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Introduction
Educational practice is continually subjected to renewal, due mainly to developments in information and communication technology (ICT), the commercialization and globalization of education, social changes and the pursuit of quality. Of these, the impact of ICT and the new knowledge economy are the most significant.
Changes in our educational environment lead, in turn, to changes in our approaches to teaching and learning. These changes also impact on our teaching and learning paradigms. Currently, as over the past few decades, we teach and learn in a constructivist learning paradigm.
This article discusses past and present paradigm shifts in education and then explores possible future learning paradigms in the light of the knowledge explosion in the knowledge era that we are currently entering.
The impact of ICT on education
The electronic information revolution currently being experienced internationally can be compared to and reveals the same characteristics as the first information revolution started by Gutenberg's printing press. This implies that, just as present-day society accepts the printing industry as a given and printed materials form an integral part of our daily existence, electronic material will go the same route: Possibly in a drastically shorter period than in the case of printed material.
We should acknowledge the increasing role and function of technology in the education environment. Langlois (in [3] Collis, 1999, p. 374) makes the following statement:New information technologies, and particularly the Internet, are dramatically transforming access to information, are changing the learning and research process, how we search, discover, teach and learn ...[16] Restak (2003, p. 57) points out that, within the modern age, we must be able to rapidly process information, function amidst chaotic surroundings, always remain prepared to shift rapidly from one activity to another and redirect attention between competing tasks without losing time.
Currently, as over the past few decades, the majority of our teaching and learning is based upon a constructivist learning paradigm. However, due to the impact of ICT on education, there are a number of issues to interrogate: How will ICT developments impact our educational practice? Will we experience a drastic change in teaching and learning strategies? Will we adopt a new learning paradigm in the next decade or two?
These questions lead us to explore new learning paradigms....