The ultimate goal of this course is to understand why and how to converge learning, design, and technology for broadening and enhancing learning experiences for various populations. The value and impact of learning technologies can be best understood when they are designed and integrated into e-Learning systems or programs. This is just a very simple visual aid to illustrate the relationship between learning technologies and e-Learning programs and systems. The e-Learning program or system in this context, you can see it as an integrated, as a purposeful delivery system in order to improve learning, in order to improve performance, for the learners. The system and the program is situated in technology-based environment. In order to understand the value and impact of learning technologies, we need to situate learning technologies into the context of e-Learning programs or systems. For example, online learning system could be considered as an e-Learning system. A fly simulator training airline pilots also could be considered as an e-Learning system. Within those systems, however, we can choose to incorporate different types of learning technologies in order to serve different needs of the learners. In the other learning system, or e-Learning system, in this case, we can use asynchronous discussion forum to help learners communicate with each other. We can use video delivery systems to provide multimedia learning experiences for the learners. So, in this class, we see the value and impact of learning technologies to be best understood and designed in the context of e-Learning programs or systems. So, what can e-Learning do? E-Learning can capture and organize functions and features of learning technologies in order to solve learning and performance problems for individuals and organizations. Learning can situate learning technology in frameworks pedagogies or andragogies. The application of learning technologies can follow the learning process we want learners to experience. E-Learning can add values to learning technologies by aligning the functions and features of learning technologies with the learning needs of the organization. Designing e-Learning systems or programs is a complex process which has multiple layers of concepts and operations. If you have had the experience with intelligent design, these terms will appear to be familiar to you. The design of e-Learning system, the development of e-Learning systems, delivery, evaluation, the management of e-Learning systems if you are working with organizations, different stakeholders. Finally, from the organizational learning perspective, the strategic aspect of e-Learning operations in terms of contributing to the organization's long-term learning and development needs. Generally, speaking when we design e-Learning systems or programs by incorporating learning technologies, we have this list of goals in mind. First, e-Learning need to deliver the knowledge skill abilities the learners must internalize. Internalizing them into learner's long-term memory would be the ideal. Second, e-Learning needs to enable learners to apply the newly acquired knowledge, skill, and abilities in the e-Learning environments and beyond. In other words, the e-Learning needs to enable learners to transfer the new skill set, the new knowledge, the new abilities to different performance contexts. E-Learning also should enable learners to relate the new knowledge skill abilities to their work needs and also their life in order to sustain the impact of the e-Learning outcomes. E-Learning needs to broaden access to learning especially for those who otherwise wouldn't have access to quality learning experiences. E-Learning needs to capture and document the learning progress for individuals and for organizations. With all these technological capabilities, it is getting easier and easier for e-Learning systems in cooperating learning technologies to track and to monitor learners activities and performance. Of course, it will generate some issues related to learners privacy. We will discuss this issue later in this course. E-Learning needs to align individual learning, process and outcomes with the organizational learning processes, and outcomes. Alignment is always the key for any organization to capitalize on their learning and development activities and learning technologies situated in e-Learning environments have been able to support organizations in that regard. Being able to integrate learning technologies into e-Learning systems or programs is not an easy task. As we saw earlier, there are multiple layers to consider when designing effective e-Learning programs assistant by incorporating learning technologies. One major reason for some challenges of identifying and integrating learning technologies into e-Learning systems or program could be coming from the inherent nature of the technology and human interactivity. How people interact with technologies, how people choose to interact with learning technologies, could generate some opportunities and challenges when it comes to identifying, adopting, integrating learning technologies for e-Learning purposes. This is a picture of a writing ball from the year of 1865. This is a very, very early version of the writing machine. I don't want to call a typewriter because it doesn't look like one. But the purpose of a writing ball is to facilitate the writing process as compared to the handwriting process. As you can see the interface is very interesting, all the keys are placed on the surface of a ball and the other end of the key will be letters with ink. So, the writer is using this particular letter writing apparatus can type if you will into a document. The interface is not very intuitive and we're also seeing a lot of technology applications today. The interface at least at the first class is somewhat difficult to understand what this technology actually would do for us. The efficiency is always a driving force and a witness for many learning technologies. Since I have not used this writing bulb personally, I cannot say whether or not this apparatus will improve my efficiency of writing. But one of many reasons for this design to some extent was trying to improve their writing efficiency for the writers back in the 19th century. Third on the list is technology in human interactivity, they are not always isolated from other human activities. For the example of this writing books, or writing is a learned process how to migrate, for instance, from handwriting to using this particular writing ball. The process with transitioning the habits of writing also would be dependent of other activities writers might do. For instance, placing the paper into the apparatus and refilling the ink to the keys and all those activities are derived from this, back then, new writing apparatus. They are not directly associated with the writing process itself, but those human activities definitely could encourage or inhibit the adoption to a writing ball. The writing ball I think also was designed to improve the productivity of writing, which is relevant to the efficiency concern when it comes to writing process back then. I'm not sure how productive writers should become utilizing this apparatus, but I think the hope was to somehow make the writing faster, impact how we process information. This writing ball probably is not demonstrating this particular point, but I think we can also relate when we write with pen and papers the thinking process could be different from typing on a typewriter with a very unique sound and the mechanical feelings of the typewriter. Also very different from typing into a word processor on your laptop computers, even on your tablet interface. So, in a sense, the way we write, the writing process itself is contribute by the way we think, the way we perceive and create information, and the way we feel about the writing process by interfacing with whatever writing apparatus we choose to use. Back in the 19th century according to this picture, this was a novelty item for most writers, and I didn't have the data in terms of how many writers actually chose to adopt this device because there are reasons, other reasons contributing to that other than the highly personal writing process I just described earlier. Other reasons such as the cost of the writing apparatus and how much effort the learning curve, how much prewriting learning is needed in order to actually be able to operate this writing apparatus, and how some writers might be concerned in terms of their peers perception why the writers are using this apparatus or not. So, there are other reasons for this writing apparatus to or not to be adopt by users back in the 19th century. So, another reason combine, we like to call it could become an access issues. If the item was expensive than how many people could afford it, if the social environment was not ready to embrace this writing apparatus, therefore changing their writing process, then it also could limit the access to the writing apparatus. So, this is just a very relevant example in terms of the design of new learning technology and its intended impact could be influenced by manufacturers. Here is the in-video question for this segment. In what areas and to what extent have you found learning technologies helping or hindering your learning experience? For this question, here we broadly define learning experience occurred at formal, informal, and non-formal learning settings. Formal such as schools. Informal such as homes, workplaces, museums, online spaces, and so forth. Broadly speaking, how have you experienced learning technologies in terms of helping you or slowing you down when it comes to your learning experience. I'd like to conclude this segment with a reality check. First, our cognitive, motivational, affective, and social processing capabilities remain limited since the beginning of the Internet age. In other words, we can only still processing certain amount of information today regardless of how advanced the feature might be promised by certain learning technologies. Second, technologies could be intimidating from time to time especially if its something new, something that requires a little bit of a learning curve for people to be able to fully take the advantage of the new learning technologies. Third, the advancement of information technology outpaces our understanding on how to apply it for the optimal learning experience. Of course the research front of it is ongoing for decades. By generating empirical evidence and cultivating conceptual frameworks, we are still playing catching up with the information technology advancement we are seeing today. Technologies do not always bring about equity and equality. It's very real and it's very current that we are still seeing digital divides in our schools, in our workplaces, in our international communities. So, that's a major issue learning technologies have been trying to resolve, but the investment in that regard is still very much needed. Finally, not all learning technologies are grounded in learning frameworks in the best instructional practices. So, in this course, we would like to share with you several frameworks and models for you to be able to, first of all, understand the true values of certain learning technologies. Second, to be able to integrate those technologies into the intended e-learning programs or systems in order to satisfy your learning or performance improvement needs.
