Although the way we educate is changing, the traditional setting of how we educate has not changed. Often Schools still use the same classroom format used last century, and books are still an essential part of the educational system, based on rigid curriculums.

This is changing, and online education is affecting these changes that are challenging the traditional way we educate.

1. Home Schooling

As more people go online everyday, and our working structures change. The boom in online education has started, that is challenging the way we look at traditional education.

Home schooling is becoming a trend in many countries, as education becomes more expensive, and often still book and exam focused. And the internet provides plenty of sources for families or communities disappointed with the current education system.

International examinations are readily available for students who study at home, and are often recognized internationally. Often they provide curriculums, and even materials on their websites to parents or community leaders, who organize home schools.

This freedom of choice, and of resources does threaten the role of traditional schools, that often are structured around yesterdays education, rather than focusing on tomorrows educational needs for our children.

2. Self-Study

One of the skills that our new generations of net users are learning is self study techniques. These techniques challenge the role of the teacher, who often was the main provider of information through certain books.

Recognizing the achievements of self-study is not easy, but examples of many of today’s successful young entrepreneurs, show that many of them learned more from the web, then from studying at traditional colleges.

In fact, many of the world’s most successful young entrepreneurs never went to a traditional college, which often justifies the strengths of self-education.

IB schools recognize this self study trend, and have shifted the basis of education towards an activity rather than a examination based education, and our younger learners are learning to become more independent, because of this change.

3. The Failure of Traditional Education

Traditional Schools and Educational Institutes often based their education on the fact that they produce students who can adjust to life as an adult, and are educated towards the skills needed for the future.

The reality is over 70% of graduates do not work in the field of their study, and often need retraining in the real World. Another reality is that most people are unhappy in their jobs.

A successful education system should produce in theory people who work in the field they excelled to study in, and are happily contributing to society. The opposite has happened, given that only 30% of graduates work in the field they study in, and only 20% of people are happy in their current job.

This may be the ultimate failure of the traditional educational system that produced unhappy graduates that needed retraining, and employees that disliked their work.

Challenging the traditional monopoly of the education system has never been greater, with the birth of on-line education. The inevitable movement from exam based to practical activity based learning, may create Students that enter the real world, equipped with the skills to survive future changes in the 21st Century.