Today's world is far different than the one our parents and grandparents grew up and lived in. The age of "standardization" and "One-size-fits-all" no longer applies. Today, especially where technology is so ubiquitous in every aspect of our lives, "personalization" has become very important - be it in manufacturing, services or retail business. Personalization is needed to make a product or service more endearing to the target audience, and this is especially true for eLearning. As a result, the concept of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) is becoming more relevant in today's academic world. What is Personalized ELearning? The concept of "Personalization" can easily be understood from taking a closer look at some of the existing digital technologies that all of us use. For instance, from the browser that you use to roam the Internet, to the email and messaging systems that you use to stay connected with friends and family, to the digital boxes you use to watch TV shows and movies … [Read more...] about Personalized eLearning: A Customized Approach To Accelerated eLearning
The ELearning Course Designer’s Blog
Can Experiential Learning Be Applied To eLearning?
Experiential learning is a process that allows learners to develop knowledge and skills from their own experience rather than from formal training courses. Experiential learning encompasses a variety of interactive and participative hands-on activities and is much more effective than traditional learning approaches. This article is the first in a series about Experiential Learning. Check it out and learn some of the critical elements of Experiential Learning and the reasons why Experiential Learning is important. What Is Experiential Learning? Way back in 350 BCE, a Greek philosopher, thinker, mathematician, astrologer, historian and analyst, wrote: "...for the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them." Even prior to that, the Chinese philosopher, Confucius, wrote: I hear and I forget I see and I remember I do, and I understand! Based on that, one might say that Confucius and Aristotle actually planted the seeds of Experiential … [Read more...] about Can Experiential Learning Be Applied To eLearning?
Social Media Tools – Taking Informal Learning To New Heights
In today's Internet-driven world, more and more knowledge workers prefer to have a say in how the company facilitates their learning. With so much of the world's workforce connected to Social Media, that's where most workers are turning to informally seek their knowledge. In this article, I will cover informal learning and how Social Media tools can be used in learning. I will also cover the points that need to be considered to ensure effective learning through Social Media tools. This is the age of the "knowledge worker" - there's no question about it! Companies, both big and small, invest vastly in delivering workers the knowledge they require to do their jobs successfully. The more knowledge a worker assimilates, and the quicker he/she absorbs it, the more competitive and profitable will he/she become for the company. Informal Learning - Not a New Concept While companies spend a huge part of their personnel development budget on "formal" learning, such as training … [Read more...] about Social Media Tools – Taking Informal Learning To New Heights
ELearning Development- The Agile Way!
Since the word "eLearning" was first used at a Computer Based Training (CBT) systems seminar back in 1999, a number of structured design methodologies (ADDIE, SAM) have been used to develop eLearning content. As far as methodologies go, you will be hard-pressed to find two eLearning project managers (PMs) who agree upon which methodology is "right" and which is "wrong". The fact is that many of those "iterative" models, where content is developed using a cycle of repeated processes, have proved immensely resilient over the years in projects that produced high-quality content. However, now, there is a new kid in town. "Agile" (has been around for several years!), and eLearning sponsors and PM's are taking notice of it! What Is Agile eLearning development? To really understand what Agile eLearning development is all about, let's have a brief primer of what an existing iterative model - ADDIE - does. Developed in 1975, at the Florida State University primarily for IT project … [Read more...] about ELearning Development- The Agile Way!
How to Design Effective Training Courses Through Facebook Live: Challenges, benefits and opportunities
Everyone knows that eLearning is very popular today – mainly because it enables learners to access training content when and where they want it. However, live-streaming training events are becoming increasingly popular, and Facebook Live is one of the most ubiquitous platforms for live training delivery available today. In this article, I’ll show you how you can get started with live-streaming. Why use Facebook Live? If you’ve ever hosted a meeting using conferencing tools, like Skype, you’ll know how things can quickly get out of hand once you exceed 15 to 20 participants. And if you exceed 25 participants, Skype is no longer a FREE option! Even if you had under 25 participants registered for your training/meeting, you’d have to send out Skype log-in credentials for them to join in- but what if you didn’t know who will come? Other video conferencing platforms, such as Adobe Connect, will charge you based on the number of participants. As a small organization, that could put … [Read more...] about How to Design Effective Training Courses Through Facebook Live: Challenges, benefits and opportunities
Mobile Learning: Is it More Than Just eLearning on The Phone?
People may have different perceptions on what mobile learning really is, and that will certainly vary based on the purposes you use mLearning for. Generally, some may think that mobile learning is just one of the ways eLearning is narrowed down. Nothing more than that. In the back of their head, the only difference will be a smaller screen compared to a wider screen. Frankly though, what do we first think when referring to eLearning? Turns out we think of any form of learning that we receive or deliver, using electronic devices such as computers and laptops via internet or intranet/extranet networks. That is at least the definition we get from the masses. However, when we refer to mLearning, we think of types of learning we receive or deliver using hand-held and portable devices. The "e" in eLearning is broad and stands for all electronics. Whereas them in mLearning stands for mobiles. That, of course, is a no brainer, you may think. And you will be right. Because digging deeper … [Read more...] about Mobile Learning: Is it More Than Just eLearning on The Phone?
