PowerPoint Doesn't Teach People. People Teach People.

There is a lot of hype surrounding e-learning and its promise to transform education. Open just about any journal on education, and you might start to wonder why anyone still attends traditional, face-to-face classes. Apparently, baby boomers are foaming at the mouth, ready to spend billions on courses they can take from the sun-drenched beaches of the Caribbean, and teenagers will soon riot in the streets if they're forced to take one more test with good old paper and pencil.

I don’t believe online courses will eliminate the need for physical spaces where teachers and learners can congregate. However, I do believe e-learning will change the way we think about “contact hours” and how teachers use them. As an instructional designer, I strive to create engaging learning experiences that supplement instructor-led learning, rather than replace it. Technology can offer quick fixes for underfunded schools and overextended teachers. Yet, great education still requires a human-centered exchange of ideas, not an assembly line of tutorials and fact memorization.