Reverse Instruction, Democratizing Education & Libraries

Is "Reverse Instruction" the future of education?
http://www.emergingedtech.com/2012/02/reverse-instruction-tools-and-techniques-part-1/

If so, what role can libraries play to help insure that all students have equal access?

The articles we read this week discussed the role of libraries in learning facilitation through technology and e-games. I have never played on-line games, so for me this was a new and intesting concept. I have a husband, children and grandchildren who play on-line and love the interactive, competitive aspects. To me it just seemed like a lot of violence and a waste of time. I see now that I haven't really given this on-line venue a fair chance. The articles we read this week have provided a new insight and I plan to look closely at some of the specific games discussed, because I can see now that the potential is there for e-games to make a difference in education.  

On a personal note, my husband who  has played handheld games off and on through the years recently had a series of surgeries and has been relegated to the recliner for many months. He has never been one to use the internet for anything. While his physical activity has been restricted, he began to expand his game playing to internet games and then to interactive, competitive on-line games. However, he still resisted the idea of using the internet for anything beyond this. Within the past couple of weeks, this has changed. Because he was told something that he did not agree with, he began using the internet to research laws and found that his opinion was correct and was then able to proceed with something that he wanted to do. I am hoping that the next step could be an on-line course as a step toward rehab and new profession. This may not seem like a huge step for some people, but for him this is monumental.

Well back to the topic at hand -- 
As the articles this week point out, video games are not going away, they could become a significant methodolgy for teaching skills, knowledge and literacies in the near future. As the experiment conducted at Champlain College shows, on-line games can enhance information literacy by honing students' information seeking skills - a valuable end-result. However, not all students will have equal access to technology.  I particularly the section "What is the purpose of the library anyway?" in Suellen's article . She states that one of the three purposes is "democratizing". The Schafer (2005) article made the statement, "School is increasingly seen as irrelevant by many students who are past the primary grades." (p. 110) Perhaps e-games is just what we need to "level the playing field" (Adams, p. 199) and to help students understand that learning is relevant. Also, if "reverse instruction" is to become a prominent teaching method in the future, libraries have the opportunity to position themselves and play an important role in overcoming all of these challenges.