E-Learning Week 1 - Reflection

1. What are the trends in e-learning and how do they influence online course design?

Main trends in e-learning are:

• Un-structured learning environment (no strict learning environment system).
• Web 2.0 usage in all aspects of e-learning (meaning weaving a social network of learners not keeping the content inside the iron walls of learning systems).
• Online participation either alone or groupwise, worldwide collaboration and teaching/learning.
• Virtual learning (Second Life), game-centered learning. 
• Mobile learning (M-learning).
• The possibility to filter and disseminate information, not only to find it.
• The possibility to give and get feedback from peers as well as facilitators.

New trends have made course design open and easily accessible. Courses are provided requirements, as well as pre-requirements if necessary; also grading system and materials are visible to all participants as well as outsiders.
Open courses let the students choose their own environments where they broadcast their procession of thoughts as well as get feedback from the facilitator and coursemates or strangers following their blogs. I also think that this is even better than just getting feedback from the closed group (which means smaller number of) students and lecturers. Groupwork is also provided in most of the courses in order to let the students collaborate and interact in order not to feel lonely or without peer feedback. Different means of collaboration are given by Web 2.0 devices which are mainly open source and freely available.
The learner is given a choice of technical means he or she decides to use for individual and group communication. And if those means are not provided, I believe that the student is wise enough to choose among his/her own means. Also lots of materials are accessible from the web, this means that a student has the choice of e-books versus paperback books.
In Estonia there are still some facilitators who do not approve of open learning systems, thus they keep their materials hidden, and accessible through one environment. I think that this kind of courses are aversive in essence, because all kinds of passwords and "locks" drive people away from the content.

I think current course and different Wikiversity courses follow almost the same trend of course design with some courses preferring "locked" environments with log in function. My experience has had both types of e-courses, but I prefer following the "open" ones.

2. What was the most important thing that you learned this week? What kind of questions/ideas/experiences this week’s activities raised for you?

I think the most important thing I learned was that there are theories behind this concept of e-learning (people tend to forget about theories when they are so involved in learning the subject). But as I got acquainted with these theories, the topic seemed familiar to me, since I have got the theory part from Tallinn Pedagogical University. I think I got some ideas for my own initiative in e-learning facilitator's role (while studying, I carry out e-lessons for French lessons, because there is no replacement for me at that time) and I plan on using them in my blog.
I also enjoy writing, and what does a person enjoy writing more than about him/herself, thus I was happy that there is another course that enables writing and blogging.