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The issue of online information as source material in academia has been debated for the past 15+ years at least (I was having those discussions at faculty meetings in '96). There is a broader issue of vetting that will no doubt be resurfacing after Apple has their show-and-tell tomorrow on their edu platform/product.
I have argued for years that wikipedia can actually be a far better resource than some books and other "proper" sources. Many "authoratative" texts have very limited input - an author, perhaps as few as one reviewer, and an editor. That provides a pretty good opportunity for errors and bias. While the wikipedia model of "a thousand eyes" is far from perfect, in some ways it is superior to the traditional author/editor/reviewer process. The reality is that any of these still require the student to execute some degree of critical thinking and analysis in order to come up with a point and properly support it. That aspect of education is invariant.
Brick and mortar education is in dire straits. Back in '06 I predicted that by '20 over 50% of colleges would be bankrupt. Not sure the number will be that high by then but if/when the last parameter of the "perfect storm" falls into place the educational landscape will change rapidly. All of the other elements are there now - content, network connectivity, cost benefits, etc. What is currently lacking are truly exceptional tools enabling content generation and knowledge sharing, and more importantly, acceptable vetting systems that will enable the workplace to embrace alternatives to brick and mortar schools. While I don't think Apple's announcement tomorrow will be the final nail, it likely will bring the storm closer to reality. Whoever does finally crack the vetting nut will release the sea change and depending on their position, make a lot of money.
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