Since joining Learning Pool the railway network has become a big part of my life. Don’t worry, I’ve not turned into a train spotter (although I’ve seen quite a few on my travels). I use the train as a way of getting around and, when everything is running smoothly, I think it’s a wonderful way to move thousands of people and goods all over the country.
But what does the rail network have in common with e-learning? At first glance, not a lot. But, whilst sitting on the platform at Preston station this week, it suddenly struck me.
There were hundreds of people moving through the station, arriving, departing or changing trains. Others, like me, were patiently waiting on the platform, contemplating life or just thinking about what to have for tea. We all had one thing in common, we needed information. Train times, platform changes and many types of other essential information for our journeys were supplied through electronic notice boards, leaflets, posters, nasally tanoy announcements and, by far the most important element, other people (“Did you hear what that announcement said? No, me neither.”) National Rail has its own ‘blend’ to deliver the information.
The human element in the blend is vital. In the digital age of Facebook, Bebo, and MySpace plus instant messaging and blogging it’s easy to get carried away with the technology. E-learning was once a solitary affair with learners accessing courses and little else but now, by combining a Learning Pool DLE with your e-learning, you can have the flexibility to deliver your courses whilst also enabling your learners to communicate with each other via discussion forums, polls and wikis. They can also access supporting materials such as glossaries and links out to other documents or websites. You get the option of assessing your learners and gathering the all important feedback.
How you create your own unique ‘blend’ of learning is up to you, but don’t forget the human element. No matter what the next technological development will be, we all like the human touch. Now then, beans on toast it is………
John
Tags: blended learning, discussion forums, dle, lms, polls, wikis
