Lecture 1

Perspective of E-Learning

1. Educational delivery and interaction via technology
2. Computer mediated.
3. Educational technique (pedagogy)

What is e-Learning?

e-Learning is an online interaction program of which individuals can do from anywhere and anytime. Despite its functionality, accessibility and instantaneous advantages, it still cannot replace the conventional classroom.

I always thought e-Learning to be a stand-in teaching tool if anything were to disrupt all activities in the physical classroom, such as a disease outbreak or some sort of danger that interrupts the academic scheduling.

By the term ‘stand-in’, I mean it would never replace the mainstream way of schooling. However this is my personal opinion and as stated by Rosenberg, it might be because I had a bad experience with e-Learning before.

I always thought e-Learning was expensive to maintain and even more difficult to execute. I also thought, despite its ease of uploading and removing information and scalability, the information might not be very accurate. However Rosenberg’s reading proved me wrong. But please take note that things always seem easier and better theoretically speaking and not so much when placed into practical use.

After reading and attending the first lecture, I was still bewildered with the strong emphasis on e-Learning. After receiving all the different definitions of e-Learning, I conclude that e-Learning is basically an enhanced learning experience in an electronically stimulated environment that can be done anywhere and at anytime.
The history of e-Learning and apparent trend towards e-Learning is apparent but bleak at the moment. Until more reliable and user friendly activities are done with e-Learning programs/experiences, my impression of e-Learning is pessimistic.

Technology eases our ability to interact with people breaking barriers in both distance and time. But it does not necessarily mean people are comfortable with it.
As mentioned in the readings, e-Learning makes learning for an individual personal and at his time and place. This means more discipline on the user’s part to sit before his computer to ‘study’ and not distracted by the comfort and other uses of the computer. As mentioned also, e-Learning lacked the critical essence of human interaction, it lacked the human factor. Conventional classrooms allow the teacher to interact with the students. This gives meaning to the relationship and by converting everything into the matrix, interaction through the computer lacks reality and realness to the relationship even though it is synchronous and you see the other person’s avatar. Furthermore, not everyone is comfortable with using technology. Those that are technologically challenged rely heavily on the people around them to obtain more information and by confining them to their computers to study means ‘enclosing’ them to their computers hence disrupting the teaching process.

In conclusion, I have a brand new understanding of e-Learning, but does it mean it is the next best step to education? I’m not too sure.