Technology Learning » Workforce

E-Learning As a Boost in Business Enterprises

admin — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:33:42 +0000

E-Learning which is the short for electronic learning found its way into our vocabulary about a decade ago. Prior to this time teaching requires the presence of a teacher and students in a physical classroom but further development revealed that this may not always be necessary for learning to take place.

The uses of pre-recorded voice of a teacher for some training session seem to serve the interest of some who still believe the teacher should still be used for imparting knowledge. This has changed tremendously recently as needs continue to place demands on educators on the need to change and apply different teaching and learning strategies for more efficient and effective results now that the global society is driven by technology.

WHY E-LEARNING IN BUSINESS

In business enterprises, one might wonder what is the immediate need for e-learning as a mean of staff training and as the workforce could attend regular schools, seminars, workshops etc to continuously update knowledge. The need for a company to continuously keep its workforce in current trends in knowledge and information in their area of services may increase production and profit yields. But is there any convenient way or another method whereby there may be no need to take study leave to have an update course? The best way as a school of thought suggested is to bring knowledge into the door steps of the workers in addition to making knowledge acquisition and skill improvement part of daily routine activities in which case training programmes could be designed as standalone e-learning solutions from the experiences gained at work where the entire workforce could enjoy flexible, accessible learning programmes. The company website could serve as a portal for such training approach. On the other hand effective e-learning tools could be developed to provide information and knowledge for everyday support for workers as an enhancement for their daily routine and activities. Any of the above approaches could provide opportunities for collaborative learning where collective activities and knowledge sharing are paramount. There may be a stage in development where learning materials could be a direct product of employees’ documented experiences rather than those products from e-learning experts.

NEEDS ANALYSIS

As good and convenient as e-learning is there is always need for analysis of the training needs of company staff. No mistake should be made in addressing the training needs of the workers in order to forestall misdirected energy that may not lead to increase in yields, production and profits of the company. Business thrives when the workforce has the relevant but sufficient knowledge to carry out day-to-day running of production processes. E-learning solution should therefore be aligned to support appropriate working and learning environment. “When the search for information and know-how is seen as business related while at the same time offers employees the possibility of personal and career development then the proper conditions for learning at work are in place. These conditions for learning are pre-requisite for the effective utilisation of e-learning resources” [Attwell, G (2003) in 'The challenge of e-learning in small enterprises': Cedefop Panaroma. pg 5 Series; 82]

INTEGRATED NETWORKS

No man is an island so goes a popular saying. Business enterprises are therefore required to form a network of learning establishments where inter-company exchanges of solution, idea, strategies and knowledge could be promoted. Collaborative activities in knowledge sharing and training could merge expertise in a manner that will promote mutual relationship and joint ventures that may lead to the manufacture of products that will supercede an existing one thought out and made by a single effort of a company through digital technologies interdependence, interconnectivity are made easier and flexible making it possible to promote integrated networks.

The world is a global village and only global thinking approach can bring the best in business enterprises. So we should not think narrowly but globally for more globally beneficial results.

By: Olufemi Olubodun

Benefits of Using Elearning Solutions in Training Dispersed Workforce

admin — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 03:58:42 +0000

Outsourcing business functions has been a common practice among companies of different sizes from small enterprises to those belonging to the Fortune 50 club. While this move could really improve the operations of companies, it could also bring some disadvantages when it comes to employee training and development. Since a company’s workforce is dispersed, the distance and time difference make streamlining the training approach and overall instruction methods more challenging for the training department. Global barriers such as language and culture could also be a caveat in training outsourced employees. These are just some of the problems that companies have to face in training workforce from different parts of the world. Fortunately, the advent of high technology learning has become so innovative that issues on distance and even cultural differences can already be solved.

With the rise of elearning solutions, companies these days need not worry about harnessing the skills of their employees even if they are dispersed in different parts of the world.

Accessibility

Through these technology-based course authoring tools, learning can take place virtually anywhere and anytime. No matter which part of the globe your employees are or what time zone they are under, there is still the possibility of conducting trainings and development courses since these technology based lessons can be done online. This makes it even more accessible for your workforce abroad.

Caters to Different Learning Needs and Types of Learners

Cultural and language barriers can contribute to the diversity of learning needs in a training scenario and elearning has been developed to meet this challenge. This technology-based mode of learning can be adjusted to match the learning styles and needs of a company’s dispersed staff, hence being more assured of the success of training sessions.

Solution to Affective Learning Issues

Learning is not only about cognition. The affective domain or the emotional and psychological aspect of learning also plays a major role in fossilizing knowledge and information among trainees. It is not enough that training be cognitively enticing for the learners. According to studies, learners absorb knowledge and skills better when they do not feel threatened by the learning environment or setup. These threats called affective filters like stress, fear of failure and poor motivation in learners usually present in conventional instruction can make instruction ineffective. Through this innovative training delivery, these affective filters can be eliminated since training modules are developed to match specific learning styles and needs. Learners can pace their own learning curve. This raises a trainee’s confidence and motivation to participate and actually absorb key information they need to improve their operation and productivity.

Cost-Effectiveness

Most companies turn to outsourcing skills for the sake of cost effectiveness and adapting an innovative online-based training will help businesses save in training costs and resources. They can also ensure a better training schedule that does not require interruption in regular working routines of remote staff and employees.

Improved Return on Investment.

Through the cutting edge technology elearning solutions, companies can accelerate and improve the learning curve of their employees in different parts of the country or the world. This will give companies the competitive edge, increased employee utilization and productivity, and faster ROI.

By: Don Robert

Technology Learning Conquered Traditional Learning in Schools

admin — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:19:44 +0000

Computers are in the schools. Whether they are in labs, in the library, in mobile pods, or in individual classrooms, the computers are there. But what will it take to ensure that these computers are used as high quality learning tools?

Today’s high-tech innovations will have little effect on education if schools adopt them without building “human infrastructure” that includes adequate training for teachers, proclaims the Benton Foundation in their recent report, The Learning Connection. Schools in the Information Age. So just what is “adequate training” for teachers?

According to more than 10 years of Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow research, to effectively integrate technology in education, teachers need to learn not only how to use computers, but specifically how to use computers for teaching and learning. At the same time the learning experiences being created by these educators must be re-examined, as technology changes both what is possible in the classroom, as well as what will be required of students when they graduate and join the workforce.

In 1991 the US Department of Labor issued What Work Requires of Schools, a SCANS Report for America 2000, The Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills, defining the skills and attributes essential for workforce success. To the traditional basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic, the report added listening and speaking, as well as decision making and problem solving. Beyond these basic skills, the report sited as vital the ability to identify, organize, plan, and allocate resources; to acquire, evaluate, and organize information; to work well with others; to understand complex inter-relationships; and to work with a variety of technologies.

Not only do educators need to learn to use computers, but they need to learn to integrate them into the learning experience in a way that fosters the development of this higher order skill set. In many cases, this requires fundamental changes in classroom practice. Seating students in rows and having them complete drill and practice exercises, whether on the computer or on a ditto page, is unlikely to accomplish the ambitious goals implied by the SCANS Report.

The vast majority of technology staff development programs have as their focus learning how to use individual software applications. Educators who have experienced this type of application training report that it does not have a significant impact on how they use technology in their teaching. That is, learning about the application itself does not translate into changing classroom practices, and thus has little or no impact on student learning.

When learning about technology is firmly rooted in the context of teaching, however, the results are quite promising. Using a technology staff development model created as a result of more than 10 years of research through the Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT), many school districts are seeing what happens when teachers are able to transfer their learning from the staff development experience into classroom practice.

In order to have a significant impact on classroom practice and ensure effective technology integration, schools and districts must make a significant investment in a coordinated approach to staff development like the model based on the ACOT research. Real change requires providing educators with a sequenced program of quality staff development experiences, along with followup and ongoing administrative support.

In Fulton County, Georgia, where they are in the second year of their technology staff development program based on the ACOT model, vanguard teams of teachers are serving as mentors within their schools, providing a model of effective technology integration for other teachers to follow. During the first year of the program these vanguard teachers participated in either four or six days of technology integration training offered through Apple Staff Development.

During the two-day training sessions the vanguard team members experienced firsthand what it is like to engage in an integrated lesson with technology, while the course facilitator modeled an effective style of teaching in a technology-enriched, engaged learning environment. Technology skills were acquired in context. The learners (in this case the teachers in the staff development course, but it could as easily have been a group of students) were highly motivated to learn the technology skills to complete their projects, and the relevance of the technology learning was immediately evident.

Building on the experience of participating in an effective lesson, the vanguard team members reflected on what they had learned and how they could apply their insights to designing integrated lessons of their own. On the second day, they were given the opportunity to redesign a favorite unit of instruction, integrating technology. Upon returning to their classrooms, these redesigned units provided an initial opportunity to experience integrating technology in their teaching. As they experienced the effectiveness of this new way of teaching, the redesign of other units followed.

Over the course of the first year of the program, these vanguard team members became increasingly comfortable with integrating technology within their own classrooms and prepared themselves to serve as role models to other teachers. Now in the second year of the program, Fulton County is both expanding its vanguard team by providing the integration training to additional teachers, while at the same time empowering the trained vanguard teachers to share what they have learned with their colleagues.

This seeding approach, having at least two teachers in every school who can serve as mentors to their peers on site, has proven effective in motivating teachers to take the risk and make the personal investment required to effectively integrate technology into the classroom.

The CEO Forum on Education and Technology’s Star Chart establishes a “target technology” level for all schools to strive for that would give students regular and consistent access to technology to use as needed to support their learning endeavors, and have educators using technology to access information, communicate with students and parents, and for administrative tasks. They challenge all schools to achieve this target level by the year 2005.

We won’t get there simply by putting computers in schools, nor by training teachers on how to use software applications. True technology integration requires supporting and training educators in instructional models that effectively integrate technology. It requires that teachers have professional development programs in which they can experience effective use of technology in service of teaching and learning, and that they receive the support required to modify their own teaching practices to replicate these models. Once the majority of teachers have their students using technology to gather, analyze and publish information, as well as collaborate on projects, we will know that technology is truly a tool for teaching and learning. At this point we will be taking advantage of the opportunity technology presents to prepare our students to become successful knowledge workers of the future.

By: Mathew Simond