| Bridging the Disconnect is a collaborative effort among educators,
private sector high-tech leaders, and policy makers to comprehend how the
Internet is changing the way people communicate and learn and to promote
uses of the Internet that enhance personal learning as well as community
and societal growth. Our goals are pragmatic: if we can describe how technologies
are impacting information-sharing and knowledge-building, we may propose
new practices for maximizing the value of the Internet in supporting learning
and growth. We believe that bridging the disconnect is not a matter simply
of providing more hardware, but of equipping individuals to cultivate,
manage, and market their intelligence in an open economy where knowledge
is the most valued commodity.
In this e-learning manifesto we are issuing a call for new practices
and incentives that support the growth-enhancing capacities of the Internet.
We seek a balance between the rights of those who seek value from the Internet
and the markets that use it for monetary gain. We ask for a recognition
by both public and commercial interests that the best for both worlds is
an Internet environment that enriches the individual users of the system.
Thus, this E-Learning Manifesto seeks to 1) reconstruct a vision of
the Internet as a nurturing learning community, 2) describe the competing
agendas that threaten the individual learner in this environment, and 3)
propose a set of guiding principles and best practices for those seeking
to contribute to the development of Internet as a living ecosystem, the
central purpose of which is to promote individual and communal growth. |
Abstract