Designing Elearning Environments For Learning Organizations

Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach ISPI Montreal 2006 Fall Conference September 29th, 2006 Kristina Schneider – Documédia inc.

Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca

Good morning

What is your field of work/study? What are your expectations of this session?

Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca

Outline ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ

The evolution of learning technologies The learning organisation Generation Y A new generation of eLearning tools Considerations for implementation A fluid eLearning environment Takeaways

Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca

The evolution of learning technologies A rough estimate… 1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2010

Instructor-Led Training Sound – Video - Multimedia Computer Aided Learning Office applications Assessment tools Interactive communication tools

A return to active learning, with creation, communication and participation

World Wide Web eLearning 1.0 (WWW deployment) eLearning 2.0 (Learning communities)

Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca

The learning organization Learning Organization ƒ A Complex and Adaptive System ƒ Theory elaborated by Senge in 1990 ƒ Requires transformation through systems thinking primarily at three levels: ƒ Aligning objectives ƒ Empowering individuals ƒ Cultivating communities

Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca

Generation Y

ƒ Born between 1977-1994 (12-29 years old) ƒ Aka. Echo Boomers or Millennials

Source: "The Gen Y Factor." CADM EF Academic Update. May 13, 2005 Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca

Generation Y 1st generation to grow up with technology

Source: Harris Interactive “Born to be Wired” 2003 Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca

Generation Y 1st generation to grow up with technology

Source: Harris Interactive “Born to be Wired” 2003 Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca

Generation Y What Marketing Firms Have Noticed about Gen Y…

ƒ Stressed for success ƒ Acutely aware that the stakes are higher ƒ Coopetition amongst friends ƒ Only as good as last report card/grade ƒ Every second counts… ƒ Hyper-tasking ƒ Brand Me: filter to create own personality and image Source: "The Gen Y Factor." CADM EF Academic Update. May 13, 2005 Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca

A new generation of eLearning tools

ƒ Online Communities of Practice ƒ Discussion Forums ƒ Blogs ƒ Wikis ƒ Podcasts

Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca

A new generation of eLearning tools Online Communities of Practice (or Interest) ƒ Environments in which Large local individuals with group Local similar interests coordinator interact with one another Small local group Regional Global group at a distance coordinator ƒ Ex: couchsurfing community Small local group

A distributed community with a fractal approach

Source: McDermott and Jackson (2000), “Designing Global Communities”

Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca

A new generation of eLearning tools Discussion boards or Internet forums ƒ Roles change: ƒ Instructor as Facilitator/Moderator ƒ Student as Participant/Contributor

ƒ Conversations as co-construction of understanding Original Post Response 1 to Original Poster Response 1 to Respondent 1 Response 2 to Respondent 1 Response 1 to Respondent 2 Response 2 to Original Poster Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca

A new generation of eLearning tools Blogs ƒ short for weblog ƒ virtual diaries ƒ created by individuals ƒ chronological ƒ quick way to publish ƒ through a browser based admin panel ƒ Ex: Technorati Source: Coates, T (2003) Discussion and Citation in the Blogosphere... http://www.plasticbag.org/archives/2003/05/discussion_and_citation_in_the_blogosphere/ Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca

A new generation of eLearning tools Wikis ƒ website resource ƒ add/edit content collectively ƒ gathering global knowledge

Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca

A new generation of eLearning tools Podcasts ƒ Internet published files ƒ feed subscription ƒ usually at no cost ƒ used most for audio/video files

Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca

A new generation of eLearning tools Open-source solutions ƒ Moodle ƒ A socio-constructivist course management system integrating discussion and wiki

ƒ phpBB ƒ Highly customizable bulletin board package

ƒ WordPress ƒ Blog tool and webblog publishing platform

ƒ MediaWiki ƒ wiki package originally written for Wikipedia

ƒ More solutions on Sourceforge Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca

A new generation of eLearning tools ƒ

Facts: ƒ ƒ

ƒ

Generation Y already knows how to use these tools very well These tools are easily accessible, many low-cost/nocost applications

If you aren’t implementing and managing these applications in your organisation: ƒ ƒ

You are restricting and limiting communication You are not capturing the ongoing discussion (see Laurillard & Pask)

Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca

Considerations for implementation 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Performing a technological needs assessment Profiling end-users and modeling archetypes Developing implementation strategies Prototyping collaborative learning technologies Conducting usability tests and focus groups Motivating users to engage Assessing learning outcomes

Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca

A fluid eLearning environment Aligning objectives

Generation Y

Learning organisation Online Communities of Practice Discussion Forums Wikis Blogs

Cultivating communities

Podcasts

Empowering individuals

eLearning 2.0

Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca

Take-aways

What stands out the most for you? What did you get out of this session?

Designing Fluid eLearning Environments for Learning Organizations: A Systemic Approach All Rights Reserved © 2006 Documédia Inc. / http://www.documedia.ca