Editing Education reform (section)

==Digital education==
{{Main|Electronic learning|Computational thinking#Computational education|l2=Computational education}}
{{See also|Computer-Based Math|Mathematical software|The Math(s) Fix}}
[[File:Digital carrel classroom.webp|thumb|3D design of [[Carrel desk|desk cubicles]] to get power to the desk and [[computers in the classroom]] for [[Computer-based mathematics education|computer-based mathematics]], [[computational physics]], [[computational chemistry]], [[Computer-aided design|CAD]], [[Computer-aided manufacturing|CAM]], [[Building information modeling|BIM]], [[List of computer-aided engineering software|computer-aided engineering]], [[Computer programming|computer programming]], [[animation software]], [[List of free and open-source software packages#Science|science software applications]], and more.]]
The movement to use computers more in education naturally includes many unrelated ideas, methods, and pedagogies since there are many uses for digital computers. For example, the fact that computers are naturally good at math leads to the question of the use of calculators in math education. The Internet's communication capabilities make it potentially useful for collaboration, and foreign language learning. The computer's ability to simulate physical systems makes it potentially useful in teaching science. More often, however, debate of digital education reform centers around more general applications of computers to education, such as electronic test-taking and online classes.

Another viable addition to digital education has been [[blended learning]].  In 2009, over 3 million K-12 students took an online course, compared to 2000 when 45,000 took an online course. Blended learning examples include pure online, blended, and traditional education.  Research results show that the most effective learning takes place in a blended format.<ref>Horn, M., Stacker, H. "The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning" Innosight Institute. January 2011. Retrieved from www.innosightinstitute.org</ref> This allows children to view the lecture ahead of time and then spend class time practicing, refining, and applying what they have previously learned.

The idea of creating [[artificial intelligence]] led some computer scientists to believe that teachers could be replaced by computers, through something like an [[expert system]]; however, attempts to accomplish this have predictably proved inflexible. The computer is now more understood to be a tool or assistant for the teacher and students.

Harnessing the richness of the Internet is another goal. In some cases classrooms have been moved entirely online, while in other instances the goal is more to learn how the Internet can be more than a classroom.

Web-based international educational software is under development by students at New York University{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}}, based on the belief that current educational institutions are too rigid: effective teaching is not routine, students are not passive, and questions of practice are not predictable or standardized. The software allows for courses tailored to an individual's abilities through frequent and automatic [[multiple intelligences]] assessments. Ultimate goals include assisting students to be intrinsically motivated to educate themselves, and aiding the student in self-actualization. Courses typically taught only in college are being reformatted so that they can be taught to any level of student, whereby elementary school students may learn the foundations of any topic they desire. Such a program has the potential to remove the bureaucratic inefficiencies of education in modern countries, and with the decreasing digital divide, help developing nations rapidly achieve a similar quality of education. With an open format similar to Wikipedia, any teacher may upload their courses online and a feedback system will help students choose relevant courses of the highest quality. Teachers can provide links in their digital courses to webcast videos of their lectures. Students will have personal academic profiles and a forum will allow students to pose complex questions, while simpler questions will be automatically answered by the software, which will bring you to a solution by searching through the knowledge database, which includes all available courses and topics.

The 21st century ushered in the acceptance and encouragement of internet research conducted on college and university campuses, in homes, and even in gathering areas of shopping centers. Addition of cyber cafes on campuses and coffee shops, loaning of communication devices from libraries, and availability of more portable technology devices, opened up a world of educational resources.  Availability of knowledge to the elite had always been obvious, yet provision of networking devices, even wireless gadget sign-outs from libraries, made availability of information an expectation of most persons. [[Cassandra B. Whyte]] researched the future of computer use on higher education campuses focusing on student affairs. Though at first seen as a data collection and outcome reporting tool, the use of computer technology in the classrooms, meeting areas, and homes continued to unfold.  The sole dependence on paper resources for subject information diminished and e-books and articles, as well as online courses, were anticipated to become increasingly staple and affordable choices provided by higher education institutions according to Whyte in a 2002 presentation.<ref>Whyte, Cassandra Bolyard. (1989)."Student Affairs-The Future". Journal of College Student Development.30. (1). 86-89.</ref><ref>Whyte, Cassandra Bolyard (2002) Presentation at a Round Table Forum on Higher Education Topics.Oxford, England.</ref>

[[Flip teaching|Digitally "flipping" classrooms]] is a trend in digital education that has gained significant momentum. [[Will Richardson (educator)|Will Richardson]], author and visionary for the digital education realm, points to the not-so-distant future and the seemingly infinite possibilities for digital communication linked to improved education.  Education on the whole, as a stand-alone entity, has been slow to embrace these changes. The use of web tools such as wikis, blogs, and social networking sites is tied to increasing overall effectiveness of digital education in schools.  Examples exist of teacher and student success stories where learning has transcended the classroom and has reached far out into society.<ref name="autogenerated1">Richardson, Will. 2010. Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms 3rd ed.,155, Corwin Press</ref>

The media has been instrumental in pushing formal educational institutions to become savvier in their methods.  Additionally, [[advertising]] has been (and continues to be) a vital force in shaping students and parents thought patterns.<ref>Buchanan, Rachel."Paradox, Promise and Public Pedagogy: Implications of the Federal Government's Digital Education Revolution". Vol. 36, Issue 2, Article 6, P. 73, March 2011.</ref>

Technology is a dynamic entity that is constantly in flux.  As time presses on, new technologies will continue to break paradigms that will reshape human thinking regarding technological innovation.  This concept stresses a certain disconnect between teachers and learners and the growing chasm that started some time ago.  Richardson asserts that traditional classroom's will essentially enter entropy unless teachers increase their comfort and proficiency with technology.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

Administrators are not exempt from the technological disconnect.  They must recognize the existence of a younger generation of teachers who were born during the Digital Age and are very comfortable with technology.  However, when old meets new, especially in a mentoring situation, conflict seems inevitable.  Ironically, the answer to the outdated mentor may be digital collaboration with worldwide mentor webs; composed of individuals with creative ideas for the classroom.<ref>Gibson, S. (2009). Are our pre-service teachers prepared to teach in a digital age? In T. Bastiaens et al.(Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 200(pp. 2609–2617).</ref>