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What is e-learning?

As opposed to the Computer Based Training of the 1980s, the term e-learning is most frequently used to refer to computer based training which incorporates technologies that support interactivity beyond what would be provided by a single computer.

E-learning, therefore, is an approach to facilitate and enhance learning through the use of devices based on both computer and communications technology. Such devices can include personal computers, CDROMs, Digital Television, P.D.A.s and Mobile Phones. Communications technology enables the use of the Internet, email, discussion forums, collaborative software and team learning systems.

E-learning may also be used to support distance learning through the use of WANs (Wide area networks), and may also be considered to be a form of flexible learning where just-in-time learning is possible. Courses can be tailored to specific needs and asynchronous learning is possible. Where learning occurs exclusively online, this is called online education. When learning is distributed to mobile devices such as cell phones or PDAs, it is called M-learning.

Contents of this Article:
1 Supporting learning online
2 Blended learning
3 Pedagogy of e-learning
4 Organizing the content
5 Instructional Design
6 Educational Blogging
7 Creating media
8 Binding it together

Supporting learning online
Some view e-learning as a means to effective or efficient learning, due to its ease of access and the pace being determined by the learner. Others point out that that e-learning software developers tend to limit their focus on course delivery and content, while online education institutions require a much wider range of educational services.

E-learning systems such as Moodle often work towards a student-centred learning solution, building upon a social-constructivist pedagogy.

Blended learning
Not every e-learning resource, usage or provision is necessarily 'exclusively e-learning', sometimes a hybrid 'blended learning' solution is available, either combining distance learning with direct contact 'close at hand' human educational resources, or combining software driven resources with human intervention (whether remote or local, computer mediated [such as through email or chat] or non-computer mediated [such as face to face or telephone] or combining software driven resources with any other educational resource [TV, radio, books, tapes, etc.])Advances in technology have allowed for the growth of collaborative web-based learning opportunities. Asynchronous activities use technologies such as blogs, wikis, and discussion boards, and allow participants to contribute when time allows. Synchronous activities occur with all participants joining in at once, as with a chat session or a virtual classroom or meeting such as those offered by WebEx, Elluminate and Centra.

On the practical side some e-learning is about organizing the topics to be taught and creating multimedia CD-ROMs or web sites. An important advantage is generally seen in the fact that hyperlinking is possible and having interactive parts illustrating difficult things or for doing exercises. In higher education especially, the increasing tendency is to create a Managed Learning Environment (MLE which is a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) combined with a Managed Information System (MIS)) in which all aspects of a course are handled through a consistent interface that is standard throughout an institution, giving students a consistent user interface.

Often a design approach is implemented which involves creating or re-using Learning Objects. These are self contained units properly tagged with keywords, or other metadata, and often stored in an XML file format. These are put in a database and creating a course requires putting together a sequence of learning objects.

Pedagogy of e-learning
One important point is to help teachers organize their pedagogical perspective. Some institutes for Higher education are devoted to this mission (training, counselling, funding, development, etc.).

More recent approaches focus on dialogue, interaction and collaborative activities - courses still contain content but it is of secondary importance or is generated by the students. An open source course management system that makes this approach easier is Moodle. This advocates Social-Constructivism as a pedagogical perspective, whereby learners construct their knowledge through discussion, thereby enhancing their thinking skills.

Organizing the content
For whom do we create e-learning content
What do they need to learn
How do we organize the content
Which tools / platform do we use? For creating? For delivering?

Educational Blogging
With the advent of blogs, numerous educational experts routinely publish their personal explorations in this burgeoning field. Additionally, blogs are widely used in classrooms. See Educational Blogging by Stephen Downes. See also this list of educational bloggers by George Siemens. See also the Educational Bloggers Network.

Most often HTML is used to bind together the different e-learning media. Sometimes XML based files are created which are then rendered to HTML/CSS/JavaScript by using an XSLT transformation. However often proprietary technologies are used like Macromedia Director, an authoring tool, which leverages the JavaScript-like language called ActionScript to enable advanced functionality and interactivity.

One standard for presenting e-learning content is SCORM whilst other specifications allow for the transporting of "learning objects" (Schools Interoperability Framework) or categorizing meta-data(UKLOM).


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This article is from Wikipedia, the public domain free encyclopedia.

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