Posted 1:58 PM by George Siemens
What's Next?
Quote: "Six CEOs of companies that build business technology share their insights on where the industry is headed—toward the real-time enterprise; true multimedia convergence; and kinder, gentler customer relationships."

Posted 11:19 AM by George Siemens
E-Learning In Crisis

Quotes: "We have access to the greatest invention in human history, a storehouse of all human knowledge, and the primary effort by educators and publishers seems to be to make it as difficult to use as possible...People are becoming increasingly dissatisfied because they see that the real value in education - what I call the services - are being replaced with pre-packaged content (what some on some of the lists have been calling CD-ROMs online). But the value - the market return, the profit generator, call it what you will - is in the service: the online discussions, the one-on-one with a qualified instructor, the quiet seminar with a few interested individuals. This value is the reason we still go to in-person conferences (lord knows it's not the papers). This value is why people pay hundreds of dollars for a university course."

Comment: Great report by Stephen Downes. I don't think he'll win any popularity contests, however, from the "big boys" in elearning. What he describes as being wrong with the industry is in huge conflict with the efforts of LMS/LCMS/content providers. Significant drivers of industry - think WebCT & Blackboard - have convinced many that the heart of successful elearning involves large, expensive projects/software applications.

I've stated it before...the future success of elearning is directly linked to the ability of educational institutions (or corporate training departments) to put simple tools in the hands of instructors. No one needs an LMS to start an elearning project...it helps, but it's not needed (see Bottom Line article below). Elearning is learning - technology is a tool or an enabler. Unfortunately, large software/content corporations are attempting to shape the industry so that learning must flow through their pipelines. I hope Stephen's vision wins out.

Posted 9:18 AM by George Siemens
Information overload: learning to take your time

Quote: "Today, we are compelled to act quickly. Acting quickly and acting intelligently are not necessarily the same thing. The more mobile calls we make and take, the more emails we receive and send, can make us less, not more, productive. To be successful we need to learn how to take our time."

Comment: Similar to an article by Elliot Masie last month: Learning Perspectives: Slow Down, You Move too Fast.

Posted 8:55 AM by George Siemens
The bottom line: effective learning versus low per unit cost
Quote: "In a scathing article at E-learning magazine, consultant Frank L. Greenagel attacks the current state of the art in e-learning. He argues that an obsession with low unit cost and a disregard for learning effectiveness has led to courses that are interoperable but "puerile, boring and of unknown or doubtful effectiveness"."

Comment: Based on an article posted last week. The concept of ROI and costs for elearning projects needs to be revisited. I don't completely agree with the notion that effective learning can't be low cost( as is insinuated in this article). Simple courses with high instructor/student contact may use email, PalTalk, Groove, etc to foster interaction. An LMS isn't even needed (put those stones down...). The focus, however, needs to be on effective learning. Course designers and instructors need to use the decades of research in education theory. As I've stated before - organizations are at risk of falling into to errors - 1. Assuming that elearning is completely different from regular learning, and 2. Assuming that elearning is the same as regular learning. Elearning is a different mode of learning...but at it's core, it still functions according to established learning theories and concepts.

Motivating and Retaining Adult Learners Online

Comment: Excellent. This 151 page .pdf journal tackles of retention, motivation (several chapters), the role of the instructor, communities, etc. The most effective way to retain students, from my experience, is a well designed course and an involved instructor.