Ambient Connections via Ron Edwards

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December 20, 2005

Web 2.0, eLearning 2.0?

I've been trying to stay on top of developments in the rapidly evolveing movement known as Web 2.0 through podcasting (primarily Silicon Valley based podcasts such as The Infotalk Podcast, blogs and conversations. Web 2.0 is essentially the transformation of the web happening before us from a content delivery platform to one in which millions of individuals produce and contribute content in a more socially oriented way.

The term eLearning 2.0 has been coined to describe a similiar evolution in eLearning from an event based course model to a more social and dynamic learning objects orientation in which content is more fluid and is created, used and discussed by many. You can read more about eLearning 2.0 here, and below is an excerpt describing how learner content creation and context building are supported by games and mobile learning by By Stephen Downes of the National Research Council of Canada written in eLearn Magazine:

Where games encourage learning is through the provision of what a student needs to know in a context where it will be immediately used. As (James Paul) Gee recommends, 'Words are only meaningful when they can be related to experiences,' said Gee. If I say 'I spilled the coffee,' this has a different meaning depending on whether I ask for a broom or a mop. You cannot create that context ahead of time— it has to be part of the experience. And in just the same way, the science text doesn't make any sense to someone who has not done any science (though it makes a great deal of sense to an experienced scientist)' [23].

A similar motivation underlies the rapidly rising domain of mobile learning [24] for after all, were the context in which learning occurs not important, it would not be useful or necessary to make learning mobile. Mobile learning offers not only new opportunities to create but also to connect. As Ellen Wagner and Bryan Alexander note, mobile learning 'define(s) new relationships and behaviors among learners, information, personal computing devices, and the world at large' [25].

Thanks to Ted Cocheau, CEO of Altus Learning Systems who writes the Rapid eLearning News Blog where I found the reference above. Of note, many of you have asked me for examples of corporate podcasting, Ted has produced a very successful project for Cisco you can read about on his blog.

The chorus of catalysts helping the evolution from the lagging, static, event-based learning paradigm to a dynamic, learner contributing, context-aware model grows louder...

Posted by Ron Edwards at December 20, 2005 09:23 AM

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