Posted 10:03 AM by George Siemens
Being on vacation (and having no life), I've had the opportunity to dig through elearning files and folders. Reviewing months worth of links and articles in several days affords a more "global" view of elearning trends versus reading the articles on a daily basis. So, here is a list of some of the emerging/expanding "big trends" (as measured by amount of articles on each subject over the last several months)"

• Knowledge management
  
• Community
  
• Learning objects
  
• Web services (XML, SOAP, UDDI, .NET)
  
• Wireless (WAN, PDA's)
  
• Standards
  
• Instructional design
  
• Integrating technology and education
  
• Copyright/ethics/plagiarism
  
• Return on investment (ROI)
  

Reflecting on the list, I see two main issues:

1. Connectivity and capacity to share information/knowledge (wireless, web services, learning objects, knowledge management, community)
   
2. Issues surround the creation, structure, and nature of the information to be shared (instructional design, integrating technology, copyright, ROI)
   

Links and information on each of these areas is/will be available at www.elearnspace.org

Shyness and the Internet
Quote: "Perhaps you feel awkward when someone asks you a personal question. Or, like a growing number of Americans, you spend too much time analyzing your social performance after you come home from a party.
The condition is known as plain old shyness, but its incidence is on the rise -- setting off a debate over whether technology is contributing to the problem, or offering a potential cure."

Comment: Introduces a new term ("electronic extroversion") to describe the dichotomy of many student's face-to-face confidence versus their more bold online presence. Many educators have noted that it is easier to draw students into dialogue online than in a classroom. According to this article, this is a problem. Students are beginning to use the Internet to escape the need to resolve their shyness in physical environments.

Moodle
Quote: "Moodle is a software package for producing internet-based courses and web sites (including this one)."

Comment: Moodle is receiving quite a bit of attention on various elearning websites, though it has been around for a while. Looks neat (and it's free). One blogger referred to it as an LCMS...at first glance, it seems to be more of an LMS.

A few older articles...
Social Network Analysis
Quote: "How do knowledge workers learn? How do they decide what to learn next? What motivates them to share?
These questions are central to the challenges of knowledge management, and yet most corporate portals and online communities are designed in ignorance of their answers.
The truth lies within the social fabric that connects people to people and people to content. Relationships, trust and serendipity play key roles."

Comment: I'm currently reading Malcom Gladwell's book "The Tipping Point" (excellent, I highly recommend it). This article builds on much of what Gladwell details. Fascinating reading.

Wireless - 802.11a or 802.11b
Comment: Good overview of differences in wireless standards 802.11 a and b (doesn't mention 802.11g). Fairly simple read...good selection criteria listed as well.