LTMS 510 Experiences - Week 15 Blog Post

This is my last post on this blog since this semester is about finish but one thing is for sure that i will be using blogs regularly going forward.

I have learned so much from our Professor Michelle Krill about different learning technologies which are not even helpful to certain age group but it covers almost all the age groups and all the working environments as well as for academic studies.

Here are the key things i learned from this subject.

Virtual Worlds:

A virtual world is a computer-based simulated environment navigated and experienced by one or more users. Over the past several years educators 
have begun exploring virtual worlds as a powerful medium for instruction.

Some might compare virtual worlds to video games, and while it is true that many virtual environments have similarities to 3D multi-player online role-play games, there are also many differences.  For example, virtual worlds do not typically contain strong back-stories or leveling. There are seldom game-like goals in virtual worlds (unless designed specifically by the users). Virtual worlds do compare to multi-user games in that they consist of persistent spaces made available by networked computers. Virtual worlds also provide inhabitants synchronous interactions not only between individuals but also the environment. Modern systems provide high resolution graphics, human like avatars, and real-time motion to provide an immersive 3D experience comparable to virtual reality. While virtual worlds provide a sense of place, multi-user virtual worlds also provide a sense of community. A benefit of virtual worlds in education is that they are easily customizable by the users. However, it is the sense of community that makes virtual environments a powerful tool for online education.

Simulations:

Simulations helps in e-Learning a lot in my opinion because it allows the experience to be created and re-created as per the need. This will allow the learners to practice in real life scenarios as if they are actually in it. This helps them to learn faster and more efficiently.

Regular training is a must for companies to stay ahead of the competition and keep the employees’ skills up to date or in compliance with the law. But the task in hand is easier said than done. With technological advances, employees have to learn new skills, techniques or processes at close intervals and that can be challenging for many companies. Application training often requires hands-on practice on machines or software – which many times- is not available during the training session. By the time they are available, the learners are already expected to know their way around the application, which reveals a startling gap in learning. While hands-on simulators and simulation-based training is not new – especially in fields like medicine, aviation or the military, they are now being utilized for other forms of training as well, including Application Training.

Shared Knowledge resources:

Knowledge sharing is effective in the companies with a flexible, decentralized organizational structure.When new knowledge is created at a more operational level, it can become a great challenge for management to spread and harness this new knowledge through the organization. As both managers and leaders play equally important part as committed employees in creating a vibrant community, knowledge transfer is more successful in a highly flexible and responsive environment.

Blogging:

Blogs are great for learning from others, reflection, story sharing, facilitating connections among people, philosophizing, and much more. Writing a blog is a learning activity, of course,  but reading the best blogs that are available is one of my most productive learning experiences.

Blogging is my chief way of making sense of things. Blogs are obviously great ways to consolidate personal learning, but as it is such a great CMS I think that it lends itself exceptionally well to broadcasting content of a non-blog nature, or with multiple authors, as the centerpiece of an informal learning network. I have set up a blog using Blogger and use this as an occasional reflection tool.  I am enjoying linking other tools to my blog.

Social Learning via Social Media:

Social media and social learning are as much the same as French fries and French toast. In other words, they’re different (but both wonderful).

Social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Interest make it easy and motivate people to connect, share information, and develop relationships. Yet they can also provide the means to wander aimlessly, discovering people and information that may serve no value when it comes to learning.

When using these sites in the classroom, specific goals, directions, and guidelines on how to reach them (such as input from an instructor or lesson plan) can be used to facilitate formal social learning. However, social learning can also occur informally, without a pre-defined leader or curriculum, when topics originate organically from the learners themselves—for example, a group of students who get together to study for an upcoming test.

Social learning strategist and designer Tom Spiglanin explains social learning and social media exist separately, but social media can be used in support of social learning.

Learning Management System:

Modern training needs to be easy and accessible. A learning management system (LMS) allows you to create, distribute and track training anywhere, on any device.

The LMS has become a powerful tool for consulting companies that specialize in staffing and training, extension schools, and any corporation looking to get a better grasp on the continuing education of its workforce. Its impact has been felt mostly outside of traditional education institutions, though the same technological and market forces are dramatically changing today’s classroom as well.