Week 7 - E learning example

I looked at the website http://www.elearnuk.co.uk/ where there are 21 different categories of subjects which can be learnt online. Although this may seem a ‘standard’ website to look at in reference to this weeks tasks and not as adventurous as it could be, I still think it highlights the basic points of online learning and the availability and flexibility for students. “The rapid growth of the Internet and the needs of a mobile society have made OLEs very attractive options to those seeking higher education.” (Journal – Collaboration Tools in Online Learning Environments: Jim Clark) For example with elearnuk.co.uk, you can enroll at any time during the year, therefore enhancing the added flexibility compared to restricted term times you have with meat space learning, which makes this development of technology accessible for people. However, referring back to previous weeks is this encouraging people to defer away real life situations and therefore missing out on communicational skills that could be gained from traditional methods of education because of the convenience the internet allows us to enhance. Although, in the journal that I found shows how e learning is trying to introduce more ‘collaborative tools’ such as “through discussion, group projects, group papers and the other methods discussed to create group bonds and make the students more central to their education should be continued.” (Clark Journal) Therefore, what is being demonstrated here is that although technology has developed, there still needs to be influences that mirror society to maintain its success as an option for a new media.

One last point… is online learning defeating the object of freedom on the internet? Although it is convenient there is a clear one way direction of information coming from a higher source which in effect takes away from Turkle’s idea of freedom. The student is not a ‘produser’ of the internet but they are just receiving the information that is being told to them to pass the course. Yet alike the communities e learning does allow for freedom in the sense that there is “the availability of the new technologies to all citizens in all nations” because now people are necessarily not being excluded from gaining education through “economic disadvantage, (mentioned in Zambia post) geographic isolation or physical impairment.”
Book - (E Learning: Concepts and Practice: Holmes and Gardiner: Page 132: 2006)

http://www.elearnuk.co.uk/ (Website)

http://www.aln.org/publications/magazine/v4n1/clark.asp (Journal)

Week 6 - An example of C of P

From looking around online I found of an example that could be classed as a ‘C of P’ when applying it to Wenger, and what I’ve read up about C of P so far in general.
This website is set up by ‘Christine’ and on the homepage is welcoming people to join up. What initially made me see this is a community was in how she explained what the site was about – i.e. the members of the community have two things in common – “1. We have a real passion for making jewellery 2. We all have a spirit of sharing and helping each other.” Now this wouldn’t be my particular preference for a community site, but I think what is said straight away does imply what we’ve been reading. There is also mention that there are ‘amateur and professionals’ which furthers that fact that anyone is welcome – and its all to do with the fact that the users have the interest of making jewellery.
I’ve posted the link – it’s a bit of a random site but I think it still highlights the main factors of what is entailed within a community of practice.

http://www.how-to-make-jewelry.com/