Friday, February 1, 2013

The Google Hangout

It’s come and gone. For me it was hard work. Internet speed very slow and constant freezing taking place interspersed with conversation from the presenters. But impressive presenters who gave their all to a new concept not only for us but probably for them too. I have a question for Jeremy in particular and the faculty in general: “Is E-learning seen to be all about learning off the internet/Skype/twitter/blogs or is it something more?" One of the reasons I joined this MOOC is because I manage an E-learning system at Payserv, a company in Zimbabwe that provides Financial Institutions with EDI and EFT systems as well as running other technical services – a payroll bureau and a loan management system. We have an E-learning system installed on our server provided by a South African supplier and have access to technical and soft skills courses that are relevant to the business. One issue with it is the RTC factor, an issue that arises for a number of reasons – it is not a traditional method of learning. There are other reasons to be here. I mentor many of the staff, helping them to identify and pursue learning opportunities that will provide them with knowledge and skills for their personal growth and qualifications that will meet the demands of their CVs. That there are MOOCs available in many areas means a great deal to me and possibly to them – if they can be persuaded to engage in the real educational change opportunities that MOOCs will surely come to provide in the near future if they do not already do so. So I need to learn about MOOCs and how they work and what kind of learning value they can provide. I see the future of learning being a predominantly E-future. Universities have to adjust – Edinburgh is clearly anticipating a changed future which is why they are here and experimenting with the rest of us. So back to my question. Will someone please answer me?

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