I can’t properly convey how exciting educational technology is becoming. There is so much to share with you I am compelled to just dump it all into this blog in one great big lump. But then it would be far too much for any of us to digest. So I will just say the world wide web and educational commons are quickly moving beyond the point of freeing us from the limits of time and space. It is empowering us to create online courses and new materials far superior to those we commonly use today.

I know it sounds like science fiction but it is true. Believe me. I am more skeptical than most educators and I’ve become a true believer.

TED brings us Richard Baraniuk’s talk about how educators are beginning to replace the old model of publishing educational content. We can now reduce costs while customizing the content of our learning matierals! Through collaborative efforts educators are drastically decreasing the time it takes to include current content in their texts. Its all happening today and the community of collaborators is growing daily.

Do you like playing with legos? Braniuk participates with Rice University’s Connections program. It is just one of many emerging collaborative environments where participants use common computer technology to create, rip, mix, and burn learning materials. These are the skills our students use for their own entertainment. With these skills educators add new content and blend it with other blocks to produce their customized texts. Watch this video and see how empowering it can be.

What about copyright law? Hear how Creative Commons is building a new from of intellectual property protect that promotes sharing and openness.

Join the collaborative community of learners now! Really. The water is fine.

This is a very exciting vodcast and its produced with the quality TED is known for.