Future of Learning Top Reads for week of Mar 29 2021
“Y Combinator widens its bet in edtech in latest batch,” by Natasha Mascarenhas, in TechCrunch
“Despite the struggles of ‘Zoom University,’ this batch of edtech founders clearly believe that the future of instruction is through online courses. This was perhaps the most overwhelming thread tying together all the companies in the sector: a bet on one of these companies is a bet that remote education will become status quo.”
Why does this matter to the future of learning?
Call it a paradigm shift: there will be no post-pandemic version of education that isn’t at least hybrid. The only question is how long it will take schools to formalize that shift and upgrade their capabilities to deliver on it.
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“Is the Solution to College Zoom Fatigue … a Different Video Platform?” by Jeffrey R. Young, in EdSurge News
“Even before the pandemic, about half of [college] students had taken at least one online course. Now [in the pandemic] it went from 50 percent to 100 percent. We don't think it's going to revert back to just 50 percent. I don't want to guess, but it's going to be somewhere between 50 and 100 percent.”
Why does this matter to the future of learning?
At the risk of repeating myself… there will be no post-pandemic version of education that isn’t at least hybrid!
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“Transforming the Landscape of Education,” by Matt Piercy, in Getting Smart
“February 23rd marked the launch of MYX, a strategic purpose-driven higher education hybrid, combining online and experiential learning. Abby Brody, Founder, and CEO cites the timeless Robert Frost quote but adds her own alchemical touch. ‘Two roads diverged into a yellow wood, I chose them both.’ As if to say, it simply no longer has to be either-or. Either I study on-line or I attend in person. Either I go to university or I take a GAP year. Instead, MYX offers students 18-24 years of age, the best of all worlds.”
Why does this matter to the future of learning?
But at MYX, hybrid means something even more interesting: it also includes classroom learning and experiential learning: “At each locale will be Impact Challenges, specifically tailored to the location and community. For example in Medellin, Colombia deemed one of the World’s Smartest Cities by Newsweek, MYX students will have the opportunity to be immersed in innovation and revitalization. Ten hours each week students gain critical experience while also developing solutions to authentic problems. Guided by Learning Leaders and community partners, students contribute authentically to business, government, and the nonprofit sectors.”
In person and online.
In the classroom and in the real world.
Are you prepared to compete with the new hybrid?
Disclosure: Abby Brody, the founder of MYX, is my friend.
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