The World Is Open: How Web Technology Is Revolutionizing Education

Whether you are a scientist on a ship in Antarctic waters or a young girl in a Philippine village, you can learn whenever and whatever you want from whomever you are interested in learning it from.

As technologies have become more available, even in the most remote reaches of the world, and as more people contribute a wealth of online resources, the education world has become open to anyone anywhere. In The World Is Open, education technology guru Curtis Bonk explores ten key trends that together make up the "WE-ALL-LEARN" framework for understanding the potential of technology's impact on learning in the 21st century:

• Web Searching in the World of e-Books

• E-Learning and Blended Learning

• Availability of Open Source and Free Software

• Leveraged Resources and OpenCourseWare

• Learning Object Repositories and Portals

• Learner Participation in Open Information Communities

• Electronic Collaboration

• Alternate Reality Learning

• Real-Time Mobility and Portability

• Networks of Personalized Learning

In addition, this important resource contains compelling interviews that capture the diverse global nature of the open educational world from those who are creating new learning technologies as well as those who are using them to learn and teach in new ways. Using the dynamic "WE-ALL-LEARN" model, learners, educators, executives, administrators, instructors, and parents can tap into the power of Web technology and unleash a world of information.

Curtis J. Bonk, Ph.D., is professor of Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University. Drawing on his background as a corporate controller, CPA, educational psychologist, and instructional technologist, Bonk offers unique insights into the intersection of business, education, psychology, and technology. A well-known authority on emerging technologies for learning, Bonk reflects on his speaking experiences around the world in his popular blog, TravelinEdMan. He has written many articles and coauthored several widely used books, including Empowering Online Learning, The Handbook of Blended Learning, and Electronic Collaborators. He is also president and founder of SurveyShare and CourseShare.