Irina’s blog

What is e-learning?

E-learning is a field of online learning, based on the technology-delivered instructions and carried out predominantly online.

E-learning is learning enhanced by technology in a new type of interactive environment. It is internet-enables, real-time delivered, individualized, dynamic, aided by development of online communities of learners , practitioners and experts.

E-learning can go beyond the world of instruction into the domain of knowledge management and creation.In this way it becomes a competitive advantage for leading edge corporations in the knowledge economy.

E-learning is predominantly learner-centered. It is fueled by the learner’s interest, motivation, time-managements abilities and goal-setting clarity.

What is e-learning 2.0?

E-learning 2.0 is related to Web 2.0 - a concept conjured by O’Reilly. It encompasses the technology and results of the existence and use of simple and open personal and collaborative publishing tools, such as blogs, wikis, social bookmarking, podcasts used for e-learning.

Open social software tools revolutionize the way of teaching through closed institutionalized learning tools.

Learning communities and individualized learning tools made the learner responsible for the learning process.

The learner has a choice of the cooperative and individual learning settings.

Online course design

E-learning makes instructional design a key. It restructures the educational processes. Learners in higher education are self-directed.

The emergence of numerous open source and open access tools and services make it possible for learners to achieve their goals in learning spaces which they have chosen and created.

E-learning not only helps a learner to gain knowledge and competences in an area of their choice, but also develops skills such as:

- ability to find and evaluate learning tools;

- ability to form expectations about the feasibility of support learning;

- composing distributed learning spaces from a set of separate tools;

- collaborating in knowledge sharing systems;

- manage one’s own learning;

- learn to perceive other people’s points of view and communicate effectively online.