| | NOVEMBER 20198Holding a Management degree in Marketing from the IMI ­ Delhi, Rajiv has 25+ years of corporate experience, working with multinational companies such as Microsoft, NEC India, and Intel, to name a few.THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION LIES IN INTERACTIVE & COLLABORATIVE LEARNING VIA TECHNOLOGYBy Rajiv Bhalla, Managing Director, Barco IndiaLearning spaces where students work together at large tables, connecting with both each other and the professor; multi-location learning where groups of students at different locations follow interactive courses; or even a step further, virtual classrooms where each student can be in a different place and the teacher in yet another. Do these scenarios sound like scenes from a sci-fi movie? Probably not! The traditional way of teaching, featuring a professor reading-out loud a syllabus, is almost a thing of the past. The future of our education comprises of collaborative learning spaces, multi-location learning, adaptive learning systems, and virtual classrooms. The main purpose is more dialogue between students and teachers. The role of the real-life professor remains crucial, but he/she should embrace the latest educational technology.Using a wide array of information exchange tools and a focus on connectivity and interactivity, the collaborative way of learning is designed with modern students in mind. Students who have grown-up with mobile technology absorb information through them quickly. These students are entering a very different working world than their parents, and new educational methods will prepare them for the digital age. Technology ­ A Click AwayToday's world is fast-paced, and innovative products seem to pop-up every day. Education has also evolved rapidly in the past few years, and technology plays a large role in these changes. So much information comes at students from so many angles that identifying and absorbing the valuable parts of that information is more difficult than ever before. Technology has evolved, and so have the methods students use to learn. More people than ever are connecting to educators and taking classes remotely. While some of these solutions are fantastic and offer a great way for students to telecommute, there are others plagued with problems. Students and instructors shouldn't have to squander their education time learning a new interface or device or troubleshooting issues.Rajiv Bhalla, Managing DirectorTHOUGHT LEADERSHIP
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