Learning Anytime, Anywhere: Advanced Distributed Learning and the Changing Face of Education
by J. D. Fletcher, Sigmund Tobias, and Robert A. Wisher

This article presents an exciting, and a little scary, vision of the future of education. At first glance, it seems as if the authors are describing a time when teachers could be replaced by “instructional objects” so that students can learn anytime, anywhere. In reality, the authors provide a balanced presentation of the benefits and deficits of Advanced Distributed Learning.
One item that I found especially interesting was the notion that ADL instructional objects are capable of tailoring instruction to individual needs by assessing prior domain knowledge. As a teacher of low-achieving students, I believe that is a feature that would benefit them greatly. One of my biggest challenges is how to handle the wide span of skills and lack of prior knowledge that my students come to me with. The ability of ADL instructional objects to adapt training for each student is an exciting possibility because it is nearly impossible for me to accomplish effectively and efficiently in my current role.
I appreciated how the authors recognized that utilizing ADL instructional objects would result in a dramatic shift in American education and were willing to try to describe what that shift might look like. Teachers as guides and facilitators rather than sources of information and instruction is something I am comfortable with, but I think the greatest obstacle and most valuable outcome is students taking more responsibility for their own learning. I think using ADL instructional objects requires students to be more motivated intrinsically since motivation may or may not be provided extrinsically by the classroom teacher.