To address the global problems of war and peace, economics, poverty, health, and the environment, we need a world citizenry with ready access to knowledge about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); social, behavioral, and economic sciences; and the humanities. Our primary, secondary, and higher educational systems in the United States today lack the capacity to serve the full populace effectively, not to mention support the lifelong learning essential for coping with our rapidly evolving world. While technology cannot solve all the world’s educational challenges and crises, it has the potential to broaden educational opportunities, improve public understanding, and strengthen learning in classrooms and beyond. This report identifies directions for leveraging networked computing and communications technology and calls for research to establish successful ways to use these technologies to enhance educational opportunities—by strengthening proven methods of learning and innovating to create new learning environments that transform and improve learning.
To address the global problems of war and peace, economics, poverty, health, and the environment, we need a world citizenry with ready access to knowledge about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); social, behavioral, and economic sciences; and the humanities. Our primary, secondary, and higher educational systems in the United States today lack the capacity to serve the full populace effectively, not to mention support the lifelong learning essential for coping with our rapidly evolving world. While technology cannot solve all the world’s educational challenges and crises, it has the potential to broaden educational opportunities, improve public understanding, and strengthen learning in classrooms and beyond. This report identifies directions for leveraging networked computing and communications technology and calls for research to establish successful ways to use these technologies to enhance educational opportunities—by strengthening proven methods of learning and innovating to create new learning environments that transform and improve learning.
Social Learning and Networks