Das amerikanische Pew Research Center hat in einer repräsentativen Umfrage seine Landsleute um Auskunft über ihre Lernaktivitäten gebeten. Der Blick in die Studie lohnt sich! Hier einige Ergebnisse:

• “Most Americans feel they are lifelong learners, whether that means gathering knowledge for “do it yourself” projects, reading up on a personal interest or improving their job skills. For the most part, these learning activities occur in traditional places – at home, work, conferences or community institutions such as government agencies or libraries. The internet is also an important tool for many adults in the process of lifelong learning.”
• “73% of adults consider themselves lifelong learners.”
• “As a rule, those adults with more education, household incomes and internet-connecting technologies are more likely to be participants in today’s educational ecosystem and to use information technology to navigate the world.”
• “These findings offer a cautionary note to digital technology enthusiasts who believe that the internet and other tools will automatically democratize education and access to knowledge. … Still, those who already have high levels of education and easy access to technology are the most likely to take advantage of the internet. For significant minorities of Americans with less education and lower incomes, the internet is more on the periphery of their learning activities.”

Und dann gibt es noch einen Absatz, der sich konkreter auf das Internet und die neuen digitalen Plattformen und Tools in der Bildung bezieht. Hier heißt es:

“The educational ecosystem is expanding dramatically. Still, there is not widespread public awareness of some of the key resources that are becoming available. Noteworthy majorities of Americans say they are “not too” or “not at all” aware of these things:

• Distance learning – 61% of adults have little or no awareness of this concept.
• The Khan Academy, which provides video lessons for students on key concepts in things such as math, science, the humanities and languages – 79% of adults do not have much awareness of it
• Massive open online courses (MOOCs) that are now being offered by universities and companies – 80% of adults do not have much awareness of these.
• Digital badges that can certify if someone has mastered an idea or a skill – 83% of adults do not have much awareness of these.”

Ich glaube, selbst wenn man hierzulande nach deutschsprachigen Angeboten im Netz fragen würde, kämen solche Zahlen nicht zusammen!
John B. Horrigan, Pew Research Center, 22. März 2016