This is a seminal work. In it Dr Curtis Bonk has used stories of people throughout the world, many of them as he says, unsung heroes, who have used the potential of web technology to start what he calls a "revolution" in education.
This revolution is based upon the availability of information as so much of it is free. It crosses boundaries of race, creed and nationality to produce a worldwide system of sharing and producing of information but most importantly it transforms the potential of learning so that as Curtis says "We are all learners" now.

The book is a very optimistic one, in that it takes the "Flat World" of Thomas L. Friedman and looks for the potentialities that it has. He sees the openness of the internet as an exciting tool in breaking down barriers on our planet. I was particularly interested in the way that he showed how developments in technology will eventually open up learning to the many millions in the world who have no access to knowledge at the moment.

This is a book that deserves to be read as a starting point in understanding just how powerful this new world is and how it is going to really transform our lives in the next decade. I see myself as a lifelong learner, a mentor for others (in whatever capacity that may be) and as a contributor (in whatever small way) to the continuing pool of what constitutes human knowledge. I feel that I have a debt of gratitude for Dr Curtis Bonk for the role he has played in showing me (and any others who get to read the book) just how exciting this is and how we must embrace it all and use it for the good of all mankind.



The World Is Open: How Web Technology Is Revolutionizing Education

Product Description:
Whether you are a scientist on a ship in Antarctic waters or a young girl in a Philippine village, you can learn whenever and whatever you want from whomever you are interested in learning it from.

As technologies have become more available, even in the most remote reaches of the world, and as more people contribute a wealth of online resources, the education world has become open to anyone anywhere. In The World Is Open, education technology guru Curtis Bonk explores ten key trends that together make up the "WE-ALL-LEARN" framework for understanding the potential of technology's impact on learning in the 21st century:

  • Web Searching in the World of e-Books
  • E-Learning and Blended Learning
  • Availability of Open Source and Free Software
  • Leveraged Resources and OpenCourseWare
  • Learning Object Repositories and Portals
  • Learner Participation in Open Information Communities
  • Electronic Collaboration
  • Alternate Reality Learning
  • Real-Time Mobility and Portability
  • Networks of Personalized Learning
In addition, this important resource contains compelling interviews that capture the diverse global nature of the open educational world from those who are creating new learning technologies as well as those who are using them to learn and teach in new ways. Using the dynamic "WE-ALL-LEARN" model, learners, educators, executives, administrators, instructors, and parents can tap into the power of Web technology and unleash a world of information.

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