In January 1948, before
three pistol shots put an end to his life, Gandhi had been on the
political stage for more than fifty years. He head inspired two generations
of India patriots, shaken an empire and sparked off a revolution which
was to change the face of Africa and Asia. To millions of his own people,
he was the Mahatma- the great soul- whose sacred glimpse was a reward
in itself. By the end of 1947 he had lived down much of the suspicion,
ridicule and opposition which he to face, when he first raised the banner
of revolt against racial exclusiveness and imperial domination. His ideas,
once dismissed as quaint and utopian ,had begun to strike answering chords
in some of the finest minds in the world. "Generations to come,
it may be", Einstein had said of Gandhi in July
1944, "will scarcely believe that such a one as this ever in flesh
and blood walked upon earth."
Though his life had been continual unfolding of an endless drama, Gandhi
himself seemed the least dramatic of men. It would be difficult to imagine
a man with fewer trappings of political eminence or with less of the popular
image of a heroic figure. With his loin cloth, steel-rimmed glasses, rough
sandals, a toothless smile and a voice which rarely rose above a whisper,
he had a disarming humility. He used a stone instead of soap for his bath,
wrote his letters on little bits of paper with little stumps of pencils
which he could hardly hold between his fingers, shaved with a crude country
razor and ate with a wooden spoon from a prisoner’s bowl. He was,
if one majwere to use the famous words of the Buddha, a man who had "by
rousing himself, by earnestness, by restraint and control, made for himself
an island which on flood could overwhelm."
Gandhi’s, deepest strivings were spiritual, but he did not-as
had been the custom in his country- retire to a cave in the Himalayas
to seek his salvation. He carried his cave within him. He did not know,
he said, any religion apart from human activity; the spiritual law did
not work in a vacuum, but expressed itself through the ordinary activities
of life. This aspiration to relate the spirit- not the forms-of religion
to the problems of everyday life runs like a thread through Gandhi’s
career; his uneventful childhood, the slow unfolding and the near- failure
of his youth, reluctant plunge into the politics of Natal, the long, unequal
struggle in South Africa, and the vicissitudes of the Indian struggle
for freedom, which under his leadership was to culminate in a triumph
not untinged with tragedy.
<http://www.mkgandhi.org/biography/index.htm
1847: Ralph Waldo
Emerson, Poems.
1847: U.S. starts selling postage stamps.
1847: Honoré de Balzac's novel of deception, Cousin Bette
1847: The first Merriam-Webster dictionary.
1847: First use of telegraph as business tool.
1847: In England, Bakewell constructs a "copying telegraph."
1847: The Communist Manifesto, a pamphlet by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
1847: Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre is greeted with success.
1847: Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights is also immediately successful.
1847: William Makepeace Thackery's Vanity Fair is serialized.
1847: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's epic poem, "Evangeline."
1977: Columbus, Ohio,
residents try 2-way cable experiment, QUBE.
1977: Oscars: Annie Hall, Richard Dreyfuss, Diane Keaton.
1977: Also at the movies: Star Wars, Saturday Night Fever, Looking for
Mr. Goodbar.
1977: Foreign language film Oscar: Madame Rosa, France.
1977: Star Wars released in 46 theaters equipped with Dolby Stereo.
1977: Atari introduces a programmable home video game system in a cartridge.
1977: The Apple II microcomputer is a best seller. Also: Commodore Pet,
TRS-80.
1977: Nobel Prize in Literature: Spanish poet Vicente Aleixandre.
1977: Disco music becomes the rage.
1977: John Cheever's novel, Falconer.
1977: Toronto Globe and Mail offers public access to newspaper text database.
1977: As a TV miniseries, Roots draws 130 million viewers over 8 nights.
1977: Stephen King's novel, The Shining, like Carrie, will become a hit
movie.
1977: Nintendo begins to sell computer games.
1977: In Chicago, AT&T transmits telephone calls by fiber optics.
Steven Biko Dies:
Steven Biko, leader of South Africa's "Black Consciousness Movement,"
dies of severe head trauma on the stone floor of a prison cell in Pretoria.
Six days earlier, he had suffered a major blow to his skull during a police
interrogation in Port Elizabeth. Instead of receiving medical attention,
he was chained spread-eagled to a window grill for 24 hours. On September
11, he was dumped, naked and shackled, on the floor of a police vehicle
and driven 740 miles to Pretoria Central Prison. He died the next day.
In announcing his death, South African authorities claimed Biko
died after refusing food and water for a week in a hunger strike.
2002: 9 of 10 American
school children have access to computers at home or school.
2002: "Googlewhacking" fad looks for odd word combinations in
Internet sites.
2002: On the Web, creators of online journals, or "web logs,"
now "blog on."
2002: Comic book publishers join to publish views on 9/11 destruction.
2002: Found in a South African cave, 77,000-year-old geometric carvings
on stones.
From Wall Street and Washington, to Tokyo, Singapore and Seoul, the Tofflers' books and lectures have given advance information and new ideas to many of the change-makers and world leaders who are defining the early 21st century.
The Toffler books include such classics as Future Shock and The Third Wave, as well as Powershift, War and Anti-War, and, most recently, Creating a New Civilization. Translated into over 30 languages ranging from Japanese, Spanish and French to Chinese, Arabic, Finnish and Urdu, they have sold in the multi-millions of copies, have been pirated in many countries, and were burned in at least one.
Pink Floyd Lyrics "Another Brick In The Wall (Part II)" We don't need no education. We don't need no thought control. No dark sarcasm in the classroom. Teacher, leave those kids alone. Hey, Teacher, leave those kids alone! All in all it's just another brick in the wall. All in all you're just another brick in the wall. We don't need no education. We don't need no thought control. No dark sarcasm in the classroom. Teachers, leave those kids alone. Hey, Teacher, leave those kids alone! All in all you're just another brick in the wall. All in all you're just another brick in the wall.
"In 30 years, Universities will be barren wastelands"
Universities in
place for 500 years, are absolute foundation of all civilized societies.
What could level a muti-billion dollar institution armor plated by intellectuals,
legislators, academics, unions and political action committees. What kind
of ‘Battleship’ would it take. Not even the atomic bomb
could take down Stanford, Harvard or Chula, Thammasat or ABAC.
But it has been barely a decade since the Soviet Union turned from an
invincible Evil Empire to just another humble ‘door knocker’
at IMF headquarters. From there lessons to learn surface:
Dispersed systems of business production, information gathering and decision
making work much better than centrally commanded.
When competition is allowed, institutions bloated with fat arte easy pickings,
especially when money is at stake.
Customers are smart and loyalty is thin
While the corporate threat is the most obvious, it is far from the most
deadly. Soccer moms, educated by Internet savvy youngsters, are beginning
to smell a rat. Nine dads out of ten concede that even with two household
paychecks they can't manage the tuition from Podunk College, much less
Purdue
And if it comes to the students, and they could choose between taking
a course about the Pyramids from a noteworthy in Cairo vs. a nobody in
Chicago; at half the price from Cairo. What choice is that?
And the biggest accelerator of all is also the best kept secret, at least
for now. The market has yet to broadly perceive that courses offered by
distance means are, most probably, better than those available on a face-to-face
basis. When this fact becomes well established, as it will, the odds for
slow moving universities to survive get much worse. The Internet will
see to that.
BLOEMFONTEIN
- Universities and technikons are slow in adapting to the challenges posed
by Outcome Based Education (OBE) and are virtual dinosaurs when it comes
to new teaching paradigms.
So says Prof. Merlyn Mehl, Chancellor of the Skiereiland Technicon.
‘There are huge bodies of knowledge available all over the place
and yet university and technikon structure remains virtually unchanged.
There’s very little logic left in the combination of courses. Courses
are mostly just compiled to keep students busy,’ says Mehl. Mehl
says universities have traditionally been the principal knowledge providers,
but over the years there has been growth in knowledge outside these institutions
as well.
‘Unless universities and technikons rethink the way in which they
partner with other knowledge providers or producers, they are under very
serious threat.’ Mehl says the problem with academic knowledge is
that it is highly theoretical in nature.
<Official student newspaper of the University of Cape Town
Lukas, educated in the fields of architecture, information science and business administration, started his career as an IT generalist, a project manager and a trainer. After a number of assignments in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, he felt attracted to Asia and relocated to Thailand. In addition to providing IT training to corporate managers and private individuals, he built up the corporate training department of ECC, the largest computer-training institute in Bangkok. Then he joined the hotel giant Accor, where he became System Quality Executive for the Asia Pacific Group. As such, he introduced in that hotel environment the extensive use of IT including such principles as internetworking, satellite communication and paperless office. Lukas then moved back to Switzerland to take up the position of IT Consultant and Group Trainer in the international Human Resources Management consulting firm Corporate Resources Group. He remained in this position until the American William M. Mercer, worldwide leader in Human Resources consulting, acquired the group. Within Mercer, he became IT Manager attached to the Information Services business line at global level, in addition to which he was Knowledge Coordinator and responsible for e-developments in Europe. He left Mercer to set up Prasena.
Lukas has always been recognized the rare quality of positioning his expertise in information technologies within a larger business perspective. With the added capacity to understand strategic business issues and to communicate with business managers in their own language, he could stimulate their awareness, educate them and propose them adapted technical solutions. Never restricting himself to one type of technology, Lukas always remained an IT generalist, endlessly curious and open to new developments, which allowed him not only to remain technically up-to-date, but also to develop his value as a consultant in the corporate usage of IT.
Lukas is Swiss. He speaks French, English, German, and Thai.
http://www.prasena.com/public/cvlor.htm
For example on back
office / administration of universities:
In the past, universities chose the best available solution for managing
their data /communications - that meant a single-vendor solution based
on proprietary software, running on a dedicated hardware platform, supported
by a large, on-campus professional IT staff. That time has PASSED, but
many of today's colleges and universities are still running their back
office with these outdated, costly technologies and legacy systems or
nothing at all.
With today's students using the latest technology tools as part of their
daily lives, they approach their college experience with the expectation
of open, multi-tiered administrative systems which integrate with other
familiarly and developing technologies. They expect to access their information
from a web browser whenever and wherever they want, at a click of a key
or touch of a screen. Why should administrators expect anything less?
A student-centric global learning infrastructure extends far beyond the individual virtual university to include the new digital marketplace. With its emphasis on creativity and competition, it enables a wide range of players -universities, media, publishers, content specialists, technology companies- to market, sell, and deliver educational services online
<Carol Twigg, VP of Educom, “The global learning infrastructure: The future of higher education” – Blueprint to the Digital Economy, 1998
The existing methods and educational systems are not sufficient and are neglecting many aspects of today’s economy. We need to find a better way. A way that is adapted to a new world that gives a chance to new education
Dr. BK Passi
has 30 years experience in educational research, training and consultancy
in UN bodies, universities, government institutions and the corporate
sector in Europe, USA, Canada, Russia and Asia. Born in an Indian village
with humble beginnings, he became the creator of many ideas, founder of
institutions and implementer of innovations. He became National Lecturer,
Fullbright Scholar, and President AIAER. It is his original contributions
that won him the Best Social Scientist Award India, World Award of Education
-citations for Illustrious Scientific Career and Valuable Work in Benefit
of Mankind- World Council Monterrey Mexico; and Recognition for Jose Vasconcelos
Diploma. He is called “Father of Microteaching”. He has authored
Passi Creativity Tests. He has managed institutions of higher education,
researched in Futures Studies, Models-Teaching, Research Surveys, Benchmarking,
Distance Education, ICT.
< ThinkTank member of Prasena. http://www.prasena.com/public/gld6drbkpassi.htm
Dr. S Passi has 30 years experience in behavioral science-related research, teaching and consulting with private and public sector organizations in India and abroad. Specialization in Creativity Assessment from Torrance Center for Creative Studies, Athens-USA found a natural outlet into her desire to delve deep into the learning-teaching-training career with all cadres of people. She conceptualized and created the Institute of Creative Thinking (ICT) in 1987, and has headed it since, organizing more than 600 programs in and out of India. She is on the advisory and governing bodies of various management and other boards. Her pursuit of research into the self has helped her to encompass initiating and implementing various research and development projects especially in the field of her interest – parapsychology/cognition and meditation. She is a Reiki master, yoga practitioner and a meditator. Currently, she is based in Bangkok as an expert in creative and critical thinking in King Mongkut’s University of Technology.
Dr BK Passi and
Lukas O Ritzel on Thai TV channel 11 in Morning Talk from Thursday
May 2nd in the daily MORNING TALK show – http://www.morningtalk.com/archives/02_may.html
Morning Talk: a daily television English talk show on Channel 11 which
airs 08.30 - 09.00 hrs. every week day morning. Morning Talk is an Edutainment
Program in English covering both News, Foreign Affairs, Tourism and Entertainment.
Morning Talk has been on air for 10 years and is considered to be the
"Who's Who" and the "What's What" of
Thailand, as presenter Dr. Valerie J. McKenzie interviews Thais
and Foreigners from all walks of life. The viewing audience in Thailand
extends from academics, decision-makers, business leaders, political,
and the most respected and prominent families in Thailand to university
students, business / office workers and middle class families. The program
also reaches a large number of expatriates living and working in Thailand.
Thursday 2 May 2002;
Talk 2 : Dr B.K. Passi, - Senior Expert in Thinking Skills, School
of Industrial Education, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi
Mr. Lukas O Ritzel, - Infostructure Director - Prasena "Creative
Thinking for Promoting Quality Education“
http://www.prasena.com/public/gld6drbkpassi.htm
http://www.prasena.com/public/gld6lor.htm
We have as well worked on different projects related to creativity and innovation, together with Dr Passi's http://www.prasena.com/public/innovation/innovation_seminar.html and http://www.prasena.com/public/innovation/creativity day.html
and have put on ideas and teasers just for fun: http://www.prasena.com/public/innovation/brain_teasers.html / http://www.prasena.com/public/innovation/mirror_of_innovation.html
"Winners don't
do different Things, they Do Things Differently"
Shiv Khera is the founder of Qualified Learning Systems Inc. USA.
An Educator, Motivator, Business Consultant, much sought-after Speaker
and successful Entrepreneur, Shiv wears many hats.
He has been recognized as a "Louis Marchesi Fellow" by
the Round Table Foundation. Shiv has appeared in several magazines and
on numerous television and radio shows internationally.
His international bestseller 'You Can Win' & his seminar, Blueprint
for Success, inspire people & help them realize their true potential.
His dynamic message is widely received by the opposite sides of the globe,
from the US to Singapore. His common sense and value based approach have
motivated thousands to re-evaluate their attitudes. His 25 years of research
and experience have helped people on their paths of personal growth and
fulfillment.
<http://shivkhera.com/
Can Virtualization
be the solution? This characteristic of the Cybernetic Revolution
qualifies the tendency of any entity / activity / technology to function
in virtual reality, that is in such a way that performance does not require
physical presence
<http://www.prasena.com/public/ematrix.html
vir·tu·al Pronunciation Key (vûr
ch - l) adj.
Existing or resulting in essence or effect though not in actual fact,
form, or name: the virtual extinction of the buffalo.
Existing in the mind, especially as a product of the imagination. Used
in literary criticism of a text.
Computer Science. Created, simulated, or carried on by means of
a computer or computer network: virtual conversations in a chatroom.
[Middle English virtuall, effective, from Medieval Latin virtu lis, from
Latin virt s, excellence. See virtue.] vir tu·al i·ty (-
l -t ) n. Usage Note: When virtual was first introduced in the computational
sense, it applied to things simulated by the computer, like virtual memory
that is, memory that is not actually built into the processor. Over time,
though, the adjective has been applied to things that really exist and
are created or carried on by means of computers. Virtual conversations
are conversations that take place over computer networks, and virtual
communities are genuine social groups that assemble around the use of
e-mail, webpages, and other networked resources. ·The adjectives
virtual and digital and the prefixes e- and cyber- are all used in various
ways to denote things, activities, and organizations that are realized
or carried out chiefly in an electronic medium. There is considerable
overlap in the use of these items: people may speak either of virtual
communities or of cybercommunities and of e-cash or cybercash. To a certain
extent the choice of one or another of these is a matter of use or convention
(or in some cases, of finding an unregistered brand name). But there are
certain tendencies. Digital is the most comprehensive of the words, and
can be used for almost any device or activity that makes use of or is
based on computer technology, such as a digital camera or a digital network.
Virtual tends to be used in reference to things that mimic their “real”
equivalents. Thus a digital library would be simply a library that involves
information technology, whether a brick-and-mortar library equipped with
networked computers or a library that exists exclusively in electronic
form, whereas a virtual library could only be the latter of these. The
prefix e- is generally preferred when speaking of the commercial applications
of the the Web, as in e-commerce, e-cash, and e-business, whereas cyber-
tends to be used when speaking of the computer or of networks from a broader
cultural point of view, as in cybersex, cyberchurch, and cyberspace. But
like everything else in this field, such usages are evolving rapidly,
and it would be rash to try to predict how these expressions will be used
in the future.
http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=virtual
Evaluation of the
product
Web conferencing can save you a lot of money, but the up-front
investment can be daunting to first time users and small companies. Full-featured
Web conferencing suites cost thousands of dollars to provision and thousands
per month – and that's not including the audio conferencing costs.
Paying for events by-the-minute can eliminate up-front fees but will become
even more expensive over time if you run many meetings or events.
Voice Chat – the whole product line is built on top of a voice-over-IP
facility. Not duplex, each attendee has a "Talk" button to hold
down while speaking. A "Hold Mic" button allows an attendee
to keep the microphone and continue speaking without interruption. To
keep troublemakers from hijacking a meeting, the meeting moderator has
a "Boot" function to temporarily disable their voice chat, and
a "Banish" function to permanently prevent them from
taking the microphone.
Video Conferencing – several of the products also include
a video window for streaming video from a Webcam. Attendees can select
the refresh rate for each video window to suite their Internet connections.
The crown jewel of the line – the OfficeMaster – also allows
an attendee to enlarge any one of the video windows, placing it in the
center of the screen.
Text Chat – all the products also include text chat. This
provides an alternate channel for questions, requests, help and other
activities while someone is using the voice chat.
Page Push – The higher end products include the ability for
the presenter to "push" a Web page to a browser window for the
attendees to view. With the OfficeMaster, the presenter can have up to
20 URLs preloaded for a meeting, and can introduce additional ones as
the meeting progresses.
White Board – the OfficeMaster and ClassMaster also include
a "white board" capability for displaying and marking
up images. Presenters can preload any number of image files to place on
the white board, and then draw or mark them up using drawing, highlighting,
and text tools.
The most obvious missing feature of VoiceCafe products is delivery of
PowerPoint presentations. There are a couple of straightforward workarounds:
one could save the presentation as Web pages and use the page push, or
convert them to images and deliver them through the white board.
VoiceCafe products are all hosted services, and most are available with
a choice of templates to customize your meeting room. Comprising ActiveX
controls that are downloaded at the commencement of a meeting, the products
work only on PCs using Internet Explorer 5.0 and later. The OfficeMaster
expands this unique line of products to a full-fledged contender for Web
conferencing. The company claims it can meetings of up to 500 people at
once.
The VoiceCafe products line begins with the entry-level MyCom, which offers
voice and text chat for up to 5 people at one for just $12.50 (US) per
month. Move up to TourMaster 10/25 to add Web-page push and administrative
controls for meetings of up to 25 people for only $65 per month. If you
want to run a more formal class, the ClassMaster adds an interactive white
board and a video feed to the capabilities of the TourMaster 10/25 for
only $125 per month. Even the most sophisticated product, OfficeMaster,
starts at just $245 per month for capacity for 10 people. All products
require modest start-up fees. And, of course, you might need to fork out
$50 for a decent headset and microphone.
Learn more about the product line at voicecafe.optecs.net.
Online survey of Prasena and Bangkok post in 2002: sample question
What do you think
of this example from Learning institute: "When Student K. May launches
her browser, she is taken to her University’s personalized home page.
She can interact with the entire scope of her University’s virtual
world“?
a. I would enjoy interacting with others in my University if it had such
a system
b. That's where I study. We can communicate with anyone in the University
and the rest of the world community
c. I still prefer the face-to-face experience and a desk and a teacher
who tells me what and when to learn
d. There's a time and a place for face-to-face communication / learning
and for communication /learning on-line
e. I thought virtual learning was something for the far future...
Tony Waltham,
Bangkok Post Database 6th March 2002 Technology has been enabling
huge changes, both around the world and here in Thailand, and as Post
Database works each week to compile the latest news, so we often ask ourselves:
"What will our readers make of this new development?'' We
are always looking to see how well Thailand is faring, both nationally
and internationally, when it comes to adopting technology, asking ourselves
where does Thailand stand in terms of its readiness to take advantage
of key trends such as globalization or internetworking. Two weeks ago,
we concluded a three-week experiment in an attempt to better understand
how people here are coping with change. This was our "Cyber-readiness
on-line survey,'' which was designed to stimulate thinking and to
generate discussions around the various aspects of change that have largely
been enabled by rapid technology advances. We were also looking to compare
responses from different genders, ages and cultures. To help craft the
questionnaire and to analyze and interpret the responses, we looked to
Prasena, a research, audit and consulting company established in
Bangkok late last year. We asked Prasena to help us because the
company was built on the premise that we are now in the midst of revolutionary
change, which it calls the "Cybernetic Revolution.''
In the view of its co-founders Isabelle Michelet (who provided
us with interpretations of the data), Lukas Ritzel (who was mainly
responsible for the survey's provocative questions), and its business
director, Philippe Kopcsan, every organization must reassess itself
in the light of the impact that this revolution is having on the way we
live and work. Prasena believes that the Cybernetic Revolution is characterized
by nine main phenomena that affect everyone. Prasena's research director
Ms Michelet explained that the first five questions in the survey sought
to find out ``how the cybernetic phenomena affected the way people strategies,
the way we manage our financial, technical and human resources, the way
we proceed with our activities, and also to see how they affect us as
a whole.'' The questions that followed reflected each of the nine cyber-phenomena,
with a key characteristic being chosen for each of them. These nine aspects
are the need to become global citizens, the need to become autonomous,
the need to transcend established structures, the need to digitalize,
the need to work virtually, the need to be part of the internetworked
global community, the need to perform on a real-time basis, the need to
innovate, and the need to learn continuously. <http://www.prasena.com/public/partners/media/media8_survey3.html
Goal 1: All
students and teachers should have access to information technology in
their classrooms, schools, communities and homes.
Goal 2: All teachers should use technology effectively to help
students achieve high academic standards.
Goal 3: All students should have technology and information literacy
skills.
Goal 4: Research and evaluation will improve the next generation
of technology applications for teaching and learning.
Goal 5: Digital content and networked applications should transform
teaching and learning.
PERHAPS ONE STEP BEFORE ELEARNING, WHAT NEED EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS DO, TO FRESHEN THEMSELVES UP
In committing to achieve
these goals, everyone has a role to play: federal, state and local governments;
education; nonprofit organizations and associations; the private sector;
communities; and families. For each of these goals, there are numerous
strategies that can be undertaken to ensure continued progress in using
technology effectively for education.
it will become increasingly important to build and support network infrastructures-wired
or wireless, desktop or handheld-that allow multiple devices to connect
simultaneously to the Internet throughout every school building and community
in the nation.
Ensuring that the nation has effective 21st-century teachers requires
more than just providing sufficient access to technology for teaching
and learning. We should improve the preparation of new teachers, including
their knowledge of how to use technology for effective teaching and learning;
increase the quantity, quality and coherence of technology-focused activities
aimed at the professional development of teachers; and, improve the instructional
support available to teachers who use technology
Also necessary are information problem-solving skills, such as how to
define tasks, identify information seeking strategies, locate and access
information, determine information's relevance, organize and communicate
the results of the information problem-solving effort and evaluate the
effectiveness and efficiency of the solution. we will ensure that the
opportunities made possible through the use of technology will be available
to all students as they progress through school, regardless of personal
or socioeconomic factors. To ensure that students are prepared for their
future we should: include technology and information literacy in state
and local standards for what students should know and be able to do; ensure
students use technology appropriately and responsibly; develop new student
assessment tools; and strengthen partnerships with industry to help meet
the workforce needs of the future.
To ensure that research and evaluation will improve the next generation
of technology applications for teaching and learning, we should: initiate
a systematic agenda of research and evaluation on technology applications
for teaching and learning; encourage state and local evaluations of technology
programs; and support the dissemination and use of research-based information
to improve teaching and learning.
To ensure that digital content and networked applications will transform
teaching and learning, we should: ensure administrators and policymakers
are technologically literate; support efforts to increase our understanding
of how to improve teaching and learning through partnerships within and
across sectors; identify leadership opportunities provided by technology
to offer better ways of accomplishing educational goals; continue and
expand efforts to digitize rich educational materials consistent with
copyright laws; encourage the aggregation of demand for resources and
services to attract better and more effective technology-based services
for teaching and learning; support educators and technologists in defining
what digital content and networked applications should be available to
support teaching and learning
100’000 laptops
for teachers
IT acts as the ‘DNA’ of education
No more conventional year groups, students learn at their own pace
Replace traditional classrooms through virtual or networked educational
spaces
Scope for telestudy
Schools are connected to their local communities, pupils can access online
libraries 24/7
UK invests 1.3 billion dollars over the next 6 years in educational technology
The funding for this initiative will go a long way towards meeting the teachers' demand for personal access to computers. ICT in Education is about more than just the right specification at the right price. One will need robust and reliable technology that's easy to use. One will need a solution that provides flexibility. And One will need the peace of mind that comes with expert service and support.
Laptops for Teachers
In January 2002, Estelle Morris, Secretary of State for Education and
Skills, announced £100 million over the next two years to provide
teachers with personal access to computers. This represents a doubling
of the funds previously announced and is evidence of the Government's
ongoing commitment to support teachers in this vital area. This initiative
builds on the success of previous initiatives but moves the pace forward
significantly.
The funding for this initiative will go a long way towards meeting the
teachers' demand for personal access to computers. The current generation
of schoolchildren has grown up in a world where ICT is second nature -
it is therefore crucial that we support teachers in embedding ICT in their
teaching practice.
<http://lft.ngfl.gov.uk/index.html
HLB's solution is a "customizable education system" called Gooru that reorganizes the classroom and replaces books, writing utensils and desks.
The three-part technology system consists of an interactive PDA called the GooBall, a backpack and a removable flexible LCD screen for each student. Students can sit, stand or lie down when using the devices, and are not confined to desks.
While some educators think the idea is interesting, they are skeptical that schools would pay for the elaborate system.
The GooBall is an interactive communication device containing six layers of learning software. The device monitors a student's heart rate and body temperature with a bio-read function and uses GPS to track where they are. It includes instant messaging and a compass, watch, and topic-specific alert system that directs a student to relevant articles and books about whatever they are studying. Students can choose an animal icon to represent their personality.
The backpack houses the main power supply for the system and holds any personal items. The pocket keeps items locked tight with a fingerprint security zipper.
The portable flexible screen functions like a laptop, providing wireless Internet access and streaming video. It has a touch-screen interface.
"I think it's, like, an excellent idea," said Gary Tankard, a sixth-grader who has seen the prototype. "I'm sure 90 percent of all kids would really like to have it.
"You can talk to your friends and you can take your whole school database in one computer. If you could sit on beanbags, that would be really awesome."
Classrooms are divided into three areas -- similar to the old idea of different "centers" for different activities -- yet with a twist: The three areas are separated by invisible noise-cancellation barriers. Based on quantum theory, the barriers are invisible electromagnetic fields between two points that interfere with the transmission of sound waves. People can walk through and see through the barriers, but can't hear through them.
The teacher stands in the center and is able to supervise the three sections at one time. In one section, the teacher lectures on a particular topic. In the second area, kids work in groups, while individuals in the third area can work independently
<www.wired.com, 2002
Reasoning and Discussion
A definition for e-learning emerges from the parallel concept of
e-mail. E-mail is typically described as the activity of transmitting
"mail" with computers and networks. In the same way, e-learning
refers to learning activities that involve computers and networks. (The
internet and intranets are considered networks.) E-learning does
not require learning materials to be delivered by computer, but computer
and networks must be involved in this type of learning.
Web-based learning entails content in a Web browser (not just activities),
and actual learning materials delivered in Web format. In this, Web-based
learning is analogous to textbooks, where the content determines whether
a book is a novel, a report, or a textbook. Simply offering computer-based
training for download from a Web site is not Web-based learning since
there is no learning content in Web format). Web browsing the learning
content (even linearly) is the key feature of Web-based learning. Web-based
learning content is typically retrieved from a Web site, but alternative
solutions are acceptable (a hypertext Web does not require Internet or
networks). For instance, some Web-based learning offerings operate from
CD-ROM, and many are offered on dual format: Web site and CD-ROM. The
CD-ROM solution is typically associated with situations where network
access may not be available or practical, like in schools lacking Internet
access or very heavy multimedia data, such as video, animations and sound.
Online learning is related to the more common concepts of online
help, online documentation, and online services. It is associated with
readily available learning materials in a computer environment. Often,
online learning refers to learning materials directly accessible from
within a core application (like in online help); however, learning materials
available online on a network also qualify when readily accessible. Network
use is not necessarily required, and in fact the concept of online learning
surfaced before the development of the Web and before learning materials
were delivered over the Internet or networks.
Distance learning is a concept older than most of those discussed
here. It does not require the use of computers or networks. It involves
interaction between class members primarily at a distance, and enables
the instructor to interact with learners. Distance learning is typically
associated with televised broadcasts and correspondence courses, but it
also applies to certain e-learning applications. On the Internet, educational
interaction primarily at a distance is required between instructor and
students, or between students. Typical distance learning in this context
includes Internet-based live instructor broadcasts, video-conferencing,
chat and scheduled online conference discussions, and even e-mail courses
or discussions.
Definition of eLearning:
a personalized, on-demand learning experience that uses web-enabled technology
and integrated knowledge management to quickly build knowledge, skills,
and capability to optimize human performance, anytime, anywhere, while
providing the ability to track and measure results.
The electronic delivery of material and/or interaction with the expectation
of changing attitude, belief, thinking, and/or the behavior of the learner
You may be familiar
with terms such as distance learning , computer based training , online
learning , or countless others . Many of these terms have overlapping
meanings, and some experts may even disagree on the best term to use for
a type of technology assisted learning. Throughout the "e-Learning?"
section of eLearners.com we will primarily use the term e-learning .
We define e-learning as any form of learning that utilizes a network for
delivery, interaction, or facilitation (in a few years you might not even
use the computer). The network could be the Internet, a school or
college LAN or even a corporate WAN . The learning could take place
individually (guided or instructed by a computer) or as part of a class.
Online classes meet either synchronously (at the same time) or asynchronously
(at different times), or some combination of the two. eLearners.com
deals with all types of learning that fall within this broad definition
of e-learning.
Benefits of Real-time Collaboration:
Learn close to real
life environment
Reduce unnecessary travel
Make better, faster decisions
Improve team communication
Bring people together
eLearning focuses on the individual learner. For years, training has organized itself for the convenience and needs of instructors, institutions, and bureaucracies. Bad attitude. Think of learners as customers. Compete for their time and interests. Provide them legendary service. Convert them into raving fans. Give them choices. Don't make them reinvent the wheel.
In the learning
sphere, real-time environments simulate:
Instructor-led workshops
Give-and-take seminars
Lectures
Reference desk
Study groups
Office hours
Community
In the workplace,
real-time collaboration includes:
Virtual conferences (remember video conferencing?)
Virtual meetings
Remote demonstrations
Team coordination
Knowledge management feeder
Sounds all so very
good!
Is e the solution we have been waiting for?
Is it simple?
Is it only the students that have to change?
Will it be the solution for all educational institutes and their tutors?
Will it be the definitive end of all Universities as we knew them for
centuries?
Can it be done over night: The biggest problem is we live in a nano second
world where all things are supposed to be done in an instant.
That kind of attitude is deadly for projects like this.
What we need are people
who think in terms of decades, not years. People who would treasure Stewart
Brand's "The Clock of The Long Now" --ones who would
agree this project is "generationaly worthy" ---something
my grandson Michael Ross, will want to pass on to his grandson. It's for
sponsors who know that if we can grow awareness in the miracles of distance
education we can grow the size of the pie...so vendors like WebCt can
get more of their share.
Is such awareness about distance education needed? You bet.
How many know there are over 1.2 million courses available from hundreds
of fine universities worldwide?
How many know that education online is better than education face-to-face?
How many employers know that workers trained by distance means are more
likely to become all stars than those trained conventionally?
Here's our deal with the corporate world.
We bring them knowledge customers and knowledge workers. They bring us
the resources to build our stage, promote the event and fund the prizes.
The term Cyborg means "cybernetic organism", i.e. "part human, part machine", or "part natural, part artificial" (e.g. by adding artificial brain or body implants). Cyborgs represent a third category in addition to the bionts (organics) and machinoids (droids and bots).
More money is spent in one single day on education than is spent on all the movies on earth in one entire year. In fact, more money is spent on education than on food or clothing or housing or transportation.
Brain chip offers
blind chance at sight, (Prototype creates tunnel vision in single test
subject) By Dan Vergano, USA TODAY First step to recovering sight: James
Ochs, left, a programmer for the Dobelle Institute's artificial vision
program, adjusts the computer gear worn by "Jerry." With
the aid of computer gear and a tiny camera wired to his brain, "Jerry"
can read large letters and navigate around big objects, the first artificial
eye to provide useful vision, a researcher reports.
A brain implant has given a blind patient a primitive kind of vision,
a researcher says. William Dobelle of the Dobelle Institute, a medical
device company in New York, says he has perfected an artificial vision
device involving a TV camera mounted on glasses. It sends signals to a
portable computer worn in a purse; the computer in turn stimulates a 1-inch-square
electrode grid implanted atop the brain's visual center.
http://www.choroideremia.org/USAToday.html
Student Centered Philosophy
For RKC you are not just a student ID. You are part of our learning community--online.
Whatever you are called -- Richard, Douglas, Karin, Apostolos, or Francis,…
-- we shall know you by your name. You and all other students and faculty
are members of the RKC family engaged in the adult learning process. Together
we are a team. An overriding objective of this team is to enable our College
ever to improve the quality of education it offers -- your education.
Small and Big All our students benefit from something very important:
our personal attention. We are small enough to find the time for our students.
Always. And we are small enough to improve and change the content of our
courses quickly, following the latest education trends. Yet we are big
enough to offer you access to an electronic library with over 1,500,000
current articles from the top 400 business publications. You can access
them from the comfort of your home or when you travel, with your laptop.
Wherever you have a computer and an Internet access, the class is open
for you.
The campus is the first screen people see when they log onto Virtual-U. It introduces the various areas of navigation, and provides a consistent set of icons across the top of the screen to reach the key areas of the campus at any time. Also, on the left of the screen, each user can set his own language preference with a single click be it English, French, Spanish or Portuguese.
Courses the online classroom
The Courses building gives access to all of your courses, whether you are a student or an instructor, or both. Quite often an individual is both an instructor of one course, and enrolled in another and so Virtual-U supports these different types of accesses, through the same login and password. This section lists all information on the courses being offered like course syllabus, course overview, assignments and activities, resources and conference, regular events and activity submission boxes. Similarly, using the grade book the student can view his course grade and comments, grade bar charts and grades in all courses.
Conferences Discussion, debate and collaboration
Conferences are where most of the online interaction between learners takes place, and is really the root of Virtual-U. Upon entering the Conferences building, every student will be given a list of all of the conferences which are available. The first time a student sees the conference list, all of the available conferences will show: new conferences, those which have already been joined and those which you have not joined. Virtual-U allows to view all of the conferences which one have access to and then allows you choose which one would wish to participate in.
Workspace online office allows students and instructors a personal view of their online activities, and can be used as a great place to begin exploration. From this one screen, each user can access the entire campus capabilities with one or two clicks. It provides a convenient and instant access to syllabus, assignment, grades, glossary, submission box, library, café and so on so forth. Many instructors and students need to move between different computers, from home to a lab, from the office to a web cafe. The bookmarks file and the individual user files allow for each user to create a central repository, accessible from anywhere, for their files and bookmarks.
Information Support for beginners and experts
Online context-sensitive help is crucial in a distributed environment and Virtual-U has included a lot of support. From access to instructional designs, exemplars, and handy tips, to the nitty-gritty details of navigating Virtual-U, and tips for the power user.
Administration Online administration support
Change your password - this is the place to do it.
The Library section provides the students an unlimited and instant access to a broad spectrum of academic contents through Business & Management Practices Electronic Library which provides real-life applications, case studies, and explicit "how-to" guidelines. It offers highly focused coverage from more than 300 professional and trade journals containing information relevant to the fields of management, planning, production, finance, marketing, information technology and human resources.
At the same time, the students can also access the interactive edition of the Wall Street Journal totally free of cost.
Gallery and Cafe a university is more than lectures and assignments. Thus, if one wishes to take a break while studying, the Virtual-U has provided the gallery and café for some bit of relaxation. The gallery consists of the art forms of various artists, which are a soothing change. Likewise, the student can also visit the café and browse through `College News', the online newsletter of the university as well as interact with fellow students and instructors through the Virtual Groups Café.
State of the Art
Technology
Robert Kennedy College runs its distance-learning programmes on state-of-art
software for online course delivery. Developed by Simon Fraser University,
Canada, "Virtual-U" is an all-encompassing, interactive and
user-friendly software package, which makes studying online an enjoyable
experience. Demo available online click here
World Class Faculty
RKC employs highly qualified faculty graduated from leading Universities
like Harvard Business School, Stanford University, Oxford University,
Fordham University, London School of Economics, INSEAD, and University
of St. Gallen, to name just a few.
Legal Status
The College has been granted legal status by official decree of the Cantonal
Department of Education to operate as a private institution providing
post-secondary education in Business and in Law by distance learning and
by residential seminars.
Accreditation and Recognition
RKC is the first Swiss-based institution offering online degree programmes
to achieve full Accreditation. Robert Kennedy College business programmes
at undergraduate and masters level are accredited by the European Council
for Business Education (ECBE), the European leading accreditation body
for business schools. The DBA Programmed accreditation process with ECBE
is underway (began in July 2001). RKC Legal programmes are accredited
for continuing professional development by the Bar Council and Law Society
of England and Wales.
“First I was disappointed. What should I do? Where are the assignments? There are hundreds of links, what should I read? etc… etc… I believe every student felt the same at the beginning. Then I was surprised to see that many Internet links were linking to websites that were outside the kennedyunivesrity.edu domain, and I found several similar pages on other Universities’ websites… I got lost. Then I took some more time trying to understand what I had to do, and after one month I began to love studying like this. I believe that the subjects we are studying are useful, that the overall teaching is great. We all had a long talk about this a couple of weeks ago, when I and other students shared our points of view about new classes, new assignments, the two-classes-at-once system, etc… I see that the website has changes a lot in 6 months, and now I feel really good studying virtual..!”
You know the difference a college degree can make in your career. But how can you fit a college education into your busy schedule? At University of Phoenix Online, you can earn your degree via the Internet whenever and wherever you want -- at home in the evenings, at work during lunch, or while traveling on business. No commuting. No lines. No wasted effort. You just click into class and start learning.
You'll be attending the nation's largest accredited private university, with an unsurpassed reputation for educational excellence and student service. You'll also be earning one of the most current and relevant degrees offered in the areas of Business, Management, Technology Management, Information Systems, Education and Nursing. Best of all, most of our students complete their degree in just two or three years.
Classes are offered at the times and places that work for you, including more than 116 campuses and learning centers across the country, and via the Internet. Our curriculum is continually updated to provide the skills and knowledge that are in highest demand
Canadian universities
and colleges were early adopters of online education beginning in the
mid-1980’s with OISE/University of Toronto
Today, most of Canada’s universities and colleges offer online courses
and some institutions deliver entire online programs
Canadian offerings represent 25% of the 40,900 courses in the TeleCampus
database of online courses available from education providers from around
the world
Canadian universities
and colleges were early adopters of online education beginning in the
mid-1980’s with OISE/University of Toronto. Today, most of Canada’s
universities and colleges offer online courses and some institutions deliver
entire online programs. Canadian offerings represent 25% of the 40,900
courses in the TeleCampus database of online courses available from education
providers from around the world.1 Canada has also been home to developers
that have created some of the most widely used eLearning tools and platforms
such as WebCT, CSILE/Knowledge Forum, and First-Class.
Part of the reason for the interest and activity in eLearning has been
the investments of the Canadian federal and provincial governments in
a number of programs, including research and development and demonstration
projects. As one example, in 1995, the Canadian government supported the
creation of the TeleLearning Network of Centers of Excellence (TL•NCE).
Involving 30 Canadian universities in a national research and knowledge/technology
transfer program, the TL•NCE developed, applied, and evaluated networked
learning across the sectors of lifelong learning with a major focus on
post-secondary education.
More recently, a number of pan-Canadian consortiums such as the Collaboration
for Online Learning in Higher Education and Research (COHERE) and the
Canadian Virtual University have been created to advance eLearning practice
at Canadian universities.
Welcome to Canadian
Virtual University – your one doorway to 13 Canadian universities
offering over 175 programs available through the Internet or by distance
education.
When you enroll in one of these programs, you can select courses offered
by any of the participating universities. This means 2000 courses to chose
from, and the list is growing.
Sample Canada - http://www.cvu-uvc.ca/
"CVU offers its cornucopia through distance learning...never before has such an abundance of post-secondary education been brought together in a single institution." Time (Canadian Edition), 12 November, 2001
True to its name,
Canadian Virtual University (CVU) has no campus, no faculty buildings,
no student union or football stadium. . . . What CVU does have is a syllabus
of more than 2,000 courses at 13 universities across Canada, ranging from
institutions such as the University of Manitoba and the University of
New Brunswick to less corporeal entities like British Columbia's Open
Learning Agency, which brings education to rural areas. CVU offers its
cornucopia through "distance learning"-a combination of old-school
correspondence courses and newfangled online study. In practice, this
means students anywhere in the country or the world can spend years at
higher learning without once laying eyes on their instructors.
Never before has such an abundance of postsecondary education been brought
together in a single institution. Each offering can be put toward 250
different degrees and certificates from CVU-affiliated institutions. CVU
– barely a year old – offers 30% of its courses in French and
boasts Canada's largest executive MBA program, with more than 1,000 students
enrolled.
"This allows students to mix and match," says Dominique
Abrioux, president of Athabasca University, the Alberta-based, distance-only
institution that is the chief building block in CVU's online sprawl. When
Abrioux took the helm of Athabasca in 1995, it was a small cluster of
facilities 150 km north of Edmonton. Distance learning was considered
the dim cousin of "real" class work. But then the Internet exploded,
and Abrioux scrambled to stake out a prominent spot for his school in
cyberspace. "The past seven years have been a complete transformation
of the business," he says.
No kidding. Even Harvard has added an online element to its curriculum.
And once obscure Athabasca? "We've doubled in size in the past
four years," Abrioux notes. . . .
Thousands of Pakistanis are being offered the chance to learn the skills they need to thrive in the computer age thanks to a new virtual university. The US$40m project is providing distance learning over the television and internet so that anyone can take part in the classes, regardless of where they live in Pakistan.
The aim is to create a generation of software programmers and computer engineers who can rival the best in countries like the US.
Pakistan is eager to develop an information technology industry, much like India has done. Experts estimate the country needs at least 60,000 computer science graduates to achieve this aim.
"India is a very inspiring case. They got their act together very early," said Salman Ansari, adviser to Pakistan's Ministry of Science and Technology.
"We are leveraging technology to get to the level that we need to get to," he told the BBC programme Go Digital.
Exciting education
The Virtual University combines television, video-conferencing and the internet to provide lessons, tutorials and guidance to students all over Pakistan.
Technologies supporting eLearning:
Audio, one-way or
two, phone or VOIP
Shared whiteboard
Synchronized web browsing
Text chat
Application viewing/sharing
Content windows
Video, one-way or two, live or canned
Discussion boards. not real-time but useful for class info or Faq's
Record and playback. by instructor or student.
Polling
Hand-raising and yes/no buttons
Pre-session content distribution
Assessment/testing/scheduling
Asynchronous learning allows students to go to class when their schedule permits. Asynchronous learning includes everything from web-based presentations and discussions to streaming audio and video on demand, for example. Students are usually required to spend a certain amount of time per week in their virtual classroom, but it's up to them to decide when school begins and ends each day. Some examples of asynchronous training include self-paced computer-based training (CBT), Web-based training (WBT), bulletin boards, and email. Less technical forms include audio/video cassettes, and mail order programs
Usenet, or internet news, is a completely threaded discussion. One can select the desired topic (newsgroup) to browse, and is then confronted with a list of all messages that have been posted to that discussion. Usenet requires special software, a news reader, to access. With a threaded system, each message is stored on its own page. Thus, to read about something more in detail, one needs to click on the link from the top page, bringing up the concerned screen.
Video, animations, and simulations offer exceptional potential for enhancing the interface of education. Experimental demonstrations and real-life experiences and situations can be captured on video and provided as digital video.
Video can be a window to the real world for a given theoretical description. In the past, there were considerable bandwidth, cost, and quality issues associated with video enhancements. However, with the development of video compression and real-time video streaming technology, many of these barriers have been overcome, and the potential for significantly increased bandwidth is real.
Animations are an inexpensive alternative to the video demonstration. The animations of physical phenomena or a difficult concept can bring the point home much more effectively than video clips can. However, animations are not substitutes for video demonstrations.
Simulations can provide a risk-free environment for understanding the consequences of parametric variations and can be considered “hands-on experience” in place of real situations. For example, flight simulators are used to train fighter pilots, and dangerous or expensive laboratory experiments can be conducted without risk, and at a lower cost. The environments created by numerical and animated simulation provide a unique opportunity to learn while increasing the retention of the concepts.
Clearly, each of
these types of communications has its benefits. Although in-person communication
provides opportunities to clarify and restate (and to take advantage of
tone of voice and body language), many students are reluctant to engage
in direct communication with an instructor or their fellow classmates.
Online communications via e-mail, mailing lists, and discussion
boards or chat rooms can level the playing field and remove some of the
psychological and social barriers to student-teacher and student-student
interactions.
Content delivery is another area in which big differences surface.
Indeed, it is one of the biggest bones of contention in the war of the
worlds. Traditional content delivery via written, oral, or visual lectures
doesn’t map well online. The term “shovelware” has
been coined to describe the tendency to load up the Web with notes. Sir
John Daniel, during his tenure at the United Kingdom’s Open University,
observed: “...our own Open University experience of the use of
the Net and the Web at scale indicates that its most powerful and popular
use is for communication between people about the course rather than for
dumping the content of the course on each student’s computer.”
Asynchronous communications, on the other hand, score big in the
online world. The ability to post messages, read and respond to messages,
reflect on responses, revise interpretations, and modify original assumptions
and perceptions is the silver bullet and a distinguishing characteristic
of online teaching. Considered a hallmark of the online world, active
learning actually serves as a great example of a best teaching practice
that spans both worlds. Increasingly, instructors employ active and even
collaborative learning in the classroom. Active learning translates
well to the online world through the development of Web quests, treasure
hunts, Web-based presentations, and other means for engaging students
actively in the construction of knowledge. Increasingly, perhaps as a
result of feedback from online courses, on-campus instructors are incorporating
more active learning in their classes in conjunction with traditional
lecture formats.
Finally, one of the best qualities of online teaching is that it offers
greater flexibility in terms of what is taught and how it is taught throughout
the course. Formative assessments [MEANS BUILDING UP THE EXPERIENCE
WORKING WITH A STUDENT AND ASSESS HIM/HER OVER TIME] provide opportunities
for immediate feedback on student learning and learning styles, and they
allow an instructor to modify the approach to achieving learning outcomes.
Summative assessments [I HAVE NEVER SEEN THE STUDENT BEFORE IN
MY LIFE AND JUST TEST HIM/HER ON HIS/HER KNOWLEDGE] —including midterms,
final exams, and end-of-course surveys—in on-campus courses are not
typically intended to help make in-session modifications to a course.
But by taking advantage of the capability for collecting and crunching
numbers quickly for statistical or qualitative analysis, online exams
and surveys enable an instructor to evaluate what’s working and what’s
not working nearly in real time.
Architecture.
The performance requirements for e-learning must verified for architectures
and applications for different environments; e.g. content in the public
domain over a low-bandwidth connection for the K-12 customer space, requires
a different architecture than a high-bandwidth corporate application which
requires content security (i.e. digital rights management). Any architecture
must be flexible to allow applications to be accessed by end-users asynchronously
- anytime, anywhere learning, and not confine the end-user to traditional
distance learning, synchronous environments. These architectures must
allow for seamless transfer of content from provider-distributor-end-user,
low-latency networks for interactivity, rights management, and maintain
fidelity of content on the end-user platform. Standards. Standards
are needed to ensure that the e-learning modules will be compatible with
the technology used to store, distribute, and present it and transportable
within different e-learning architectures. This includes the current specifications
to support the most powerful features of E-learning media. Examples are
metadata and tagging for educational content, file format for distribution
(e.g. OEB, XML) presentation, storage protocols, and standards for web
access and web casting of rich media.
Content. Converting traditional learning content into electronic
files does not fulfill the expectation of the emerging E-learning industry.
New"E-learning" content will need to be developed that provides
accommodations for multi-media, human interactivity, records management,
compatibility, accessibility, reusability, and digital rights management.
In order to take advantage of the potential of E-learning, guidelines
will be needed to promote the creation of content that utilizes the full
potential in the emerging E-learning architecture environment. Content
standards examples, are the use of emerging IMS and
At the most basic level, the commercial products of an E-learning business
are:
E-learning Content. This is the educational module, organized and
formatted to facilitate its use in E-learning. Distribution and Presentation
of E-learning content. The communications (networked and/or physical distribution),
the hardware and software used for distribution and presentation, and
the services associated with distribution and presentation are all essential,
and all can generate revenue for the businesses involved.
E-learning Management. This includes the functions for managing
a traditional institution of learning (organizing a curriculum, keeping
records, administering tests, and so on), plus any new management functions
that are specific to E-learning (for example, communications security).
‘Same old
story’ can not succeed
Flexibility and Interactivity with multiple pathways for learning
Media-rich and adaptive environments that both provide individualized
learning
Sensory perceptions are supported by text, graphics, audio, video, animation
and simulation
Accessible to large numbers of learners for collaborations and group discussions.
Not only the students have to become ‘e’. It is everybody who
needs to be involved – students, teachers, administration, environment,
government
‘Same old
story’ can not succeed
the mistake is often made of recreating a classroom-teaching model within
an online learning environment. Online technology designed to mimic the
classroom becomes a restriction and a barrier to the teacher’s ability
to impart knowledge.
In hypermedia-based systems, multimedia objects in the form of audio clips
for graphical objects, annotated video segments, and online simulations
are presented with an associated database of concepts. The modes of learning
change from textual to audio, and audio to video, and so forth, as the
learner invokes the multimedia objects merely by clicking on links. This
provides the flexibility to acquire knowledge from different modes, e.g.,
auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Web browsers are networked hypermedia
interfaces that allow such flexible, multimodal explorations for a given
subject matter
These cognitive pathways refer to the sensory perceptions of the human
mind and include vision, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. The sensory
organs provide the necessary stimulus for infants to assimilate information
and the human brain to assimilate knowledge. With the development of language
skills, higher order learning becomes possible. The cognitive pathways
then become text, graphics, audio, video, animation, and simulations.
As K Chakrawan writes in his research paper ‘School administrators must be able to perceive their school district as a whole consisting of interlocking parts, which themselves are composed of more interlocking parts’ [K Chakrawan Nakarat, ‘The comparison of the impact of computers in education between Australia and Thailand’, 2002]
The eBay model
Networked learning systems
Molecules of expertise – ‘crème de la crème’ only
The ‘Kinko’ model
eBazaars
About Kinko's,
Inc.
Kinko's is the world's leading provider of visual communications services,
document creation and copying. Its global network of over 1,000 digitally
connected locations offers 24-hour access to technology for color printing,
finishing and presentation services, Internet access, videoconferencing
and Web-based on-demand printing and document management solutions. Named
for the second consecutive year as one of Fortune's 100 best companies
to work for in America, it is a privately held corporation, with more
than 25,000 co-workers, and locations in nine countries. Kinko's is headquartered
in Ventura, CA. For more information, go to www.kinkos.com.
Public and private text chat between all participants
Voice over IP (IP audio)
Application viewing, snapshot and sharing
Testing, with automated grading
Pass floor control and/or multiple cursors
"On the fly" collaborative browsing
Remote control (desktop level)
Capture for reuse
It’s about serving
learners and not about using technology. First of all, designing educational
experiences around technology is a foolish chase. You cannot possibly
keep up with the technology. The paradox of technology enhanced education
is that technology changes very rapidly and human beings change very slowly.
It would seem to make sense for proponents of e-learning to begin with
the students. At least that is a relatively slow moving target. Deployment
of technology then becomes an exercise in applying a rapidly improving
technology to a very consistent set of goals. Although this can be a challenge,
it is a much more doable task. Over the last 15 years, the state of the
art in distance learning has gone from satellite delivery of video, through
interactive compressed video or video conferencing to web based on-line
learning. The Sloan Foundation* did much to popularize the standard model
of on-line learning as Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALN). This model
was further enshrined when the U.S. Department of Education created the
Learning Anytime Anyplace Partnerships program (LAAP) around the Sloan
Model. The anytime-anyplace mantra became accepted dogma in the on-line
world. Proponents of the ALN models often looked down their noses at their
colleagues still operating in the older video based worlds.
Unfortunately the doctrine of the “anytime-anyplace” ALN model
also had it’s own flaws. The “asynchronous” nature of the
model certainly had some advantages of flexibility for the student and
manageability for the institution, but it also has some challenges in
the area of retention and completion. Further, it often enshrined technology
limitations as necessary elements of the new model. Technology did not
easily support audio or video over the network in the early days. Thus
the ALN model envisioned both threaded discussions and live chat. This
was supposed to provide some of the interactivity that is vital to any
effective learning experience. Video and audio were neglected as important
tools. Making a virtue of necessity, we began to see articles talking
about why a model that had students typing at one another was superior
to students talking to one another.
Both experience and research tends to indicate that audio and video interactions
have some advantages over typing interactions. Even more interesting:
audio tends to be more important than video. Audio, video, threaded discussion,
and live chat all have their advantages and disadvantages. Which modalities
to use in a given educational environment should be a pedagogical question
first and a technical question second. Enshrining technical limitations
as pedagogical advantages is not a productive trade.
*http://www.sloan.org/
In the ‘training
jungle, corporate performance is the elephant. Training’s only function
is to hunt the elephant. Focusing solely on employee’s learning needs
does not bag elephants. The ‘e’ in eLearning is not for electronics;
its also for ‘e’lephant.
<Jay Cross, 2002
Jay Cross is founder and CEO of Internet Time Group. He has been passionate about harnessing technology to improve adult learning since the sixties. Fresh out of college, he sold mainframes the size of Chevy Suburbans. Later, he designed the University of Phoenix's first business degree program. He took a training startup to national prominence, capturing 80% market share and training a million professionals to make sound decisions and sell services. He has managed several software startups and is the former president of MegaMedia WorldWide. A self-described "Web fanatic," he has been marrying training to the net since 1996.
Jay founded Internet Time Group in early 1998 to help organizations learn. His five-year scenario plan, the Internet Time Machine, presented at TechLearn 98, was one of the earliest descriptions of eLearning. He delivered the inaugural keynote on web marketing to the first meeting of the Online Banking Association. He has spoken at eLearning Forum, Training, Online Educa, Image World, Instructional Systems Association, Training Directors Forum, Online Learning, ASTD, and many other conferences. He is the author of numerous articles and white papers on eLearning and business effectivness. He is co-founder and fellow of the Meta-Learning Lab.
Jay advised CBT Systems during its transition to SmartForce, the eLearning Company, writing newsletters, presentations, and white papers. He helped Cisco e-Learning Partners plan, implement, and market their initial web-based certification programs. He designed the e-commerce website that took ClickAction from bricks to clicks. He co-authored (with Wayne Hodgins) the vision paper that kicked off the ASTD/National Governors Association Committee on Technology and Adult Learning. He contributed a chapter to the recent book Implementing E-Learning Solutions. He assisted Institute for the Future in building scenarios for global corporate learning circa 2008. His articles have appeared in LINEZine, Learning Circuits, Training and Development, Technology for Learning, and American Banker.
Internet Time Group provides hands-on advice on implementing eLearning, developing information architecture, advising management, and accelerating sales. Internet Time Group coaches corporate executives on getting the most from their investments in eLearning and collaboration.
From eLearning to effective eLearning:
Beyond providing a
publishing and distribution environment
Integral course components
Knowledgeable developers
Instructors familiar with instructional design principles
Take advantage of networked computers
Collaborative learning and knowledge building
Instructors and students are supported with pedagogical and technical
assistance
Student can interact with peers, instructors, experts and rich online
resources [see next slide – libraries]
Since the first implementations
of eLearning, defined broadly as learning using networked computers, we
have learned a great deal about the approaches that are most effective.
Effective eLearning goes beyond providing a publishing and distribution
environment to the offering of online learning activities as integral
course components. Knowledgeable developers and instructors familiar with
instructional design principles for online learning take advantage of
the power of networked computers to engage students by providing them
with opportunities to interact with peers, instructors, experts, and rich
online resources.
Collaborative learning and knowledge building approaches are used and,
throughout the learning experience, the instructor and students are supported
with pedagogical and technical assistance.
A classic study at Standard found that Hewlett Packard engineers
who watched videotaped lectures followed by informal discussion performed
better than Stanford engineering students who attended the same lectures
on campus. Instead of an on-campus lecturer pouring content into students'
heads, the HP engineers were challenged to construct their own interpretation
of the subject matter.
But, How Do We Know if
Any Learning Experience is Effective? The question of effectiveness
has plagued the learning community for decades, if not centuries. Just
what is an effective learning experience?
How do we determine what is a result of an essential learning skill as
opposed to the contribution of the learning experience?
Feuerstein (1980) asserts that a highly stimulating learning experience
is not sufficient to guarantee that the person actually learns from it.
Particular learning skills are also required (Howe, 1987): utilizing information
in memory, remembering the past and imagining the future, understanding
and looking for relationships between perceived objects, organizing and
seeing patterns, regularities and other relationships.
Hence, a person with very high learning skills might "learn"
more readily than one without, even if the experience is highly ineffective.
“Silent”
Generation (born 1930-1945)
Born with the military technologies that were to lead to analog, digital
and virtual technologies
“Baby-Boom” Generation (born 1945-1960)
Born with the analog and astronautic technologies
Generation “X” (born 1960-1975)
Born among analog technologies (telephone, TV), witnessed and participated
in the development of digital technologies
Generation “Y” (born 1975-1990)
Born with the first generation of digital technologies, witnessed and
participated in the development of networked technologies
… and soon, Generation “e” (born 1990-2005)
Born in the midst of new technologies
Of course, while it is correct to define "us" as economic entities, we also have to look at the individual humans that make these economic entities. This is especially important when talking about Human Resources management of organizations of more than one person. Indeed, there was a time when employees were referred to as "workforce", that is a group of undifferentiated people whose status as individuals was at best ignored. Minority groups got progressive recognition over the last 100 years and granted specific rights (women, handicapped, expatriates...) but overall, the management of an organization would pretty much consider that all of its employees had similar goals in life and motivations to work. And maybe they had, even though a "workforce" often spanned over as much as four generations of employees. But the term "generation gap", often lightly used in families when they have problems with their teenage members, is now acquiring its full meaning in the corporate environment. The acceleration of change in the 20th Century and particularly with the start of the Cybernetic Revolution has already had a dramatic impact on Humans. From one generation to the next, people have a different perception of the world and their place within it. They think differently, their reference values and role models are different. This means that they don't work the same way, and neither do they work for the same reasons. It is very important that these differences be identified, analyzed and taken into consideration in any management process and decision.
Instructors' personality, adaptability, and training combine to help determine which particular faculty members are best suited to online instruction
People born among analog technologies (telephone, TV). Witnessed and participated in development of digital technologies.
Grew up in recession times, inherited debt and aging population problems
Characterized by individualism,
resourcefulness, cynicism, …
Generation X (born
1960-1975)
A category of people who wanted to “hop off the merry-go-round of
status, money, and social climbing that so often frames modern existence”.
Such people are described as “underemployed, overeducated, intensely
private and unpredictable”.
People born among analog technologies (telephone, TV). Witnessed and participated
in development of digital technologies.
Although it is the "Silent" (1930-1945) and "Baby-Boom"
(1945-1960) generations who invented the technologies that enabled the
Cybernetic Revolution, it is difficult to include them in the "Cybernetic
Revolution generations". Indeed, it is as if they had unleashed a
monster that they fear is uncontrollable, and they often have the greatest
difficulties to enjoy the effects of their creation. The first transition
generation is therefore the famous "Gen X". It is famous
especially among HR Managers, because it is the first generation of employees
that started to really question authority. "Xers" appear
unmanageable because the traditional carrots and sticks do not work with
these "hard-heads", whose personal goals and professional
aspirations are so different from their elders'. While teenagers, Xers
witnessed the emergence of the digital technologies that demonstrated
the uselessness of most of what they were learning at school, as well
as the irrelevance of their elders' advice and guidance. They started
to collect with relish the famous "last words" or blunders
such as the quote from IBM founder Thomas Watson predicting that there
was a market for about five computers in the world. At this early stage
of the digital technologies, new solutions were sprouting and dying so
fast that no reference seemed reliable. Hence the X-ers' tendency to do
everything their own way, and take nothing at face value. X-ers constitute
today the core of the so-called "workforce". They still
often have difficulties with elder management, but they begin to have
power enough to change rules and policies towards their own beliefs and
values. In doing so, they need to be careful, because the new generations
are as different from them as they were from Silent and Baby Boom generations.
Characterized by individualism, resourcefulness, cynicism, selfishness,
result-orientation, taste for experimentation, tendency to question authority,
relatively high education, deep-seated economic insecurity, lack of social
trust and confidence in government, weak allegiance to country and political
parties, tendency to marry and have children late. “Go-getters
who are just doing it… but their way” (Time Magazine)
Would you rather learn in your own speed, at what ever time and for how long as you wish. Would you like to interact with the world and actively participate at your own education. Would you be ready to ‘find’ your own way through the education system and even perhaps get lost from time to time. Would you prefer to research and filter information for yourself and decided yourself which one is relevant and which one less. Would you be ready to ‘see’ the teacher more as a guide or quiz master than the all-dominating and all-knowing authority who takes over for you. Would you be ready to take responsibility for your own success within your very own education.
Would you like to becocme a virtual student and have a virtual ‘pint’ [beer], easy, just visit http://www.drinktalking.com/student_union_bars
The Perils of the
Virtual Student in Cyberspace by Julie Hook
Until last year, when I thought of "distance education"
I thought of a child in an Outback homestead
Seeking Quality Online - The Perils of the Virtual Student
listening as his "School of the Air" teacher spoke to
him from thousands of miles away through the crackling noise of the radio.
That educational model kept a lot of Outback Australian children with
their families, rather than having to be sent to boarding school "in
the city" in the 1950s and 1960s.
Now that I have joined the desperate band of professionals who want to
upgrade their qualifications because of organisational downsizing, rightsizing,
or sheer institutional ‘bloodymindedness’, distance education
looks quite different. Distance education via the Internet means that
universities are no longer limited by state or national boundaries. Through
the magic of the Internet, there is a completely new forum for teaching
and learning. All students, regardless of their distance from the university
can now, like the Outback children in mid-century, undertake their studies
without leaving home. Only in the digital age the computer replaces the
radio.
To get more on this: http://www.press.umich.edu/jep/05-01/hooke.html
People born among first generation of digital technologies. Witnessed and participated in development of networked technologies
Successors of Generation X, children of Baby-Boomers. Grew up in economic expansion, end of cold war, blooming freedoms
Characterized by high
self-esteem and confidence, multi-tasking ability, …
Generation Y
(born 1975-1990)
People born among first generation of digital technologies. Witnessed
and participated in development of networked technologies
Successors of Generation X, children of Baby-Boomers. Grew up in economic
expansion, end of cold war, blooming freedoms
Characterized by high self-esteem and confidence, multi-tasking ability,
capacity to process information very fast, urge to develop a career fast,
tendency to expect to be given high responsibilities immediately, arrogance,
upbeat character, individualism, impatience, boldness, tendency to overestimate
themselves, tendency to expect employer to adapt to them, optimism
The Generation Y constitutes today the junior part of the workforce, which
it has been entering for about five years. In fact, it might have started
to impact the corporate world much earlier, whether it was invited to
do so, or not! Y-ers are the first people in History that have spent all
their lives among digital technologies. They take them for granted and
show an uncanny ability to use them in ways and in a scope never imagined
by their elders. And they are much less patient than the X-ers. Because
the Gen X grew up in an environment where processes were first manual,
then became digital but with severe limitations in memory and reliability,
X-ers developed a careful process-based analytical approach to issues.
For them, things need to be conceptualized first, then implemented, then
tested. Y-ers have no taste or time for this. In the view of Gen Y, digital
technologies are reliable and conduct most of the analytical process -
Humans don't test them,