From: #238 Elliott Masie’s TechLearn TRENDS:
Learning On-Line vs. e-Learning? I was struck by how an answer changes depending on how you phrase the question. I usually ask audiences at my keynote speeches about their experiences with e-Learning or On-Line Learning? When I ask how many people in the audience have recently taken an On-Line Course, the response is often between 20 and 30 percent.
One day, my tongue got a bit tied and I asked the question with a few changes. “How many of you have learned things on-line recently?” Suddenly, almost 98% of the hands in the audience went up. I was shocked until I realized how I had fundamentally changed the question.
People are very aggressively using the internet as an active, informal and spontaneous learning and knowledge tool. So, when you ask about the TACIT LEARNING that is being done on-line, the percentages so SKY HIGH!
Ask your colleagues the same question. You will be amazed at the difference. So, part of our challenge is to define our arena in the broader sense of both FORMAL and TACIT learning programs. Taking a structured, beginning to end e-Learning program is likely to remain as small a percentage of yearly learning for a worker as the attendance in a formal classroom training session.
Funny: wording means a lot! Once I found out that in one company learning means training and other formal program with “HR roots”. Contrary to that, learning in a community is called communication (“KM roots”).
E-learning is a tricky term: I like it as better version of using internet for learning-related purposes or even on-line learning. But I guess that I’m too late with my interpretation and have to deal with standards: e-learning means e-training. Sad.
I have to find out which term I should use in my “e-learning” report not to make it confusing to readers. (E)-learning that we used in E-linCC report could be a good one, but it mean all kinds of learning including on-line…
Another thing that I really like is (logically) the focus on informal learning on-line and nice way of calling it tacit learning. I wonder if it’s a common way to call it like that? It could be a good substitute for informal learning:
- it captures the important qualities: embedded, hidden and difficult to formalise way of learning and, as a result, the iceberg metaphor of learning
- it calls a connection with tacit knowledge, which is probably the one that is better addressed with informal learning
Tags: e-learning, informal learningArchived version of this entry is available at http://blog.mathemagenic.com/2002/07/24.html#a67; comments are here.
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