Meanwhile, back at the farm

This is a monumental undertaking to redefine learning technology. I applaud your study and articulation of the problem and the direction you set forth for creating the next generation. This is the right way to go and doing so will be inevitable. I’m very interested in seeing some prototypes and working examples of how this can be accomplished. Five years ago I would have thought Service Oriented Architectures (SOA) would have brought the desired modularity. Having read much about the failure of many SOA initiatives, I now question whether that is the right approach.

I believe that future initiatives to implement modularity (malleability as you call it) into the learning experience will involve integration of web based applications delivered through a common interface. In other words, utilizing existing integration standards such as REST compatible API’s from highly specialized online services into a single framework that can provide a consistent user experience. An example would be to provide a single access-point for Google Docs and Facebook groups where documents could be shared to members of the groups in a very low friction interaction.

Do you know of any current initiatives to articulate a possible software architecture and identify existing technologies that could be implemented and tested under the guidelines you’ve specified?

Originally posted as a comment by mikefarmer on The End in Mind using Disqus.