Teaching Tool of the Century

[Pat Jewett]

I believe you are using the teaching tool of the century in its infancy. A business I recently consulted with was using social networks to deliver educational materials on selling medical, dental insurance, and travel health insurance to its sales staff. The staff was given reading materials, videos, audio files, and more via these interactive platforms. There were chats, forums, blogs and online meetings. The sales team was completely engaged in the training process. Why can't we use the same technique and technology on students? The only thing keeping us from using these tools in education is bureaucracy. I firmly believe that tools very similar to these social media tools will be the prevalent means of education in 10 years. It would save time, costs, and even reduce the spread of illnesses. Imagine the possibilities.