e-learning - future of education?

Saturday, September 02, 2006

e-learning hardware - short overview

The last element of successful e-learning system are hardware devices that support it. From the side of e-learning company/organization it is important to provide sufficient server infrastructure, capacity and data transfer. But that can be easy and is not discussed here.

To start e-learning operations we must also find out if our learners are ready to e-learning; are they equipped with necessary devices.

Maybe all bellowed devices are so obvious for many of us (PC, mp3player) but describing them I just wanted to pointed out how common they are today.

Laptop (desktop)
It is obvious that computer is one of the main device use in e-learning. In 2005 (most recent official data) 40% of polish houses (not people) had a computer (comparing to 36% in 2004). 30% had a internt connection. What is much more optimistic to e-learning - computer was in 56% (internet 38%) houses with at least one child.

Despite it is not so good achievement it shows that more then half of potential polish e-learning (in terms of school education) clients have possibility to e-learn! I think that time for e-learning really comes..

Statistic data about internet and computer according to polish Central Statistic Offices:
2005 polish only
2004 English only


mp3 players, mp4 players

Polish gadget of the year 2005! How can it be useful is obvious. I wonder while publishers do not start making podcasts with some parts of textbooks that would be easy to download and listen with mobile devices...
I can also imagine the educational web page that allow students share or publish their more or less professional podcasts.

Sony reader

Lets look a little bit in the future...
Sony corporation design in my opinion very nice and very user-eyes-friendly (as they describe) reader that allows to store many ebooks and read them easily. In my opinion it doesn't matter how many ebooks can it store, how much does it cost? The main think is that book can be read from much more user-friendly and mobile and pocket devices. As we know that it is not the problem of technology but rather starting mass production - then the prices will go down rapidly.

Reading from the Sony® Reader is unlike reading from any other digital device you've ever seen. Its breakthrough electronic paper technology provides clarity and resolution that rival paper itself. The 6-incscreenn1 is as easy to read in full daylight as indoors, and can be viewed from nearly any angle. Forgot your reading glasses? Enlarge text up to 200%. It's the way on-screen reading was always meant to be a book-like.
More you can find here


Other display technology
The problem of development of e-books (as a part of e-learning) is still the fact that paper is more user-friendly than any screen. From other side, individual printing of e-books is much more expensive then commercial printing. Printing on demad describedibed in post Publication on demand - the bridge between paper and e-book ) is a solution that in some situation mausefulfull but still make costs of printing. E-ink development is still in progress but also still in immature...Looks we have to wait a couple of years...

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