Bill Gates has had a lot to say at the Techonomy conference in Lake Tahoe this weekend, and this is just one among many interesting things he offered up. Gates thinks the future of higher education will be less place-based, at least for students with a little initiative.
“Five years from now on the web for free you’ll be able to find the best lectures in the world,” Gates said. “It will be better than any single university.” To some extent you can already see this happening. iTunes U already offers up some of the best lectures in the world for free. As education continues to embrace technology we’re sure to see more and more examples of the best educators providing free content for the rest of the world.
I don’t agree, though, that education should be less place-based. There’s a lot to be said for the experience of getting away from home, away from family, away from comfort, and immersing yourself in your education. It doesn’t work for everyone, and certainly a lot of the current college system could use an overhaul, but to eliminate the concept of place from the educational experience seems like a mistake.
