Role of the teacher: shifting from instructor-led training to networked learning

Jay Cross: The first wave of E-Learning failed because it aimed on replacing the human factor in learning within the framework of industrial society: «You cannot remove the humans from learning». While the nature of humans does not change, their behavior might change. New opportunities include learning at a time of need, in the context of work, from people in the know, and through virtual conversation. The teachers become «connectors, wiki gardeners, internal publicists, news anchors, and performance consultants». New digital competencies include

• bringing new members up to speed with the community’s technology

• identifying and spreading good technology practices

• supporting community experimentation

• assuring continuity across technology disruptions

• “keeping the lights on” (including back-ups, permissions, vendor payments, and domain registrations)

To a large extent, these requirements are utopia for secondary education in Kazakhstan. The reality are too often underpaid teachers near pension age, who do have for career and biological reasons other concerns than padagocial experiments. To a large extent, it was and it is their commitment and attitude that the VET system did not collapse. Thanks a lot! However, thinking ahead, there might be no more actual task than thinking about the teacher of the future. The life cycle of a teacher is around 10 years, including developing new univerisites and further education programmes, qualifiying teachers and gaining 2 -3 years of experience until a new teacher achieves becomes effective. This times correlates with internationale experience about the time required for changing a system like secondary education. The decisions which are made today will shape the system of tomorrow.  While it is not an issue of operative management, it is urgent!