The Random Thinker

In her excellent report, ‘E-learning 101′, Janet Clarey provides a very much needed resource for newcomers to the world of e-learning. The language used and the layout of this document makes it very easy to read and understand and includes a 16 page glossary.

By way of introduction Janet provides a brief history of e-learning and in that introduction we are told “Although e-learning has only been around since the 1960s, distance learning – which e-learning can be categorised as – has evolved over the past 100-150 years when study was offered via ‘post’.” (Clarey 2007, p.9)

This statement caused me to reflect on my own experiences and it got me thinking of life before computers, dvds, compact discs, videos and even television. (Yes I am that old !!!!!!). I am not the sort of person who can readily recall my very early years however whilst reflecting a random memory turned up.

I was lying in the lounge room as a preschooler (mid 1950s) listening to a radio program which consisted of New Australian women (that was the terminology in those days ‘Ethnic’ and ‘Multicultural’ were yet to be invented)  engaging in normal day to day conversations. I think they were run along the lines of modern day soap operas.

I believe the program was called ‘English for New Australians’ and it was aimed at the predominately Italian and Greek housewives to help them learn to speak English. I have contacted the ABC archives section to get more information but so far no replies. The Australian Sound and Film Archive centre does have a listing for one episode of this program which went to air on the 7th July 1951.

 My next memory of “e-learning” would have been in the late fifties early sixties in primary school. We used to have ABC songbooks and at certain times the radio would be brought into the classroom and across Australia thousands of schoolchildren would be ’singing’ their heads off learning great Australian songs.

Television has obviously played a major role in preschoolers education. I wonder how many kids learned to count from The Count from Sesame Street.

Another form of early e-learning was provided by records. Some years ago I was given a collection of ‘Learn to Speak French’ 78rpm records which date from the late 1940s.

So it can be seen that e-Learning has been part of the evolutionary process of ‘distance learning’. And as e-learning is evolving it is branching out into what may be termed the ‘traditional’ learning world. 

It is importat that as teachers/instructors we need to be part of this evolutionary process and wherever possible we should be seen as leaders, not followers.

References

Clarey, J. 2007, E-Learning 101: An Introduction to E-Learning, Learning Tools and Technologies, Brendon Hall Research, New York