Beyond control : will blended learning subvert national curricula?

Williams, Peter

Abstract

Blended Learning seems to entail a relatively innocuous set of techniques, but closer examination reveals some of these carry implicit assumptions – of constructivist philosophy, peer collaboration and situative learning – which may make their export to other countries and national cultures problematic. They also provide a route to the Internet: a storehouse of Westernised, unauthorised and anarchic content. So will Blended Learning subvert national curricula? This paper contributes to the debate by examining the milieu of national educational policy, relating it to forms of knowledge. Web 2.0 applications and Open Educational Resources are discussed in relation to the growing gap between traditional curricula and the digitally-enabled communities of mass collectivism and direct action. Blended Learning is shown to pose cultural threats, but also open opportunities, and whether these threats can be turned to advantage depends crucially upon how national policies are formulated and implemented. The conclusion poses key questions for policy-makers and practitioners. Publisher: Information Science Reference Peer-reviewed In: Ng (ed.) Comparative Blended Learning Practices and Environments. (2010)

Citation

Williams, P. Beyond control : will blended learning subvert national curricula?. The University of Hull

• Deposit Date: Jun 1, 2010
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: Blended learning, Educational policy, National curriculum, e-Learning, Open educational resources, Web 2.0
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/457759