What an interesting take on the role of adults in student learning. As academic leaders it has been drummed into us for years that the single most important aspect of student learning is a quality, caring teacher. Mr Mitra says that students are fully capable of learning without the direct, face to face interaction with an adult. He even goes so far as to say that 6-13 year olds will self instruct without any formal instructional technology, only access to the internet.
While I absolutely support the finding that students will learn something simply by exposure to the internet and the use of technology, I seriously question what they are learning. I didn't see in this short presentation evidence of what the students were learning.
I was particularly interested in the fact that the students in the study learned IN GROUPS. I think we tend to generalize online learning as individualized and isolating. The team aspect of online learning is a keen interest of mine and an area I need to dig into more deeply.
While I am currently working in online learning, I still believe that there is an important and significant role for the teacher in student learning. I believe that this role changes though with technology. Teachers no longer need to be the delivery vehicle of knowledge. Student can collect knowledge from the internet or online courses. Teachers can now focus their efforts on remediation, clarification, collaboration, extension, making connections and application.
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