Chad Outten's Page

Traditionally, education has been an entity, a system, a learning process that students undergo, or all or a combination of these things. Albert Einstein was once quoted as saying: "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school". In modern terms, education today is about learning as a life-long experience, not simply a process that students endure for a period of their lives. Future learning requires deconstructing traditional views of education as an insti… Continue

The 'mass production line' is a great analogy to describe the traditional school system. Students as the raw material and educators as the cogs in the machine working for a bureaucracy. For too long, many schools and universities have operated like this: farms and factories that produce clones of a pre-determined specification, fit for society. It is refreshing to consider an educational system that is not bound by four walls. Learning can happen by anyone about anything, anywhere and anytime.… Continue

According to a recent US study by the National Schools Board Association, 96% of students aged 9-17 years, who have internet access, use social networking tools. The study was comprised of 3 surveys, an online survey involving 1277 students, an online survey of 1039 parents, and phone interviews with 250 school district leaders who make internet policy decisions. The study identified that students spend on average 9 hours per week pos… Continue

'Google Generation' refers to a generation of people born since 1993, who have grown up in an Internet dominated world. According to Wikipedia, the phrase has entered common usage as a "...way of referring to a generation whose first port of call for knowledge is the internet and a search engine, Google being the most popular". The Online Computer Library Center recently conducted a global survey that indicates the Google Gen… Continue

I recently attended the Moodle Moot in New Zealand and an inspiring presentation by Martin Langhoff. Martin is a Moodle guru and works for New Zealand Moodle Partner, Catalyst IT. During his spare time, Martin is involved in the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project. I also had the rare privelege of test-driving an XO-1 prototype. For those not familiar with the project, the OLPC social welfare organisation developed XO-1, previously known as the $100 Laptop,… Continue