Re-thinking online education: definitions, frameworks, myths and future

Digitalisation of our lives is a world megatrend which is already here; we work, we learn, we shop and we organise our entertainment online. Correspondingly, the concept of teaching and learning via digital resources has been part of English as a Second and Additional Language education and broad education at all levels for several decades. However, professional literature demonstrates that many educators still ask questions about the place of online education in teaching and about its expediency. One of the challenges educators face is the revolutionary advancement of digital technologies. These changes in technology and the way it is employed for teaching blur even relatively new definitions regarding online education. Consequently, many existing classifications and frameworks employed for developing and evaluating blended and online learning environments need constant re-defining. This paper aims to address four points. First, it explores world megatrends in order to examine the place of online teaching in global educational settings. Second, the paper examines rapidly changing concepts and frameworks in order to choose the models flexible enough to embrace rapid changes in technology and its collaboration with pedagogy. Considering these re-defined concepts, the third aim of the paper is to look at some prevalent myths concerning online education. The fourth and final aim of the presentation is to risk a look into the future to see how the new adopted frameworks can be used as predictors of what the future holds for us and our learners.