The long tail

I heard an interview with Chris Anderson on the radio yesterday. (Yes, realtime! Still do this sometimes). He was talking about the 'long tail'. In New Zealand education, this refers to the group of students for whom school is not meeting their learning needs and are not achieving. In economic terms (which is where Chris comes from), it refers to products that are sold that are not mainstream, but are economically viable due to the internet. The result of the long tail is that there is greater diversity in products available. Therefore the internet is catering for a much wider diversity in interests and thinking than was available previously. This idea when crossed into education is exciting! encouraging diversity. This links into the idea of personalised learning environments that Stephen Downes and Derek Wenmoth discuss in their blogs.

I am still thinking about the implications of the long tail- both tails.