E learning is the next big thang!

Avatar, second life, etc...

will virtuality replace reality?

The future classroom will have neither walls nor ceiling.

The future classroom will lack blackboards, dusty chalk fumes, school uniforms and tables and chairs.

The future classroom will no longer have pen and paper, heavy cumbersome textbooks or teachers to pay attention to.

Instead of time wasted stuck on buses and trains, squeezing with commuters during peak hour traffic jams, you are almost in school 24/7 as long as you are logged on the school website and such. The digital classroom would be the new matrix of the future. Some might bemoan the loss of the age-old excuse: “I can’t hand in my homework because my dog ate it” with the arrival of the futuristic classroom and the subsequent digitization of all school materials but on the other hand, there will be no teachers breathing down your neck, monitoring your homework progress like a hawk.

Would we use avatar to represent ourselves in the future classroom?

Rather, the digital classroom will replace teachers with education facilitators, altering the formulaic teach-and-learn method with a revolutionary facilitate-in-learning method. The latter allows the student to take charge of his own learning journey, providing him with a virtual chest filled with an assortment of gems of internet data, awarding him a place at the helm of his own boat to navigate the high seas of knowledge.

There are both benefits and hazards with e-Learning.

On one hand, there are no commuting costs to contend with as all classes are attended in the comfort of the student's own home. Classes can be conducted in a digital classroom regardless of where one is located. While critics may charge that virtual reality shuts down - no pun intended - human interactions, student communication can still be strongly encouraged and supported through discussion forums, video conferences and emails.

On the other hand, most educators dislike having to make up separate curricula for their online students. They prefer face-to-face interaction and would prefer to meet in person than via email or discussion forums. Besides, schools have to rely on their students’ honour not to cheat or have someone else sit down at their computer and do the work for them.