Activity 1.1 Defining e-Learning
What is e-Learning?
Definitions of new terms are often influenced by their usage in common language – industry and subject matter experts will all offer their meaning on terminology that is evolving with market demands change.
Based on your current knowledge and experience: What is your definition of e-Learning?
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§ Any learning that includes the use of (but isn’t necessarily dependent on) computer technology. § Transfer of knowledge using technology. § Behavioral change. § Acquisition of new skills. |
Compare your definitions with the following:
“e-Learning is instruction that is delivered electronically, in part or wholly – via a Web browser, such as Netscape Navigator, through the Internet or an intranet, or through multimedia platforms such as CD-ROM or DVD. Increasingly – as higher bandwidth has become more accessible – it has been identified primarily with using the Web, or an intranet’s web, leveraging the Web’s visual environment and interactive nature.”
Brandon Hall, nd, FAQs About e-Learning
http://www.brandonhall.com/public/faqs2/faqs2.htm
“Instructional content or learning experiences delivered or enabled by electronic technology.”
“A Vision of e-Learning for America’s Workforce”, ASTD,
June 2001
Readings:
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Reading 1: Tsai, S. & Machado, P. 2002, “e-Learning, Online Learning, Web-based Learning, or Distance Learning: Unveiling the Ambiguity in Current Terminology”, eLearn Magazine, July. http://elearnmag.org/subpage.cfm?section=best_practices&article=6-1
Reading 2: Cher Ping Lim, 2001, “What Isn’t e-Learning?” TechKnowLogia, May/June, pp11-12. http://www.techknowlogia.org/TKL_active_pages2/CurrentArticles/main.asp?FileType=HTML&ArticleID=267
Reading 3: Downes, S. (2005), “e-Learn 2.0” , eLearn Magazine online http://www.elearnmag.org/subpage.cfm?section=articles&article=29-1
Reading 4: Taylor, Donald H. (2007) “It’s time to drop e-Learning” TrainingZone.co.uk , 11 July http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=170224
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Review your earlier definition and understanding of e-Learning – now, based on the readings - has your definition altered in any way? Why? |
Activity 1.2 Glossary of Terms
Read the article on the following website:
“e-Learning Alphabet Soup: A Guide to Terms”
http://www.e-learningguru.com/articles/art1_1.htm
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Why do you need an e-Learning Glossary? The main purpose is to up to date with new terminology , acronyms and jargon associated with Web2 Where do you start searching? Online via search engines (e.g. google, yahoo, etc)
How do you judge their relevance and credibility? By checking a few different websites
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Record the URLs of Glossaries:
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http://www.learningcircuits.org/
http://www.e-learningguru.com/glossary.htm
NB: These URLs will be added to your social bookmarking site later! |
New terms I have learnt:
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Backbone § A high-speed line or series of connections that forms a major pathway within a network. The term is relative as a backbone in a small network will likely be much smaller than many non-backbone lines in a large network. Java
There is a forum set-up in UTSOnline for you to share new words/terms – or to ask the group for definition & clarification of meanings. |
Activity 1.3 Technology Options
The following are some of the components used in e-Learning – can you add to this list?
q √Synchronous technologies
q √Asynchronous technologies
q √Video conferencing
q √Online quizzes
q √Email
q √Chat / IM
q √Discussion forums / bulletin boards
q √Web conferencing
q √Interactive TV
q √Simulations
q √Multi-user games
q √Virtual worlds
q √smart board
q √Moodle
q √Wikispaces
Tick the components you have had some experience with.
Can you define them?
If not – use one of your glossaries from Activity 1.2 to find out what they are!
Throughout this subject your lecturer will attempt to arrange a variety of exercises that will employ some of these components.
Methods of delivery:
In your work context:
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What experience have you had with e-Learning? Working with wikki spaces and moddle. Creating PowerPoint Resources for online delivery.
Describe the methods of delivery you have experienced? Online delivery Adobe Connect.
How do these relate to the definitions of e-Learning outlined in the earlier readings? They are well correlated to the definitions of e-learning
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Activity 1.4: Resources: e-Zines, e-Journals, e-Newsletters & weblogs
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What is an e-Zine? Is the short term for electronic magazine. E-zines are web sites that contain articles and other components of typical print magazines. What is an e-Journal? An electronic version of a journal that is found and read on the Web What is an e-Newsletter? An electronic newsletter, published on-line, often distributed through e-mail to a list of subscribers Why read other people’s weblogs? We may find information which could be useful How do you judge their relevance? Credibility? Authenticity? Do they link to other sources, their credibility, validity of their information, Where do you start searching? Google, yahoo. How do you subscribe? RSS them or bookmark them
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Useful URLs:
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e-Learning Magazine
Training Magazine
Learning Circuits – ASTD magazine
Others…..?
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Activity 1.5 Bookmarking and Aggregation
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What is social bookmarking? The ability to save and categorize a personal collection of bookmarks and share them with others. Users may also take bookmarks saved by others and add them to their own collection, as well as to subscribe to the lists of others. How could it be used in this subject? Students can share their knowledge with each other |
Go to the Subject Documents tab in UTSOnline and open the Technology Framework folder.
There is a document called “ Delicious “ - follow the guidelines to create a Delicious account.
Watch this short video from CommonCraft:
http://www.commoncraft.com/bookmarking-plain-english
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What is Aggregation? The process by which data values are collected with the intent to manage the collection as a single unit What is RSS? Really Simple Syndication. A family of web feed formats used in web syndication. These are an XML based system for aggregating information from blogs, news and frequently updated websites How can these be used in this subject? By informing students with any changes and keeping them up to date
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Go to the Subject Documents tab in UTSOnline and open the Technology Framework folder.
There is a document called “Netvibes” – follow the guidelines to create a Netvibes account.
Activity 1.6 Weblogs
In this subject each student will be using a weblog to publish all their work – including assignments.
A wiki has been set-up to assist you with this process.
Refer to UTSOnline, in the Subject Documents tab, in the Technology Framework folder for a link to this resource.
Activity 1.7 Advantages & Disadvantages of e-Learning
Based on your readings and research so far in this subject –
What do you believe are some of the Advantages of e-Learning?
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What are some of the Disadvantages of e-Learning?
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We will review your comments throughout the course – make additional entries or amendments whenever you find information that you believe is an advantage or disadvantage to e-Learning.
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Read: “The Benefits and Drawbacks of e-Learning” http://www.e-learningguru.com/articles/art1_3.htm
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