Time Shifting

A defining trend in today’s electronic world is time shifting - the ability to receive content at the time of one’s own choosing. For decades we have been locked into other people’s schedules. Live performances, radio shows, TV shows, and movies, all occurred at prescribed times.

The time-shifting trend caught the media’s attention with TiVo, but now with high-bandwidth Internet we are on the verge of being unshackled from broadcast schedules. We can receive news, listen to music, or watch video whenever we want.

In education, time-shifting is in its infancy. For the most part, online courses are still tied to schedules and the structure of a school and professor. A completely time-shifted educational experience has yet to emerge yet time-shifting is valuable in order to provide an individualized experience to learning.