Internet Learning Volume 5, Number 1, Fall 2016/Winter 2017 | Page 46

3 Questions for an Online Learning Leader
participate in conversations beyond the
walls of the class, and share and gather
information. Using these tools gives
them real-life skills they can use in their
personal or professional lives within or
beyond the institution.
Now, although you requested
two, I want to mention one other future
technology on which to keep an eye. I
spent a good amount of time researching
virtual worlds, social media, augmented
reality, and mobile devices in
separate pilots for about a decade. For
years I have felt that there would be an
integration of the characteristics of these
technologies that would lead to a new
technology that would tremendously
impact education. Although we are
not there yet, the latest arrival of
PokemonGo is a good indicator that
the technology developers are getting
closer. One day we may have a technology
that allows us to blend our real and
digital worlds in a 2- and 3-dimensional
space where we can be connected to
each other.
45