eLearning

eLearning is rapidly changing as developers strive to improve student/teacher collaborations and Smartphones and tablets make learning possible anywhere and everywhere. Today teachers can create unique eLearning experiences that were not dreamed of just a few short years ago. eLearning students are enjoying a greater range of learning platforms and devices than ever before.

Audio/visual presentations created online can be shared with other professors and teachers who are able to add to the content, even audio, simply and easily.  In turn eLearning students are able to comment and question in a virtual, real time space. These eLearning lessons or presentations can then be shared anywhere in the world. As such, eLearning can be tailored to local or international student bodies.

Add GPS tracking to the mix and it is possible now, to create eLearning lessons that are tailored, and then directed, to specific geographic areas. Devices like SlideSpeech Solar are being developed to enable receipt of eLearning lessons and presentations even in the remotest parts of the world. In fact, this cool solar charged device enables creation of presentations from anywhere in the world too - using the sun for power and Wi-Fi for broadband. Imagine receiving an eLearning presentation created in the remote Amazon or Sahara!

It is not just the eLearning lessons, and presentation creation, that is changing fast. How people access and learn is changing too. Edmodo is a great example of a modern take on eLearning. The site http://www.edmodo.com/ boasts the following features for eLearning students and teachers:

Engage your students

1. Collaborate, exchange ideas and share content in a secure, closed environment
2. Provide a safe environment for differentiating instruction with one-to-one or whole group communication.
3. Create an anytime, anywhere mobile learning environment with smartphone apps and mobile site.
4. Provide easy access to projects, classwork and school events through assignments, quiz builder, calendar and grade book features.

Connect with your peers

1. Edmodo Communities instantly connect teachers to a global network of educators
2. Participate in Subject Area and Partner Communities to extend professional development experiences and promote lifelong learning.
3. Share your successes, interests, and career achievements with your personal profile URL.
4. Expand your Professional Learning Network (PLN).

Share and store content

1. Store and manage documents in a wide range of file formats in a cloud-based environment
2. Create and manage your personal content library, including the best content you have discovered, shared and received.
3. Share all content for a unit of study through library folder sharing.
4. Allow students to access the content they need immediately via their Edmodo 'Backpack'.

School & District Features

1. Encourage district-wide collaboration
2. Schools and districts can access additional functionality by registering for a unique subdomain
3. Improve communication by connecting all students, parents, and administrators in a closed, private community.
4. Encourage professional development through teacher-to-teacher collaboration.
5. Facilitate communication within and between schools and districts.

Track and measure success

1. Subdomains also give administrators greater insight into district activities through a secure, easy-to-use interface
2. Leverage built-in analytics to measure school and classroom engagement and adoption.
3. Add schools, invite or remove users, view grades and reset passwords.
4. Schedule events through the Calendar feature.

Online professional development

1. The communities that subdomains enable can easily become platforms for online professional development

There are others, some have even been around for a while, like Khan Academy. The one thing these developers all have in common is that they are attempting to create eLearning experiences for the technology of today, and tomorrow. There are exciting times ahead for eLearning, eLearning platforms and eLearning technologies.