learning in the 21st Century

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L2XwWq4_BY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJYpsB3o0Uc&feature=related

These 2 videos caught my attention as they were amongst the videos which came up after searching for elearning clips on YouTube. They mainly emphasize the need of a shift in our teaching in the 21^st century, where everything seems to revolve more around the technology we are surround with in this era. In fact in Dr.James H.Billington’s foreword he mentions how technology is changing the way students learn. Although elearning is not specifically mentioned as a tool, one can see the criteria mentioned to teach in a 21^st century mentioned through these 2 videos, are very much similar to the possibilities elearning gives to a learner. There are 3 important questions which we need to ask when we come to learning in the 21^st century:

1. What are the essential skills and knowledge?
2. How do we create powerful learning for all students to ensure they get the skills and knowledge they need in this technology based world?
3. What kind of learning organisations do we need for such education to occur?

Having thought about these questions, I can see elearning as one of the learning organisations which can provide the multiple ways of delivering learning which Randy DeHoff speaks about in the clip. This is because through elearning we as teachers can organise content which comprises not only of static displays of text but can also include multimedia content. Having said this, such content can create powerful learning opportunities to all students, engaging different abilities within the different students.

In the Library of congress clip, it is mentioned that our students need to develop complex skills to be successful in today’s society. One of such skills is the ability for the students to direct their own learning and ability to critically think to be able to use the information available in an efficient manner. Such an environment can be set through an elearning platform, where the student is presented with a library of all types and formats of information designed by the teacher, to make the best use of it in a way that the student is not only learning the content but also developing such skills.

“In the 21^st century each of us must be a learner and a teacher”

I think this is one of the most important phrases told during the clip as it shows the importance that everyone is ready to share knowledge and everyone has the right to access and learn from the knowledge shared. From what I’ve understood about elearning, I believe this is one, if not the main, fundamental concept of elearning; where everyone creates learning objects which are shared. The idea of a learning object which according to IEEE a Learning object is an entity, digital or non digital that can be used, reused again or invite during the learning process (IEEE – LOM,2002).

Keeping in mind this scenario, where everyone can create small chunks of content knowledge, known as learning objects, and share them through an online platform, a particular issue arises:

How can I be sure that the learning object is reliable?

What is the basic skeleton of a learning object?

What does it have to contain and what doesn’t have to contain?

The creation of learning object standards helps give guidelines to every person who can contribute on an elearning platform when organising learning object. Upon researching on learning object standards, I realised there are several standards to make sure that the learning objects produced are useful.

I found an interesting paper online which has some very interesting information about elearning standards :

http://www.cdac.in/html/pdf/Session6.1.pdf

This covers the need needs and issues of an elearning infrastructure; it also outlines the needs for standards and which major companies work to set such standards.

I think the one thing which really worries me, so to speak, is how ready are people to take the work in creating learning objects, and put them online for all to use? I think not everyone feels at ease having his/her work being completely shareable. I believe this is one of the main hurdles we may find in the implementation of elearning systems, especially from what I hear and see here in Malta’s educational system.