Internet: E-learning
July 14, 2008 – 8:58 pm
What is e-learning?
E-learning or Electronic Learning is the use of computer and internet technology in any type of education. With the help of e-learning technologies, people can learn anything, anytime and anywhere they wish. There are different methods for e- learning such as; self-paced courses, audio and video conferencing, virtual classrooms, instant messaging and application sharing and shared white board. There are lots of internet sites which can provide you e- learning materials but most them are not free. You need to pay to get a membership and then you have access to limitless sources of materials. Some people may think that it would not work like the traditional classroom education system, but it can be as beneficial as the classroom learning and even more.
By the year 2006, the number of the students participating e-learning courses was estimated to be around 3.5 million and the worldwide online learning industry, which has been growing day by day, is thought to worth over 38 billion Euros. Computer- based learning is another term that you would possibly come across in e-learning. Computer- based learning refers to the use of computers as the medium of education, which is mostly conducted with CD-Roms.
People mostly use e-learning programmes to learn languages. Of course, they are not used only for learning languages; there are too many subject fields that are taught with e-learning technologies.
There are a lot of e-materials to provide efficient language learning through internet or computer technology. Language learning laboratories are very common in schools. There are also lessons on YouTube. Some of them are taken from online learning sites, some of them are added by individuals and some are very interesting and fruitful and funny most of the time. I can recommend a site for the ones who want to learn Spanish online: studyspanish.com. The site includes some free sample lessons. That is, you can see the lessons without having a membership. You can see the free stuff by clicking on “show me the free stuff” button on the main page. The free resources include pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary tutorial, verb drills, travel helper, cultural notes, word-a-day and more. The exercises are audio-visual and very colourful, which makes it easy and fun to learn. If you get a membership, you will have access to all of the lessons in the site. It is not the online site that promises you an efficient and funny way to learn a language on the internet; there are hundreds of similar sites. Especially the sites which aim to teach mathematics in an easier way are very popular.
E-learning systems will be more common as the technology advances. What makes it attractive is that you can learn whatever you want to learn at any time and you have the chance to proceed at your own pace. It is not a problem if you do not understand a thing, all you have to do is to get back and restudy the lesson. Easy and smart way to learn a language or whatever you want to learn, isn’t it? Enjoy the advantages of technology and keep informed!