Abstract:
School traditionally has been regarded as a physical and geographic place where the learners have assembled to be put into contact with the teachers and/or other knowledge sources. Within a context of rapid social change and the associated challenges to the possible continued institutionalization of knowledge, the increasing possibility of information technology, principally, but not totally based on computers, being able to deliver on-line learning fundamentally challenges the notion of school as 'place'. While the learning still occurs in a space, this space is not physical but a virtual cyberspace reality. Such possibilities bring new challenges to us as educators.
The paper initially reviews ideas related to 'school as place'. It thenbegins to explore the changing capacity for schools not to be necessarilylocated in a geographical place and the factors responsible for this. Some examples of these are reported and discussed. In the final section of the paper, a number of implications from considering school as process rather than place are discussed, and a number of questions raised. The paper is very much exploratory and a work in progress.
The paper initially reviews ideas related to 'school as place'. It thenbegins to explore the changing capacity for schools not to be necessarilylocated in a geographical place and the factors responsible for this. Some examples of these are reported and discussed. In the final section of the paper, a number of implications from considering school as process rather than place are discussed, and a number of questions raised. The paper is very much exploratory and a work in progress.