What does learning look like in a classroom without walls, chairs, desks, tables, whiteboards, and a teacher standing in front?
This is a question that will face future educators for the next 10–20 years, because this will become more of a reality year in and year out. This same question will also cause educators of the present and of the future a lot of anxiety because technology is complex, difficult to use, and at times, unreliable.
When teaching online classes, the phrases of synchronous instruction and asynchronous instruction come up frequently. By definition, synchronous instruction is when a teacher is present and asynchronous instruction is when the teacher facilitates by designing a lesson to flow without the need for a direct instructor. The beauty is that a teacher can focus more on being the “guide on the side” rather than the “sage on the stage”. Teachers will have to learn how to create a class that requires students to collaborate with each other, and they will have to personalize their own learning. THIS IS THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION! While schools will continue to be important, a new type of thinking will have to exist. Online learning will be a game-changer and will bring new meaning to personalized or customized education.