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eLearning
There are many definitions of eLearning
from using a CD to find information you need immediately to
joining online classes where you work in collaboration with
others. Learn Net favours collaborative eLearning
(although not exclusively) where much can be gained from
sharing experiences, perceptions, skills and knowledge
and applying this to a new topic of learning.
But - not everyone is suited to this form
of learning so before you embark on a collaborative eLearning
experience look at the guide below. |
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Ask yourself these
questions. |
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1: Can you access a computer at
regular intervals during the week? |
| There is no point
in joining a Collaborative eLearning programme with a group of
like-minded people unless you have sufficient time to
regularly log on and contribute to the activities. It is
possible to join in from your place of work, but is there
always a computer free when you are and are the pressures of
work such that you have time to devote to personal
development? If the answer to both those questions is no then
you need to identify if you have suitable equipment at home
and if there are opportunities for you to study in the evening
at weekends.
The Virtual College is accessible over a 24-hour period,
7-days per week, so should accommodate a wide variety of
lifestyles. You just need to identify how it can fit in with
yours. |
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2: Do you have the time to
log-on on a regular basis? |
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In Collaborative eLearning
programmes you need to make regular
entries in order for the facilitator and other group members
to know that you are ‘there’ and following the discussion.
There is nothing worse than leaving a message and no one
responding to it (it’s like talking into a vacuum) and so it
is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that comments of the
other members of the group are acknowledged. |
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3: Did you know
that the biggest resource used in Collaborative eLearning
programmes is the learner? |
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Central to Collaborative eLearning
is computer conferencing, which
means that you work with a group of other people,
collaborating on a shared goal. Thus learners talk to each
other and build threads of discussion by asking questions,
adding personal experiences and developing sound arguments.
Because many Collaborative
eLearning programmes are not
dependent on learners being in the same place at the same time
you don't have to respond quickly to activities and comments.
You can take your time to reflect on what someone has said
and, therefore, you can give a much more considered response.
In addition, because of your personal and unique life
experiences you are able to add different dimensions and
knowledge to any discussion, and so can other learners, and
this adds value to the learning process. Knowledge is
constructed on the experiences of the whole group. |
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4: Do I have to be able to
write well? |
| Collaborative
eLearning programmes are text based
and so you have to be comfortable writing things down. You only
need to have the basic level of skills because it is the
content that is important and not the way it is written.
'Little and often' is what is required and it doesn't matter
how long it takes you to make an entry - so you can use others
to check something you are not sure about, use the spell
checker or play around with an entry until you are happy with
it. |
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5: Once
you have said something it is gone - but is this the case in a
collaborative eLearning programme? |
| Well no it isn't.
Although you are building up discussion threads in
Collaborative eLearning, much the same as you do when
talking in a group, you are actually writing
your comments in Collaborative eLearning programmes.
This can be a little anxiety provoking to begin with, but you
soon get used to it.
Generally nothing in a Collaborative eLearning
programmes is deleted and so your entries are stored in the
database until the end of the programme. This has the
advantage of letting you look back at previous entries, lets
you see the 'movement of thought', enables you to self-assess,
and provides evidence for the moderator if the programme is
accredited.
The downside is that if you put an entry in
that you later regret you have to live with it for a very long
time! |
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6: What happens if I need a
quiet word with my tutor? |
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In some programmes there are facilities
to speak to the tutor in a private database or hidden forms,
or email maybe available. You need to check this before you
start the programme. You always have to remember where you are
in the programme (public or private areas) and make sure that
you are not saying anything in the group area that you don't
want everyone to read.
You must remember that it is easy to
say more than you would in a face-to-face situation because
you typing into a blank screen - so be cautious! |
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