Abstract
M.B.A.
We are In the midst of the Information age wherein Information and
communication technology has been growing exponentially to the extent that we
are totally reliant on it In some way or the other. We have often heard of new
buzzwords like e-commerce, e-business, e-solutlons with the latest being elearning.
This Is being hailed as the concept that will revolutionize our education
systems and how we learn.
"Today's education system Is built on an agrarian model that worked In the years
when we were a nation of farmers, foresters and fisherman. Schooling has
changed to take on elements of the industrial revolution (factory-line, classes,
assembly-line curriculum and teacher-foreman) that worked for the needs of the
industrial age. New designs are needed to create the "knowledge workers" who
will define the information age." (wwwa, 2000) This quotation alludes to the need
to change the system of education to be more in tune with the needs of the 21st
century.
To this end McCombs (2000) has identified a "need for educational models that
reconnect learners with others and with learning models that are person centered
while also addressing the needs for learning experiences. Learning experiences
In schools should prepare learners to be knowledge producers, knowledge users
and socially responsible citizens. II
Similarly Thornburg (1999) has argued that "we must move beyond the past
where Information was seen as a scarce resource and education was a system
for Imparting Information to benefit learners.