Research in the 21st Century

We are always talking about how teaching and learning has to change to in the 21st Century. And I frequently hear that a lot of research needs to be done in order to find out what works and how to implement that into existing teaching and learning environments. But I wonder how effective research is in a time when everything changes in such a  fast pace.

I’ve just read a call for chapters for a book about technology and education. The writers have to submit their proposals in autumn 2008 and the final chapters at the beginning of 2009. The book will be published in 2010 including research data about the “latest” technologies used in education in 2008.

How relevant can such a book be in a time where everything changes so fast. I can’t help myself but think that in the near future it won’t be researchers who decide whether a new technology is effective in learning but it will be the learners by adopting new technologies that help them learn and discard the ones that don’t, not waiting for research data to prove their effectiveness. If a tool is useful and helpful it will stay if not it will disappear.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying we do not need research anymore. What I am saying is that we talk a lot about the fact that teaching and learning has to change to adapt to the new situation and I believe this is true. However,research and the process of publishing it and implementing changes according to it has to change as well.

One way forward is publishing more e-books. Here data can be published faster and updated more regularly. Now, that there are publishers who promotes this, we will hopefully see it happen more frequently. Here is a good example of a new start-up company publishing open textbooks.