Tuesday, December 28, 2010

E-learning is the new face of education

The initial appearance of blended learning may seem strongly reliant on a teacher to make students ready for this particular learning form. In fact, it’s the opposite. Students need to seize the benefits of this form of education. Blended education is usually for educational purposes where some of the learning material is in the classroom and other material is available through e-learning or online modern technology providing information to the students.

The popularity of this type of learning outside and inside of the classroom is becoming more and more common. Blended learning pursues the teaching of students’ traditional classroom learning and connects it with new trends in education available on-line via e-learning. You can have a class full of students reading a play during school hours and provide them with homework that allows access to the internet to promote additional learning material related to the play. The additional e-learning could be websites, video streaming of sections of the play and you can also find audio that matches your audience or subject.
e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning


A great idea for blended learning is for a teacher to build a website for teaching purposes. By having access to your own website, you can put whatever information you would like to for the content of your classroom and teaching subjects. You can even build tests and quizzes to be taken on the website by students. Teachers can have video downloads of information that they want students to watch and review that is relevant to classroom lectures, ideas and concepts.

Many students enjoy blended learning because they are growing up in a society that is full of highly advanced technology. This cutting-edge technology includes almost daily use of a computer, laptop, and internet browsing from their telephone, e-books and other methods of using the internet for e-learning.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Benefits and advantages of e-Learning

Benefits of e-Learning
There are many significant advantages for the student who learns online. Here are just a few to consider:

Convenience and Portability:Courses are accessible on your schedule,Online learning does not require physical attendance,Learning is self-paced (not too slow, not too fast
Cost and Selection:Choose from a wide range of courses to meet your needs,Degree, Vocational, and Certificate programs,Continuing Education

Flexibility:Online learning accommodates your preferences and needs - it's student-centered,Choose instructor-led or self-study courses

Higher Retention:Online learning will draw you to topics you like and enjoy. Studies show that because of this and the variety of delivery methods used to reach different types of learners, retention is frequently better than in a traditional classroom.

Advantages of eLearning:
1. Eliminate wasted time and money:With traditional training, the more people being trained and the more geographically dispersed they are, the greater the training costs. Often, the money isn’t even spent on the actual training; it goes toward airfare, lodging, meals and refreshments, and conference room rental. With e-Learning, the cost stays the same whether you’re training 100 people or 1,000 people, and 100% of your training dollar goes toward training.
2. Condense training: eLearning allows participants to focus on the information they really need. A traditional class that lasts 2 days and has an attendance of 12 people per class can be often converted to 6 to 8 hours of eLearning, saving the company 120 man hours per training session and thousands of dollars a year.
3. Improve productivity:With eLearning, employees can receive training anytime and anywhere—at work, home, or flying cross country. Your sales team can even train during down-time so it doesn’t interfere with business.
4. Improve consistency and effectiveness:eLearning makes sure that all of your trainees are getting consistent instruction that is easy to document.
5. Evaluate learning retention.
eLearning provides built-in measurement of employee knowledge. Both pre- and post-assessments can be incorporated into any program.
6. Provide risk-free simulations.

eLearning can simulate real-life situations so you can train your employees how to use complex software or handle touchy situations in a risk-free environment.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

E Learning Standards


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Any one stepping into the world of e-learning and LMS is bewildered by the question of standards what they are and what do they do and why they are needed and how are they formed. So here goes in the most simplest of terms.
What are e-learning standrad?
E-Learning standards are a set of common rules for content, authoring software and Learning Management Systems . These rules or specifications specify how courses can be created and delivered over multiple platforms so that they all operate seamlessly together.
Why we Need Standards?
The e-learning industry continues to evolve, change and advance continuously, every day, and common methods and tools necessary to create and maintain content and infrastructure applications is critical, hence the need for standards.
Common standards for things such as content metadata, content packaging, API, interoperability, learner profiles, etc., must be in place and widely accepted for the knowledge economy and the future of learning to realize this vision. Products that adhere to standards will provide consumers with wider product choices and a better chance that the products in which they invest will avoid quick obsolescence.

Monday, December 6, 2010

The eLearning Security Leak

Words and images spread fast online offers many tools for sharing a status update or image with a network, which can then share with a larger network, and when something goes viral, it seems that everybody knows.

In elearning, images make great screenshots for an elearner to leak to the ever disseminating web.


Engadget ran a piece with a screenshot from VZLearn, the LMS of Verizon Wireless. The training, for employees, revealed what the public did not yet know: that Palm Pre 2 training would only be assigned if Verizon intended to roll that out soon. Now, you can Google “screen shot leak” and see blog post after blog post about Windows 8 or or the next iPhone. For all we know, those screenshots are “leaked” on purpose for publicity.

But what potential leaks could happen at your company? Could a disgruntled employee post screenshots of your internal only or proprietary data?

I don’t know if e-learning designers and developers can spend too much time planning for the potential threat of a screenshot leak. But maybe that is a key part of the projects. And what about the LMS systems that house the elearning–are they safe?


Friday, December 3, 2010

E learning is more comfortable than class room

http://www.sealund.com/images/eLearning_icon.jpg


class is about to start. However, you are not squeezed into an uncomfortable chair nor are you sitting next to someone who can’t stop yawning. There is no white board, no lectern, and no desk.

More people want to get their education online and attend online schools every year, greatly increasing the variety of institutions offering online learning and distance learning programs.

Advantages of eLearning

eLearning is convenient. There is no travel involved and no room or auditorium necessary. You can learn at your desk in the office, or using a laptop on the couch at home. eLearning is accessible, interactive, and cost cutting all at once. Best of all, you can focus on the work and not have to sit next to that loud guy from accounting while you learn.

• eLearning has been proven to be effective. In the last ten years, eLearning has evolved into the most effective and successful on-the-job training available. Employees can refresh their knowledge at any time, work at their own pace, and hone their skills easily and quickly.

eLearning is simple and easy to use. You only need the CD-Rom, or an Internet browser, or a login to your company intranet to access your eLearning training sessions.

• eLearning is self-directed and interactive. Instead of a droning instructor, or a badly designed PowerPoint presentation, eLearning provides an interactive learning environment that allows students to work at his or her own pace.

• eLearning is cost-effective. Because eLearning courses and training sessions can be targeted with laser-like precision, less time and energy is spent

Thursday, March 11, 2010

E-learning-Advantages & Disadvantages

E-learning is a broad term that generally refers to any kind of learning done with a computer and Internet connection or CD-ROM. It is used by individuals, educational institutions and businesses. As with any type of learning, it works better for some than others. The quality of e-learning has improved in recent years, as teachers and students have become more comfortable with the technology.

A major disadvantage to e-learning is the self-discipline it requires. While being able to work at your own pace can be an advantage, it can also be a disadvantage. This is especially true for students who have difficulty with time management and procrastination. These students tend to be more successful with the structure of traditional learning. Another disadvantage to e-learning is the technology involved. Some people do not have ready access to a computer and Internet connection. And some who do have the required equipment feel ill-equipped to use it. Lack of interaction between teacher and student is another drawback to e-learning. Some students need the immediate feedback that interaction provides.Web Based Training (WBT) is a viable option for many international companies over instructor-led training.

Disadvantages of Electronic Learning

* Unmotivated learners or those with poor study habits may fall behind
* Lack of familiar structure and routine may take getting used to
* Students may feel isolated or miss social interaction
* Instructor may not always be available on demand
* Slow or unreliable Internet connections can be frustrating
* Managing learning software can involve a learning curve
* Some courses such as traditional hands-on courses can be difficult to simulate

Knowing e-learning advantages and disadvantages helps with learning software selection as well as online distance learning programs structure and selection. It is important to know the merits and demerits of e-learning to make a decision.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Mobile Education in India

The mobile revolution is finally here in the form of m-learning, which is a natural extension of e-learning. In a span of five years, Mobile learning or m-learning has made an exponential leap from theory explored by academicians to a real contribution to learning. Globally speaking, the kind of penetration that mobile phones have reached is astounding and no other device can come any closer, not even computers. No demography is immune from the mobile phone and it has slowly become associated with the youth in a bigger way.

mLearning has been directly tied to distance education and for obvious reasons. The platform for both types of education is rooted in the ability to learn beyond the confines of a classroom. Students seeking a degree program that allows them the flexibility to balance their work and academic schedules are flocking towards accredited online colleges. mLearning compliments the eLearner's need for mobility by providing a learning platform that's even more portable than a laptop.


M-learning help the distance education universities to send their critical messages onto the mobile phones of invigilators. So these invigilators and universities can do their business without delay. In distance education there will not be close contact between the students, parents, universities etc and this mobile messaging offers complete automation of various communication processes such as College to Student communication, College to Parent communication etc at these universities. It will make communication process easier for them.

Apart from that students need to download study material for learning. And charging some amount for downloading these application will surely bring an business opportunity. As mobile education reach wide range of students, it will open a big business opportunity for the players.