Transcript Innovation in e-learning technology

What’s Next?
Innovation in e-learning technology
James Dalziel
Professor of Learning Technology &
Director, Macquarie E-Learning Centre Of Excellence (MELCOE)
Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
[email protected]
www.melcoe.mq.edu.au
Keynote Presentation for LEARNX Conference, Sydney, July 27th, 2007
Overview
• Innovation in e-learning technology
• Emerging technologies
– Web 2.0
– Blogs and Wikis
– Podcasting
– Open Source
– Learning Design
• Case Study: Learning Design using LAMS
• Incremental vs Disruptive Innovation
Innovation and implementation
• E-learning has been around awhile now….
– So what matters more today – new approaches or getting the
basics right? Innovation or implementation?
• Innovation/implementation in:
– Technology
– Strategy
– Content
Innovation in e-learning technology
• No longer just the Learning Management System (LMS)
– Significant innovation outside the LMS in recent years
• While the latest technologies are often exciting, the key
in a business context is identifying where they add
value, and aligning with strategy
• Be aware of risks, eg:
– Blogs that are available outside the company
– Open source which is not approved by the IT department
Innovation in e-learning technology
• To understand many recent innovations, it is
important to consider them in relation to
formal vs informal learning contexts
• Some innovations work best for informal learning
– Eg, Blogs, Wikis
• Some innovations work best for formal learning
– Eg, Learning Design
• Some can be useful in both contexts
– Eg, Podcasts
Web 2.0
• Large, amorphous field covering new approaches to the
web – includes “user generated” content, linking
systems (“mashups”), greater flexibility, etc
• Often good for informal learning/knowledge
management
• Web 2.0 for e-learning can include:
– Selecting external RSS feeds for internal news
– Supporting group tagging of strategy and ideas
– Internal blogs for discussing strategy, ideas, innovation
– Wikis for team-based content development
Web 2.0 Mashup: Google Maps, Wikipedia and Photos
Blogs and Wikis
• Blogs (web log or web diary) and Wikis (easily edited
web pages) are two of the most common Web 2.0 tools
• For corporate training and communication, Blogs have
become popular as a way of recording personal
thoughts and informal reflections
– Often publically on the web, but sometimes internal only
– Great method of communication for new/evolving areas
• Wikis provide an easy method for group collaboration
on content – easy editing and development of ideas
– Excellent as an evolving knowledgebase for distributed teams
Sun CEO (Jonathan Schwartz) Public Blog
Software Development Wiki (Knowledgebase) for LAMS/RAMS
Podcasts
• Podcasts provide digital audio recordings of lectures
– “Vodcasts” provide video and audio
• Provides a record for those who miss a session, or an
alternative way of providing a lecture for a group that
can never get together
• Can be played when the learner wishes, stopped and
re-started later, and replayed to go over difficult ideas
• Podcasting can be part of an intentional strategy to
automatically record all lectures
– Eg, Macquarie University now podcasts all lectures
Macquarie University Course: iLecture links to all lectures as podcasts
DIY podcast creation with iPod and Microphone
Open Source Software
• Open source software allows you to view, use, modify
and redistribute the “source code” of a system
– Usually no license fee
• Great for testing new types of software quickly and
easily (doesn’t require major procurement exercise)
• Ability to see and modify code allows for adaptation to
specific business needs
• Many great open source systems for e-learning, such
as the Moodle for LMS, and LAMS for Learning Design
Learning Design
• A new field based on designing sequences of
collaborative activities and content
– “Workflow” applied to educational activities
• Sequences can be captured, and hence stored, shared,
modified and re-used
• Goes beyond “single learner” courseware – ideal for
e-learning that benefits from group interaction
• Great for online collaborative activities prior to, and
after, face to face training sessions (“blended learning”)
Case Study: LAMS
• LAMS is an open source Learning Design system
– Freely available from www.lamsfoundation.org
• A trainer designs a set of activities in the visual
authoring environment, then runs them with a group,
and can monitor progress
• LAMS can be used synchronously in a computer lab, or
asynchronously for distributed group learning
• Potential to share designs for re-use and adaptation
– Over 190 available at www.lamscommunity.org
• LAMS V2 demonstration accounts available at
http://demo.lamscommunity.org/
LAMS V2 Authoring – including “offline” activity (Forum)
Incremental vs Disruptive Innovation
• Before introducing new technologies (or encouraging
further use!), it is worth considering how the innovation
will affect your organisation and its culture
• Will it represent an incremental change?
• Will it represent a disruptive change?
– How will you manage the disruption?
• Importantly, many innovations can be either
incremental or disruptive depending on their use
Incremental vs Disruptive Innovation
• Blogs
– Incremental: Internal communication about evolving ideas
– Disruptive: Public comments which criticise the organisation or
reveal internal information
• Podcasts
– Incremental: Provide flexibility to learners in time, place, pace
– Disruptive: Learners stop coming to lectures due to podcasts
• Learning Design
– Incremental: More structured process for group learning
– Disruptive: Visualisation leads trainers to reconsider pedagogy
Conclusion
• Many great innovations to consider
– Usually, you’ll find some are already in use anyway….
• Reflect on their value for formal vs informal learning
• Consider their potential for incremental vs disruptive
innovation within your organisation
(and there are more innovations out there, consider
reading the “Emerging” reports by our next speaker)