Week 3

Session 1: Part of the process for understanding e-learning involves the examination of successful systems that are currently available. Khan Academy is a not-for-profit organization with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education for anyone anywhere. All of the site’s resources are available to anyone. It doesn’t matter if you are a student, teacher, home-schooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after 20 years, or a friendly alien just trying to get a leg up in earthly biology. Khan Academy’s materials and resources are available to you completely free of charge.

Learning Management System (LMS) Implementation Project
Install, configure, and develop content for a widely used Open Source LMS (we will be using eFront). eFront makes use of the LAMP architecture as described here.

1. Install eFront on your student webspace or comparable hosting.
2. Configure your implementation to suit the content you plan to create.
3. Develop a short module of course work within the system.
4. Prepare to present your implementation and content by session 2 of week 5.

Session 2: Why is there such an emphasis on technology in education? Is it simply that education has been using technology all along, but because technology is advancing so quickly it seems as though there is a greater emphasis now than in the past? What is the impact of mediating human interaction through machines? These questions are important to consider while researching e-learning. The following talk explains how technology helps children teach themselves.