CLO Article - Social Network Blurs Boundaries of Learning

As more and more risk takers take advantage of social networks we will begin to see a snowball effect. Many will wait until the academics prove that social networks are a viable business tool. And still others will wait until there is a rapid development tool created to make it easy with a step by step manual to get it done.
A school system in the Netherlands is highlighted in a CLO article as one of the risk takers in this space. Although my guess is that they don't see it as risk taking at all. I'm certain they see the obvious benefits which is why they are taking steps in transitioning to a virtual model for their school.
Change is not easy, and it is certainly not immediate. But there is a massive change afoot in education and within our corporations.

“From our point of view, learning isn’t an isolated area,” Amm said. “We are providing this as part of an overall collaboration suite. One of the main advantages is the possibility to leave the ‘isolated training materials’ point of view and relate it to other information. Content can be managed and bookmarked, and you can find people who have worked on similar issues and virtually collaborate and discuss those with them. Capabilities like bookmarking, information training and streaming video work together to provide an infrastructure that allow people to see learning and teaching as an integral part of day-to-day work rather than some isolated process working in a dedicated system.”

That last part deserves to be stated again..."learning and teaching as an integral part of day-to-day work rather than some isolated process working in a dedicated system."

This is why the internet itself with tools like Google make for the greatest single educational infrastructure in existence. Why? Because its there when you need it, for whatever you want to do. The next generation workforce will have spent their entire childhood Googling for answers and learning from others via the internet...not the classroom. Its great because nobody ever said "this is a LEARNING tool, and it must be used as such...". Its an infrastructure that gives the user the freedom to do as they choose. Its simple...well, Google is simple. Everyone can use it.

The boundaries of learning have ALWAYS been blurred or non-existant. Its this silly educational "system" and the old fashioned model of teaching that is finally blurring into history, not learning.