever we want, and wherever we want. And because of that, we’re seeing explosive growth in online education. We’ve featured several companies and organizations in the past year that are disrupting the online education space including Open Yale, Open Culture, Khan Academy, Academic Earth, P2PU, Skillshare, Scitable and Skype in the Classroom. Now that we’ve reached the end of 2011, it’s time to look back at our previous posts and remind ourselves how far we’ve come and catch up on all that’s happened.InsiderHow the Internet is Revolutionizing Education This was our seminal piece on online education, which includes interviews with UC Berkeley professors and CEOs and Founders of today’s most disruptive education startups. It’s clear that the world is moving faster than it ever has before. As we learn more about ourselves and more about the world around us through massive amounts of data collection and data transfer at ever increasing speeds, surely the foundations of learning must change too. After all, our current education system is broken, from the bottom up. If we’re going to continue to evolve as a species and as a culture, we’re long overdue for an education revolution. Read the full story here .laptopperu 520x245 In 2011: How the Internet Revolutionized EducationStay in or drop out? The entrepreneur’s education fiasco There’s a lot of debate right now about whether or not paying for a degree is worth it, a particular problem facing entrepreneurs. The average public university (in the US) is going to set you back nearly $80,000 for a 4-year program. Going to private school? Up that cost to in excess of $150,000 depending on the school of choice. Oh sure, you might have a piece of paper that says you have a Bachelor of Science or Art degree but what you actually have is something that has become so ubiquitous that it’s really not worth much more than the lint inside your own navel. Read the full story here . How Technology Has Changed Education The education of a nation’s youth to a full height of academic rigor and standing is a complex process that nearly always spans more than a decade, requires tens of thousands of dollars, dozens of teachers, and of course, technology. Not always the most recent technology, mind you, but even the oldest Pentium One computer was once new. Read the full story here . Skillshare lets you learn anything from anyone Screen shot 2011 12 23 at 11.48.11 AM In 2011: How the Internet Revolutionized EducationSkillshare  is a New York based community marketplace that enables users to learn anything from anyone. It aims to democratize learning by tapping into existing communities and networks. Contrary to the common notion that learning has to occur inside a classroom, Skillshare believes otherwise, appropriately quoting Einstein: “Learning is not a product of schooling but the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” This year Skillshare helped raise over $20,000  for Raise Cache and unveiled a new online experience . Read the full story here . 

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