Instruction from a teacher, a professional guide for personal learning, is practically impossible to replicate. The man or woman who does this work has an in-depth knowledge of the subject and has highly developed skills. The teacher applies the art and science of teaching thoughtfully, skillfully – during preparation and face-to-face encounters with the learner. Often described as a gifted teacher or coach, the genuine professional educator has a positive and lasting impact on development of a learner’s knowledge, skills and attitudes. This gift is unique to that person – the teacher – and is not transferable in any direct way to another individual. Almost everyone who has gone through the K-12 system, academy, college or university, sports and military training can name at least one teacher who has had that kind of pivotal influence on their life.
Yet, not everyone can be a gifted teacher. Not all knowledge and skills that a learner should master needs to be imparted by a live teacher, face-to-face with a learner. Historically, students of every discipline have relied on books, documents and materials of all kinds, and including the rich world of practical experience, for learning through application and disciplined self-study.
A Brief History of eLearning
For almost a hundred years in modern times, specialists in psychology, education, and information technology and now the Internet have been working to develop effective, self-paced systems that do not rely on a teacher to deliver instruction to learners. The result, generally referred to as “eLearning,” is a teaching/learning system that relies on electronic resources.
The Personal Computer (PC) era began in 1981 and enabled use of a suitcase-sized computer by an individual at their own pace, working in business, industry, school or at home.
In 1991 the World Wide Web became available to everyone, and this technology totally transformed the design and operation of computers, communication and learning.
Computers have shrunk in size and increased in capability to where now most of the work done on a PC or Mac can also be done through a Wi-Fi connection on a smartphone.
From 2010 onward there has been a large amount of dramatically different eLearning systems inspired by developments on the Internet, notably social media, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Face Time, Skype and iTunes U. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) enable unlimited learners to connect through the web with one another and the system, sharing information and learning from each other almost anywhere in the world. A web-based instruction delivery system provides features that can enliven the learning experience in multiple languages, and includes video, audio, graphics, text, closed captioning and interactivity. Today’s user-friendly eLearning systems offer benefits for teachers, educational programs and learners. And there is more to come.
Teaching and Technology
The same basic values for quality teaching from a live teacher face-to-face with a learner should guide the design, build and delivery of today’s eLearning courses. What provides the best learning experience in a situation? What promotes the learner’s long-term memory of essential knowledge and skills? What provides a positive, affective experience for the learner? The eLearning course should be an exciting, productive opportunity for self-directed learning.
Foresight believes that a gifted teacher is impossible to replace because of the incredible vitality and nurturance emanating from an authentic human being. The gifted teacher’s craft – part art and part science – prepares the next generation of learners for their world. Technology in the service of instruction – eLearning – is a valuable tool for learners to achieve their personal goals for self-improvement, certification, training and education overall. It provides self-paced learning that is not burdened by personal relations, and is accessible from anywhere at any time. Administrators of educational programs should provide comprehensive systems to learners that incorporate access to real teachers and eLearning.