Source: eLearning Infographics
Archives For mLearning
Elliott Masie’s Learning TRENDS – Learning TRENDS – 785 – Goodbye eLearning? Jane Pauley on Boomers; Wearable Performance Support via kwout
Elliot Masie the prolific author on learning and technology; the head of the MASIE Center, a Saratoga Springs, NY think tank focused on how organizations can support learning and knowledge within the workforce; and the leader of the Learning CONSORTIUM, a coalition of 230 global organizations cooperating on the evolution of learning strategies has noticed that:
two phrases that are decreasing in presence:
“e-Learning”
“Instructional Designer”
Masie is not surprised by the shift away from “e-Learning” to the all encompassing term “learning” or to greater level of specificity offered by terms like: Virtual Classrooms, Webinars, eBooks, MOOCs or Online Courses. Despite being credited with introducing the term “e-learning” in the mid 90’s Masie too has moved to using the term “learning” for all his programs.
Having spent the past 18 years working on the cutting edge of e-learning/online learning/web-based instruction or whatever we are calling it today I agree with Masie that the general term “learning” is much more appropriate. Most recently I have been adding the prefix “digitally enhanced” to the term “learning” differentiate it from its more traditional meaning. Perhaps this move back to the use of learning to refer to what we do all the time and everywhere is most appropriate considering that we have really only limited learning to the classroom for the past 100-150 years.
I am also glad to see that terms like e-learning are going out of vogue and am now waiting in anticipation for the term “mobile-learning” or “mlearning” to fade away as well. It is unfortunate that our society tends to limit or constrain so many things through naming conventions and/or definitions. Learning is the making of meaningful connections and it happens all the time and everywhere with or without technology.
M-Learning, MLearning, or mlearning: 3 Ways to Style it & One Concept that’s Here to Stay | Edudemic via kwout
To those who have been working to promote mobile learning the claim that mlearning is here to stay is no surprise. The fact that we use many different names to describe the use of technology to enhance the learning environment, which exists all the time everywhere, is also no surprise because the pendulum swings in education result in many old ideas becoming new again. This blog post and the hundreds more like it are part of the assurance that we have reach a tipping point with mobile learning. Perhaps the key to why mobile learning is here to stay is that it is a very empowering ideal that places the control of learning back with the individual–where is always should have been.
Another wonderful take away from the post is the citing of the EDUCAUSE definition for mobile learning:
Using portable computing devices (such as laptops, tablet PCs, PDAs, and smart phones) with wireless networks enables mobility and mobile learning, allowing teaching and learning to extend to spaces beyond the traditional classroom. Within the classroom, mobile learning gives instructors and learners increased flexibility and new opportunities for interaction. Mobile technologies support learning experiences that are collaborative, accessible, and integrated with the world beyond the classroom (EDUCAUSE Editors, 2012).
The key in this definition is that the learner is once again in control and people outside of the learning theory community are finally recognizing and accepting that learning happens in the world OUTSIDE of the classroom.
EDUCAUSE Editors. (2012). M-Learning and Mobility. EDUCAUSE. Retrieved February 21, 2012, from http://www.educause.edu/ELI/LearningTechnologies/MLearningandMobility/12397
The ACU Connected Summit kicks off today and for those involved in organizing the event this will be the culmination of many months of work. The conference headline “Turning the Page: The Next Chapter for Education” suggests that we will be exploring the future of Education and the line up of sessions, keynotes, panels confirm this focus–we really will be looking into the the future has in store for education. This will be a wonderful event that will bring together Educational thought leaders from throughout the world willing to explore the impact mobility is having on learning. The twitter feeds, ACU Connected Facebook page and blog sites are starting to confirm that many folks in addition to everyone at ACU is getting excited about the start of the conference.
So how does the title of this post “preaching to the choir” fit into this context. Let me explain… As part of the Teaching and Learning track at the conference we have scheduled a faculty panel titled “Mobile Learning: The Teacher’s Perspective” in which we plan to have faculty from several institutions involved in mobile learning participate and share their experiences. As I have been pouring over the conference registration looking for faculty to participate in this Faculty panel I have noticed that other than ACU faculty there are fewer faculty attending than one might expect. Most people attending are in some form of institutional leadership or administration and many have an Educational Technology or IT focus. There is nothing wrong with this–we need strong leadership and vision at our institutions if we want to fully realize the potential of mobility. But we also need to have as many faculty as possible involved if we want to have the most significant impact on our learners.
ACU must be commended for opening the conference to all its faculty and if you look at many of the conference tracks you will see dozens of ACU faculty involved in the sessions. Obviously, ACU can do this because the conference is happening on the ACU campus. Institutions like California University of Pennsylvania must also be commended for sending a contingent of 20 participants, several who are faculty so there are others who recognize that folks on the front lines of implementing mobility are the faculty. There are several other institutions who have 3-5 attendees that have representation from Administration, IT and the Faculty so it is obvious that in times of economic constraint hard decisions of who can attend conference must be made.
It is also a well know fact that most people attend conferences in which they have a specific interest, so there is always some aspect of “preaching to the choir” at all conferences. But this is where the impact of mobility is different. Everyone is impacted by mobility in some way and we need to recognize that mobility is a catalyst for change that transcends academic disciplines and institutions. Mobility has broadly impacted society in a way and at a speed we have not see before, so I encourage everyone at the ACU connected conference to remember to pick up a tune or two that can be easily passed onto the choir members back home who were not able to make the trip. Fortunately through social media like Twitter, Facebook and Youtube the faculty who haven’t been able to make the trip and be part of the chorus at ACU will be singing along virtually back home.
