As digital bandwidth increases, so does the speed of data transmission. The amount of kilobytes per seconds being uploaded and downloaded from a computer directly affects the capacity of an online learning environment. For example, during the mid-'90s, downloading and accessing streaming video was time-consuming, low-quality and sometimes impossible. As the capacity of digital bandwidth increases, the distribution of online learning will exponentially become more accessible.
The future of online learning may offer a vast array of strategies and methods involving the learning process. For example, as computers become faster and software continues to better harness the capability of a CPU's processing speed, online learning will no longer be limited to just text-based content and static illustrations of subject matter. As online learning evolves, it will be designed more around the attention span and learning strategies particular to the learner, rather than the learner conforming to the limitations of a teacher and classroom.
Virtual environments are becoming more sophisticated as technological advancements increase. Moreover, original and novel use of these advancements can result in the creation of new and robust alternatives for learning. For example, Second Life, a massive online community, offers complete three-dimensional simulations of online classroom environments. Students create an avatar (online identity) and interact with other students online, in a real-world simulation.
There has been significant progress in data storage and information backup and retrieval capabilities. Cloud computing, however, exports the responsibilities of data storage to companies providing the services. For example, Google currently offers a word-processing platform, GoogleDocs, where students can share, collaboratively edit and store their documents with Google, as opposed to saving the information locally.
The future of online learning will increase in scope as powerful computing devices become more portable. For instance, laptops continue to replace the need for a personal computer, and phones are doing what laptops were once used for. As a result, the ways in which information is distributed and received will increase in both accessibility and variety, propelling online learning opportunities into the future. For example, many cell phones presently available have the capability to provide multimedia presentations, streaming videos and word processing software, which are all necessary components for online learning.