Schools have made substantial investments in infrastructure and computer technologies. Almost all U.S. public schools have access to the Internet. Computer labs are the status symbols for the well-endowed private school. And teachers are integrating online courseware and exercises into their curricula.

So it's smooth sailing ahead, right? Maybe not.

Throwing money at technology is no substitute for confronting and adapting to the profound and disruptive changes looming on the horizon. The newspaper industry is the most recent casualty of the digital wars. Younger readers have little interest in newsprint. For them, information is available in real time on social networks and from online news sources.

Will learning and the physical classroom be transformed in a similar way?

New research suggests a rapidly changing educational world. By 2014, the majority of college students will take a portion of their coursework online. Lagging just behind, some 10.5 million K-12 students will learn online. Overall, the $17 billion U.S. market for self-paced electronic learning is set to grow to nearly $24 billion by 2014, according to Ambient Insight.

The social effects are sure to be profound. Parents will fondly recall a traditional classroom experience that will seem antiquated to their children. Instead of state-supported schools, private providers will lead the way. 

Sadly, we are likely to see more school consolidations and closures. Despite the federal subsidies, there just isn't enough student demand to support those ivy-covered classrooms.

We hope that educators get out ahead of market forces. Educadium was formed to help schools make the transition to the online world, and we know it can be done successfully.

But teachers and trainers who ignore the signs are in for a rude awakening--and maybe an early retirement.