Posted 3:08 PM by George Siemens
Conditions for Classroom Technology Innovations
Quote: "The primary purpose of the study was to address “why don’t teachers innovate when they are given computers?” and “why don’t teachers integrate computers in their teaching in more meaningful ways?”"

Comment: Excellent questions. Significant (successful) change is rarely mandated - it is fostered. Currently, technology and teaching are still in early stages of courtship. I think administrators should focus on making resources available to those instructors who are interested, and initiate a soft "change management" campaign to promote the uses and values of technology...and stop expecting teachers to become IT staff. Let teachers be teachers - and give them access to resource people to help them integrate technology.

Most instructors who are resistant to technology don't fully understand what a quality online course looks like. Common conversation: A: "This can't be taught online."...B: "Have you taken an online course?"...A:"Ah...no." First instructors need to be introduced to what technology and teaching really is all about. Let them see a course...let them watch students interacting digitally...let them observe a facilitator interacting with students. For many, online learning is still fuzzy. The view needs to be focused.

Posted 6:46 AM by George Siemens
SCORM: Clarity or Calamity?
Quote: "The SCORM spec is going to be successful almost by default, but unless all e-learning specifications turn the focus from infrastructure to pedagogical soundness, they are in danger of becoming instructionally irrelevant."

Comment: The real value of SCORM will be dictated by how it is adopted at a user level (some good quote from Stephen Lahanas at the end of the article). If instructors and course designers have to become IT professionals to use SCORM, it will fail...miserably.

Good article on the various roles in elearning development: How to Manage the E-Learning Development Team...this model may be very effective in developing larger corporate/academic elearning projects. It isn't practical for all elearning or for all organizations. Think colleges - hundreds of programs, thousands of courses. Financially impossible to move all courses online (not all will be suited for online...but many will be). A rapid development model (which ensures quality) needs to be developed to make it possible for an average instructor to access resources to help him/her move content online - still using the professionals as outlined in the article listed above...but in a much more informal manner.

Connecting Technology and Curriculum
Quote: "The instructional digital divide can be explained by many factors, including the low quality of the available software; limitations in the school schedule; inadequate professional development on technology instruction, and an overwhelming number of school priorities that crowd out time and money for technology...In high standards schools, technology should not be a reward or an extra; it should be directly embedded in an assessment-driven curriculum."

Comment:The author offers seven key components to improve integration of technology and curriculum. I agree that the points listed are important. Personally, I'd put together a two point list: money/resources and change management. Resources need to be available for developers and instructors to move content online...and, like anything new, a change management process needs to be initiated. The last point (change management) is probably the most commonly ignored aspect of implementing elearning. For most people, the issue isn't technology - it's change. Implement a new system for parking/class scheduling, etc., and the same confusion/resistance occurs.