The ower behind ...
By Gilly Salmon (December 2004 Issue)
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During the US Presidential election, the eyes of the world’s media were fixed on Bush and Kerry. By the way, neither replied to my e-mailed questions about their views on e-learning and e-democracy. But a vote for the man is also a vote for the woman behind him. So I watched with interest the roles of the potential First Ladies.
First Lady Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) was a truly inspired ‘power behind’ woman. Eleanor married her distant cousin Franklin in 1905 and helped him to deal with crippling polio and win the Presidency in 1932. She became mother of six and a champion of human rights. Eleanor Roosevelt inspired people to use their heads … and their hearts. She told us to view our lives as adventures and that security comes from living bravely, excitingly and imaginatively. Can you can choose a challenge over a competence?
So why have I brought her words to you on e-talk? Well, the way any new technology develops is in two clearly identifiable stages. At first, the technology is viewed as a new way of doing an old thing – hence early motor vehicles were known as horseless carriages, and computerised learning materials were once little more than electronic page turners. In the second stage, the evolving technology can create applications, functions and visions well beyond adaptation. These are difficult to imagine at first but ultimately are much more worthwhile. So now we have a very wide range of vehicles and our patterns of mobility have changed along with our cars.
E-learning is following a similar pathway. Around the millennium, John Chambers, president and CEO of Cisco Systems, claimed that e-learning would make e-mail look like a rounding error. Now, I bet he wished he had a First Lady to advise him to temper his big words – he had anticipated a rapid jump to stage two! However, to start with, e-learning was an electronic classroom or way of delivering text. But the learning technology continued to evolve, among much tutting about quality and costs. We’re now on the cusp of the change between the first and second stages. We need some inspired ‘Eleanor’ head and heart directions and ways of moving e-learning to new patterns, processes and products.
Can I ask you, please, to consider being the ‘power behind’ some new visions for e-learning? Choices lie ahead … as Figure 1 shows. The top left-hand box of the matrix suggests using e-learning to achieve growth with existing products – such as your Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) or electronically enhanced classroom. The aim is to move more of your regular training and learning into the e-environment. You could shift old-style paper-based distance learning to online to enable any time, anywhere access, or to achieve better interaction between remote learning sets. You could blend some online provision with face-to-face teaching. There’s much to be done and you can feel safe and confident in this box (can’t you?).
The bottom left-hand box represents using e-opportunities to address different areas of your training and educational provision, but using the expertise and technologies already developed. You could share your best e-learning provision with your associates, partners, collaborators and competitors, and lower costs. OK, maybe not competitors.
The top right-hand part addresses the many new learning and mobile technologies now available. You could adjust the technological provision to improve accessibility for all and scale up to include more people more often. You could talk to providers of technology and find a good fit at the right price. Having made some regrettably user un-informed early assumptions about, say, VLE platforms and functions, suppliers are ready to listen to the wisdom of those who have the online teaching expertise.
The bottom right-hand box is the most challenging, risky and potentially rewarding. It is the Eleanor Roosevelt adventure box. Who needs bungey jumping and white water rafting? It is here that your bigger visions can find voice. Research projects about e-learning are being published and they go beyond the simplistic ‘what works’ scenarios of stage 1 of technology introduction. Be warned and be brave! Organisational as well as technical changes need to be made for this box. Your head and heart will need to be engaged. But here is the power behind the e-learning movement. Will your technology look big in the future?
Surf it!
About US First Ladies
www.dailycelebrations.com
Ansoff Matrix
www.quickmba.com/strategy/matrix/ansoff/
Dr Gilly Salmon is Professor of E-learning and Learning Technologies at the University of Leicester. Prior to this appointment, she worked at the Open University Business School for 15 years. Gilly can be contacted at gilly.salmon@le.ac.uk
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