Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Future of e-learning
Classrooms are boring. Today students feel school is not challenging or interactive enough. It has been said that there are two reasons why we learn; some leaning is essentially forced on us while the other is what we sit back and enjoy. E-Learning has brought back the joy in learning through its innovative and interactive content and delivery.
The old correspondence courses were the first Distance Learning courses but with the advent of Internet in the eighties, e-Learning became new mantra for delivering higher education courses over really long distances.
The Internet opened new possibilities and now any type of learning content, be it for school, graduate or masters level, employee training, research activity or any other type of academic offering is called e-Learning.
e-Leaning has already established its credentials and its popularity can be gauged from the fact that delivery is not restricted to just plain text but has crossed boundaries to video creating virtual class rooms via video conferencing. The introduction of a variety of technologies has made it possible to convert it from impersonal to highly interactive medium of pedagogy (the art and science of teaching).
According to Market Data Retrieval (MDR) in USA two thirds of colleges and universities offer long distance learning courses and the number of institutions offering accredited degrees have increased to 55% New varieties of e-Learning have emerged with help and push from emerging technologies. Besides distance learning now there is distributed learning. This term describes the educational experiences of individuals and groups that are distributed over geographies and cultures using variety of media delivery methods. This has moved education beyond the classroom to more interactive information by joining learning and experience together. This is developing into learning communities with their own focus on various branches, cultures and sub-cultures. It is a mind boggling explosion of information that is now available with lot of imagination and little effort. With collaborative tools e-learning is moving into virtual classes and virtual communities where the old methods of practice and test have melted into new interactive teaching-learning methodologies.
Tuition on line has taken a new meaning where a varied help is now available both free and paid for on demand on any subject instantly. This has relieved pressure both on the teacher and the students.
Future learning is now focusing on learning beyond the classroom and curriculum. Companies need to upgrade employees by offering re-training programmes. These are both costly and time consuming. By designing these programmes and content via e-Learning methods both time and money are saved. The innovative method is also self promoting as it increases the curiosity level of individuals for self promotion and career enhancements.
In the technical field too doctors and other professionals are getting a fair chance for keeping abreast of developments and discoveries and even participation in these activities through interactive delivery processes.
Looking further, this being the global market era, the consumer is being made aware of immense openings, opportunities and bargains through this method. Medical tourism is one recent example of e-Learning where serious information and fun have been mixed for delivery of marketing content.
The old correspondence courses were the first Distance Learning courses but with the advent of Internet in the eighties, e-Learning became new mantra for delivering higher education courses over really long distances.
The Internet opened new possibilities and now any type of learning content, be it for school, graduate or masters level, employee training, research activity or any other type of academic offering is called e-Learning.
e-Leaning has already established its credentials and its popularity can be gauged from the fact that delivery is not restricted to just plain text but has crossed boundaries to video creating virtual class rooms via video conferencing. The introduction of a variety of technologies has made it possible to convert it from impersonal to highly interactive medium of pedagogy (the art and science of teaching).
The Future
According to Market Data Retrieval (MDR) in USA two thirds of colleges and universities offer long distance learning courses and the number of institutions offering accredited degrees have increased to 55% New varieties of e-Learning have emerged with help and push from emerging technologies. Besides distance learning now there is distributed learning. This term describes the educational experiences of individuals and groups that are distributed over geographies and cultures using variety of media delivery methods. This has moved education beyond the classroom to more interactive information by joining learning and experience together. This is developing into learning communities with their own focus on various branches, cultures and sub-cultures. It is a mind boggling explosion of information that is now available with lot of imagination and little effort. With collaborative tools e-learning is moving into virtual classes and virtual communities where the old methods of practice and test have melted into new interactive teaching-learning methodologies.
Tuition on line has taken a new meaning where a varied help is now available both free and paid for on demand on any subject instantly. This has relieved pressure both on the teacher and the students.
Future learning is now focusing on learning beyond the classroom and curriculum. Companies need to upgrade employees by offering re-training programmes. These are both costly and time consuming. By designing these programmes and content via e-Learning methods both time and money are saved. The innovative method is also self promoting as it increases the curiosity level of individuals for self promotion and career enhancements.
In the technical field too doctors and other professionals are getting a fair chance for keeping abreast of developments and discoveries and even participation in these activities through interactive delivery processes.
Looking further, this being the global market era, the consumer is being made aware of immense openings, opportunities and bargains through this method. Medical tourism is one recent example of e-Learning where serious information and fun have been mixed for delivery of marketing content.
Friday, October 17, 2008
E-Learning 2.0
What is E-Learning 2.0 ?
E-Learning 2.0 was coined by Stephen Downes, a Canadian researcher, and it is derived from the general e-learning trends in combination with Web 2.0. The nature of the Internet, and more importantly, the people using the Internet, has changed. These changes are extensive covering entire industries.
New trends
A trend that has captured the interest of numerous pundits is the changing temperament of Internet users themselves. Sometimes called "digital natives" or "n-gen," these new users approach work, learning and play differently.
They take in information quickly, in images and video as well as text, from numerous sources concurrently. They function at "twitch speed," and expect instant reaction and feedback. They favor random "on-demand" contact to media, expect to be in continuous communication with their associates (who may be nearby or around the world), and they are as likely to craft their own media (or download someone else's) as to buy a book or a CD.
Web 2.0
What was happening was that the Web had shifted from being a medium, in which information was broadcast and consumed, into being a platform, in which content was produced, shared, remixed, repurposed, and passed along. Web 2.0 also has meant a change in the way applications are constructed. The web has become an omnipresent computing platform that facilitates the delivery of software as a service. In the next few years, it will be progressively rarer to buy software for installation on a local computer. Instead most software will be delivered as a service through the web, and the same software will often provide components that can be used effortlessly in other applications. A good example of this is the many mash-ups of Google Maps, which permit users to view real estate listings, and other data points on a map.
Opportunities
E-Learning 2.0 opens new opportunities to learning. The learning community must be at the forefront of this trend. It must become adept in these tools and make sure it understands how they can be utilized as part of formal and informal learning. Eventually, the creative use of the read/write web and learning the related learning skills will be the most important factor in becoming leaders in E-Learning 2.0. As a preliminary point, workplace learning professionals need to get familiar with the tools and begin the skill building procedure. In other terms, time must be spent in learning how to learn. Continuous adopting of tools and practices that help personal and group learning is the key. Then, it can be utilized as part of an overall e-learning solution in the organization.
Conclusion
As the numbers suggest, E-Learning 2.0 is a bigger leap in learning than the shift from E-Learning 1.0 to E-Learning 1.3. E-Learning 2.0 is based on web tools that merge ease of content creation, delivery, and integrated teamwork. Anyone can create content as part of their day-to-day work. In spirit, the idea of E-Learning 2.0 is that sharing and learning becomes a natural action that is directed and driven by the worker/learner. Learning has become a combination of access to content, which often obtained from the work of peers, as well as contact with peers through online social networking. Indeed, many people cite the social or network effect as having the maximum opportunity for impact on learning.
E-Learning 2.0 was coined by Stephen Downes, a Canadian researcher, and it is derived from the general e-learning trends in combination with Web 2.0. The nature of the Internet, and more importantly, the people using the Internet, has changed. These changes are extensive covering entire industries.
New trends
A trend that has captured the interest of numerous pundits is the changing temperament of Internet users themselves. Sometimes called "digital natives" or "n-gen," these new users approach work, learning and play differently.
They take in information quickly, in images and video as well as text, from numerous sources concurrently. They function at "twitch speed," and expect instant reaction and feedback. They favor random "on-demand" contact to media, expect to be in continuous communication with their associates (who may be nearby or around the world), and they are as likely to craft their own media (or download someone else's) as to buy a book or a CD.
Web 2.0
What was happening was that the Web had shifted from being a medium, in which information was broadcast and consumed, into being a platform, in which content was produced, shared, remixed, repurposed, and passed along. Web 2.0 also has meant a change in the way applications are constructed. The web has become an omnipresent computing platform that facilitates the delivery of software as a service. In the next few years, it will be progressively rarer to buy software for installation on a local computer. Instead most software will be delivered as a service through the web, and the same software will often provide components that can be used effortlessly in other applications. A good example of this is the many mash-ups of Google Maps, which permit users to view real estate listings, and other data points on a map.
Opportunities
E-Learning 2.0 opens new opportunities to learning. The learning community must be at the forefront of this trend. It must become adept in these tools and make sure it understands how they can be utilized as part of formal and informal learning. Eventually, the creative use of the read/write web and learning the related learning skills will be the most important factor in becoming leaders in E-Learning 2.0. As a preliminary point, workplace learning professionals need to get familiar with the tools and begin the skill building procedure. In other terms, time must be spent in learning how to learn. Continuous adopting of tools and practices that help personal and group learning is the key. Then, it can be utilized as part of an overall e-learning solution in the organization.
Conclusion
As the numbers suggest, E-Learning 2.0 is a bigger leap in learning than the shift from E-Learning 1.0 to E-Learning 1.3. E-Learning 2.0 is based on web tools that merge ease of content creation, delivery, and integrated teamwork. Anyone can create content as part of their day-to-day work. In spirit, the idea of E-Learning 2.0 is that sharing and learning becomes a natural action that is directed and driven by the worker/learner. Learning has become a combination of access to content, which often obtained from the work of peers, as well as contact with peers through online social networking. Indeed, many people cite the social or network effect as having the maximum opportunity for impact on learning.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Types of e- learning
Training in key business and professional skills in today’s competitive environment cannot be ignored if you want your employees to develop and help drive the growth of your company.
Types of e-learning
There are fundamentally two types of e-learning: synchronous training and asynchronous training.
Synchronous, means "at the same time," involves interaction of participants with an instructor via the Web in real time. Asynchronous, which means "not at the same time," allows the participant to complete the WBT at his own pace, without live interaction with the instructor. A new form of learning known as blended learning is emerging. As the name suggests it is an amalgamation of synchronous and asynchronous learning methods.
Asynchronous Methods.
Embedded learning Embedded learning is information that is accessible on a self-help basis, 24/7. It can be delivered to the place of work, or to mobile learners. Electronic performance support system (EPSS) is a type of embedded learning. The advantage is that embedded learning offers learners the information they need whenever they need it.
Courses The clear advantage of a self-paced course is convenience. Participants can get the training they need at any time. This can include just-in-time training where a participant gets exactly the training he or she needs to perform a task.
Discussion groups A discussion group is a gathering of conversations that occur over time. They are also called message boards, bulletin boards and discussion forums. Discussion groups can be used to support a group of participants taking the same class or can be used to support participants performing related tasks. A discussion group is a very competent way to supply expert answers to a large group people. A single answer to a common question can help many.
Synchronous Methods
Virtual classroom Virtual classroom duplicates the features of a real classroom online. Participants interact with each other and instructors online .instant messaging, chat, audio and video conferencing etc.
Blended Method Most companies prefer to use custom e-learning solutions of both synchronous and asynchronous e-learning methods according to their requirement.
Conclusion
All in all e- learning is here to stay and only you can decide the degree of involvement in e- learning your company may require and the best methods applicable to you and your employees
Friday, November 16, 2007
E-learning Via YouTube
E-learning Via YouTube
Just as blogging and other social software’s the YouTube phenomenon is casing a revolution amongst the web users. E-learning organizations especially are following YouTube with amazement and a certain amount of enchantment. YouTube's hundreds of thousands of video clips reveal many educational videos, from popular How To guides to K12 teacher groups focused on recorded lessons and instructional videos.
What is YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing service that lets users upload files to YouTube servers, where they are available online. With the exception of content that is offensive or illegal, videos can be animations, footage of public events, personal recordings of friends—practically anything can be posted. YouTube ties into several popular blogging applications, giving users a quick way to blog about a particular video and include a link to it. Users can view profiles of individuals who have posted or commented on videos, see their favorite videos, and contact them.
YouTube is absolutely free, though people who want to post videos or comments must register with the site, creating a profile. Videos include tags, a category, and a brief description and can be public or restricted to members of specified contact lists. Several tools allow viewers to sort through videos to locate those of interest.
YouTube and E-learning
Watching and sharing videos, combined with the fact that the site is free, opens the experience of online video to a wide range of users. YouTube is finding a foothold in academics as well as in corporate trainings.
Many organizations are beginning to realize the power of Web audio and video to get their messages across to customers, members, investors, and employees. This includes training classes, executive speeches, product demonstrations, video news releases, shareholder meetings, and coverage of corporate events.
This social networking tool further engages users, drawing them in to an environment that encourages them to meet new people, read and share opinions, and be part of a community.
YouTube also draws users into the experience of viewing videos and engaging with the content as commentators and creators, activities that heighten students’ visual literacy.
Many educators believe that the act of creating content, in virtually any form is a valuable learning exercise, helping develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter and the tools used to create that content. It has the potential to expose students to new insights and skills, as well as link them to various online communities.
YouTube facilitates creation such as;
YouTube videos enrich lessons and bring lessons to students who are home sick, and capture the learner’s imaginations.
Conclusion
While YouTube huge library of videos isn't always educational, a smart usage can have a positive impact on the learners.
Just as blogging and other social software’s the YouTube phenomenon is casing a revolution amongst the web users. E-learning organizations especially are following YouTube with amazement and a certain amount of enchantment. YouTube's hundreds of thousands of video clips reveal many educational videos, from popular How To guides to K12 teacher groups focused on recorded lessons and instructional videos.
What is YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing service that lets users upload files to YouTube servers, where they are available online. With the exception of content that is offensive or illegal, videos can be animations, footage of public events, personal recordings of friends—practically anything can be posted. YouTube ties into several popular blogging applications, giving users a quick way to blog about a particular video and include a link to it. Users can view profiles of individuals who have posted or commented on videos, see their favorite videos, and contact them.
YouTube is absolutely free, though people who want to post videos or comments must register with the site, creating a profile. Videos include tags, a category, and a brief description and can be public or restricted to members of specified contact lists. Several tools allow viewers to sort through videos to locate those of interest.
YouTube and E-learning
Watching and sharing videos, combined with the fact that the site is free, opens the experience of online video to a wide range of users. YouTube is finding a foothold in academics as well as in corporate trainings.
Many organizations are beginning to realize the power of Web audio and video to get their messages across to customers, members, investors, and employees. This includes training classes, executive speeches, product demonstrations, video news releases, shareholder meetings, and coverage of corporate events.
This social networking tool further engages users, drawing them in to an environment that encourages them to meet new people, read and share opinions, and be part of a community.
YouTube also draws users into the experience of viewing videos and engaging with the content as commentators and creators, activities that heighten students’ visual literacy.
Many educators believe that the act of creating content, in virtually any form is a valuable learning exercise, helping develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter and the tools used to create that content. It has the potential to expose students to new insights and skills, as well as link them to various online communities.
YouTube facilitates creation such as;
- making content available
- opportunities for experimentation with new media
- opportunities for creative self-expression
- engaging with content as creators and commentators
- replacing passive learning with active participation
- interactive sharing of ideas and opinions
- heightening visual literacy
YouTube videos enrich lessons and bring lessons to students who are home sick, and capture the learner’s imaginations.
Conclusion
While YouTube huge library of videos isn't always educational, a smart usage can have a positive impact on the learners.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
