teacher
Can Elearning Solutions Be Applied to The Study of Arts and Letters?
What we can learn is limited by the ambit of our experiences and of the media that we are exposed to. Usually, the best media that creates a deep imprint on us is good Literature. However in order to appreciate good literature, we must in turn have already seen what we have read at work in our own lives, even for just a glimmer of this sight is enough and literature will awaken and deepen that glimmer of insight. But if we have not at all seen any part of ourselves or our lives in the text, then the text will never come to life. And this is applicable to teaching as well. What is taught in any humanities classroom, especially if these things have something to do with the profundity of human experience (I am speaking primarily of literature, philosophy, psychology and the arts) but such human profundity of insight can be seen in every humanities subject such as history or sociology. The difference will always be in the slanted use of discourse to achieve whatever power struggle the teachers wish to establish will only translate well if the students have some concrete idea of what is being taught. Otherwise, they will only be able to memorize facts, if they succeed in that at all since the context will always make the facts easier to remember.
The trouble is that elearning solutions cannot help but remove the teacher from the picture. After all, it is the essence of elearning to be fast, easy, and done at one’s own pace. With a full-time teacher, the pace will have to be managed and if the teacher is any good, he or she will continually challenge the students’ thinking.
Perhaps elearning can be used as say a primer for reading support and assessment. But without the full insight of a responding human person, there can be no recitation or no reaction paper written in an elearning class for the arts and letters. The practical applications of quick and accessible training are just incompatible with the image of the Arts and it will probably always be that way until the end of time.
With the humanities, the teacher must always be present. The equation is simple, take away the human, then there is no humanities left at all. Of course courses such as literature can still be taught by computers, but the student will not be able to feel feedback from his or her insights. After all, the essay and reaction, analysis reports are essential to these subjects. And no computer built today is yet able to even process such things. Elearning solutions will always be effective in the corporate arena. It should also be used in the sciences and in math primarily. And finally, it can only act as supplementary or support to the subjects of Humanities.
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Advantages of Elearning: Breaking Boundaries of Traditional Teaching Method
Elearning has no proper definition so far, since it covers various forms of technology enhanced learning or TEL. To simply define it in a literal way, it is a new modern teaching method where students or trainees get to study an education or training course, where they rarely or never meet personally their fellow learners nor their instructors because they study online.
Instructors teach and train their students without meeting them face to face, the students and their instructors’ only line of communication and interaction is through online interface. Students can study even if they are miles away from their fellow students. They are connected and are able to learn from their instructors thanks to this breakthrough technological advancement in teaching.
So what is so good about this brand new teaching and training style? Why are many are so interested in it? Will this breakthrough teaching and training method with the use of the Internet be the downfall of the traditional teaching system?
Wide teaching range
The classroom orientation and training center is limited to two things – space and venue. Number of students that can be taught and trained through a confined area is limited only to the capacity of that certain area. A 50 people capacity training facility can only train 50 people at a time.
While in online learning system a single training program is connected to a multitude amount of student interconnected to one another through Internet simultaneously. Massive learning is attained with out gathering the learners in a single place.
Students or trainees exclusively within the area of the training or learning facility are forced to travel and attend the training lessons but in E-Learning, learners across the world can enjoy the training program via the Internet.
Students learning through this modern training and teaching system is no longer confined within a closed room along with other student but with this new teaching method, learners can study and train right at the comfort of their own home.
Focused teaching
Unlike the traditional classroom set up where a single teacher, professor or trainer is designated to teach a large group of students ranging from 20 up to 40 individuals, online interactive learning has one student one teacher ratio. In the classroom set up it is unavoidable that a single student or more would not be able to understand the lesson that is being discussed. That certain student would inquire about what he/she did not understand. Sadly the teacher cannot solely focus on one student alone to farther help him/her understand the lesson at hand, what more if there were more than one student who did understand the lesson?
In the on-line interactive learning system, a single individual or student is being taught through a simulated teaching program. If the student fails to understand a certain topic of the lesson, he/she can easily review the lesson he/she misunderstood with just a simple click of a mouse.
Save time and money
The online students/trainees save both time and money. Since the school is just right in front of their computer monitors, on line students save time from traveling and save money from paying other expenses like books, manuals, modules like in attending regular school and training facilities.
E-learning is one of the best things that technology has contributed in training and education. It does not aim to make the traditional classroom teaching set up to be obsolete but instead it just shows us that man will continue to make technological breakthrough that will help us in achieving our goals in a more efficient and easier way.
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Elearning- Technology Blended With Education
ELearning is an umbrella term that includes distributed learning, online education, Computer Based Training (CBT) delivered over a network, and Web Based Training (WBT). As eLearning is self-paced, hands-on learning, it endows with very rich learning experience that can even surpass the level of education one might experience in a crowded classroom. It can be synchronous, asynchronous, instructor-led or computer-based or a combination of both.
Coupled with the communicative powers of technology, today eLearning has influenced different facets of education & training. It is now used, as an option by companies for training, disseminating information and other information management needs for their employees. By using this mode of instruction, companies can save millions of dollars in education and training their employees.
Although used for various purposes, eLearning is one of the most promising innovations to improve classroom teaching and learning after the school hours. ELearning permits teachers to develop study materials using the worldwide resources of the Web and communicate information in a more engaging fashion. Availability of wide-range of texts, diagrams and images with video and sound, including virtual reality technology makes teaching an interesting and effective process that holds the interest of students in the classroom.
As learning is a continuous, cultural process, so access and opportunities to learn should be available to students in real time after the school hours. eLearning fosters self paced learning whereby students can access the study support round the clock at their pace and convenience. A real time study support to students through subject experts via Virtual Classes further solve the queries of students and make them more proficient in the subject. It is highly appreciated by the teachers and students for its economic value as it eliminates the travel time and costs without compromising the quality and requirements.
Amidst all such benefits, eLearning has a major pitfall, viz. lack of face-to-face interaction between the students and the professor. But the quality education at economic cost available as per the convenience and flexibility of learners conceal the snag in eLearning and makes it a foremost choice of today’s knowledge driven generation.
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