E-learning - The Heart In The Machine

Long ago'Surprisingly, especially when you consider my age, technology -as we now use the term- has been around most of my life. As a kid I watched a very grainy but exciting TV feed whilst Mike Collins completed hundreds of computer functions on board the Columbia to ensure that the Eagle would get picked up and astronauts could return home again. Later, at University, we sampled the joys of synthesized music making and it`s potential which, in the 80s, was to revolutionize how music was produced.

Stoneage computer'It was during that latter decade that I, as a young man (yes, there was a time...) passionately promoted the idea of bringing a computer into the school in which I taught. Now, I have to be clear here. Many companies were making `computers` and they didn`t really have too much in common. As they developed my preference was Atari for Art and Design tasks as you could draw pictures... eventually in colour! To do this you had to repeatedly insert floppy disks one after the other. And yes, we still went `wow!` I remember the satisfaction the very first time we were able to enter a digital pic as part of a GCSE exhibition. The truth? - painting was a lot easier.The phrase `Why on earth would you want a computer in a school` (that's the polite version) still rings in my ears. This wasn`t as much a Luddite tendency as an inability to see the potential. In many ways, they were more trouble than they were worth (the computers not the staff)...and they were expensive (both). But, I feel we were at least ahead of the field back then and, inevitably, the usefulness and effectiveness of the computer became apparent. Although some will disagree I give Mr Jobs a lot of credit for understanding that computers did need to have a common useful function for the average person and for the workplace.

ididHave you ever seen any business/public centre enterprise buy in technology just for the sake of it? Sometimes people really do think technology is magic. Even the most impressive CGI seen at the movies derives from person created software and human designed characters/scenery. Sometimes not enough credit is given to the people behind the technology. I suppose what is worse is that those people who are on the `fringe` of technology usage are made to feel that it`s an exclusive club for clever people. I met someone recently in the course of my work who sadly was in a very dark place. I promised him that we would provide accessible learning for him and ensure that he would be part of a community that would care and support him. I also promised that this service would be there for him around the clock. He said with some alarm, `I don`t even know what an e-mail or an idid is`. I quite liked `idid` and encouraged him to immediately legally protect it whatever it is. On a serious note I informed him that he would learn with our support and he didn`t necessarily need a degree from silicone valley to join the club.

The human heartOn that note let`s talk about e-learning/m learning/virtual learning/online environments. I`ve been involved in the development of online educational communities for 12 years now. In fact I resolved long ago that any provision I designed would be accessible 24/7 and staffed for the majority of that time. I`m proud to say that I`ve managed a team that adopted `goodwill` as their personal motto and I recently discovered that in all those years I`d only had 12 days out of the system myself. So, you`re getting the picture. We have employed a range of technologies that host thousands of educational activities, support live and interactive teaching and learning. Instant response for welfare/health concerns and a promised response for technical issues blah blah and so forth...But, at the hub of all this, was the appointment of a `personal tutor` for every young person and every adult. These tutors build relationships both face to face and online. They restore confidence. They are non judgmental. They instigate a `fresh start`. They care and, they are technically very savvy. The Right StuffSo - the point? I`ll make the point by telling the parable of Leicester. I was lucky enough to lecture to interested (and perhaps some not so interested) parties at Leicester University. They loved the interactive nature of what we did particularly when a student instigated chat in the middle of proceedings (and appeared on the screen). I, of course, immediately informed him that he had a public audience but he saw the funny side and asked about the stuff he usually would.People were very kind, and enthused when I had finished. However, the consensus was that `the software was wonderful` `it`s amazing what technology can do` etc. And, of course they are right. But, my retort was, and will always be, `It`s the people who design, develop and use the technology that make a project successful`. Of course, it`s a partnership, but my advice would be... always employ the `right` people first and then play with the toys...e-den is an extension of all these ideals and the day it stops meeting the needs of the client, no matter how demanding, it will fail despite the technology.Thanks for readingRob