Week 11 Blog Summary: eLearning
By: Theresa Conklin

1. Based on the articles you read, what is your definition of eLearning? Have you seen
eLearning used in the educational setting and if so how?
After reading many definitions of eLearning there seemed to be a consensus that there is no SINGLE definition of eLearning. It means different things to different people. However, for the most part we agreed that eLearning involves learning through the computer and for the most part via the internet in many cases. Amy pointed out that she had not really seen eLearning in the classroom because many school districts are not able to afford eLearning programs and also that there is a lack of training available for teachers. However, eLearning programs are becoming increasingly more popular and available for free on the internet, which is HUGE for schools that would otherwise not be able to afford to purchase them!Many other people said that they had seen eLearning used in the classroom and had in fact had experience using it themselves. Amy also mentioned that she would love to see free online workshops to instruct teachers on how to use eLearning in the classroom. If it is not already available on line, I am sure it will be something to come in the future because it is becoming increasingly important for teachers to be able to engage with technology in the 21st century!

2. What are some benefits of eLearning? What are some disadvantages of eLearning?
It became clear from our class blog that there are obvious advantages and disadvantages of eLearning in the classroom and that teachers need to weigh these before integrating eLearning into the classroom. Some of the advantages mentioned are: flexibility, convenience and ability to work at any location where there is an internet connection and at one's own pace. eLearning allows the learner to control what, how, and how fast they learn about a topic. Many focused on the advantages and disadvantages of online courses, with the advantages being the ability to work at one's own pace and at a time when your schedule allows instead of having to attend class at a certain time and place. Also, Gretchen pointed out that eLearning allows you to communicate and collaborate online with your classmates and/or teachers from different locations and with the advent of the wiki and specifically web 2.0 actually be working simultaneously on a project when you are actually very far from each other! One disadvantage that was sited by Lauren and many others was the lack of interaction and the feeling of isolation that can result from online courses. Also, another disadvantage that Heather pointed out was the possiblilties of mis communication that can happen because you are not talking in person or when technology does not work as it should and you miss an email or recieve the wrong info.

3. what are some examples of eLearning and would you use eLearning in your classroom?
After reading the eLearning articles and exploring some show cases it became clear that most of us will be considering how to use eLearning in our classrooms to engage our students. However, many often expressed the very important fact that we as teachers need to carefully review the eLearning tools that we decide to use in our classrooms to make sure they are age appropriate and that they serve an educational purpose of either introducing a topic in an engaging way, scaffolding student learning, or reviewing concepts already taught! eLearning could best be used to either scaffold learning of a certain topic so that students could work at their own pace or to support classroom lessons that a teacher had taught as a way of reviewing and reinforcing concepts.

4. After exploring the eLearning for kids website under tidbits on our schedule do you think this
is a useful tool to use in the classroom? If so how would you use it and are they any specific
courses you viewed that you thought you might consider using?
This site would be useful to teachers as long as they reviewed the eLearning videos and/or activities well before they used them. After reviewing them it was obvious that some were poorly made and had little or no educational value. However there were many others that would be very useful in the classroom. Heather found a course involving calculating with fractions that she is considering useing... http://www.e-learningforkids.org/courses.html#math I too would consider using the eLearning in my classroom and actually I have had experience with an online program called Brain Pop http://www.brainpop.com/ which covers a wide range of topics by way of engaging video clips that kids love!

5. What do you think of the free education that is portrayed in the article "Get an MIT or Yail
Education Free" from under tidbits? Are there any benefits of this for professors and/or
students?
Lauren pointed out that one big advantage of lectures being available online is the flexibility that it offers students. For example, students can choose to review a lecture in a way that best suits their learning style. Meaning auditory learners could choose to listen to it and visual learners could choose to read it. However, it was also pointed out that eLearning might be a huge disadvantage for textile learners who learn best through hands on activities. I would like to point out that eLearning should NEVER replace actual hands on and interactive learning. It should be used to scaffold, support and review hands on learning! Neal pointed out that free online courses offer a huge advantage to high school students. They allow high school students to go online and get a glimpse of what a college course looks and feels like. They also offer the opportunity for students to get an idea of the kinds of topics that they will learn about in their college courses and how they will be presented. One final advantage is that free online courses could be used by high school teachers to encourage their advanced students to further their learning while they are still in high school either just for their own knowledge or to prepare them for up coming college!

6. After exploring the Adobe eLearning site with its tools and related video what do you think
the implications of eLearning are for higher education?
The Adobe eLearning site and related video showed just how flexible learning via the internet truly is. If you have a question with just a click of the mouse you can get an answer. This technology is a great asset in helping students and teachers collaborate and share information. It also showed how engaging and close to real life different kinds of eLearning can be, especially for the medical field. The medical field is evolving every second and eLearning is almost invaluable tool to help teachers, students and doctors cope with the quickly changing realm of medical knowledge. Medical eLearning programs even allow med students to simulate real operations online to master them before applying them in a real life setting!

7. After exploring the eLearning showcase under tidbits and looking at some examples of
eLearning do you think that these could be useful tools for higher education? Pick one and
explain how it could be used.
Heather pointed out that eLearning online lectures, such as the ones from Gresham College would be useful tools for higher education students who either missed class or who just wanted more detailed notes. She also pointed out that many lectures are now being put out in podcast form such as iTunes University so that students can listen to them on their ipods, which we all know is basically embedded in the ear of most college students! It was also pointed out that eLearning online lectures can be a great tool for professors because if they are teaching a topic to their students and their students just are not getting it, they might be able to find a lecture online that presents the topic in a different way which might be better tailored to their students learning styles. With eLearning the possibilities in the field of education are becoming increasingly endless! I believe that eLearning is going to play a big role in getting the students of the 21st century and beyond engaged in their own learning!