QuickLinks - e-Learning

recent items

Issue no. 384 - 24 February 2008

• Social networking in the classroom?! (NetFamilyNews)
  There was a debate going on recently over at The Economist - the house believes that social networking technologies will bring large [positive] changes to educational methods, in and out of the classroom., and the pro-social-networking side won.

Issue no. 383 - 27 January 2008

• UK - Teachers voice plagiarism fears (BBC)
  More than half of teachers believe internet plagiarism is a serious problem among sixth-form students, a teaching union survey suggests. The 58% of 278 teachers who identified it as a problem said they thought 25% of work returned by pupils included material copied from internet sites.

Issue no. 375 - 9 May 2007

• UK - BBC suspends net learning project (BBC)
  The BBC Trust has announced it is to suspend the online education service, BBC Jam, pending a review. It follows complaints from commercial online companies to the European Commission about the £150m project. They say the service, designed as a learning resource for children aged five to 16 in support of the national curriculums, damages their businesses.

Issue no. 369 - 5 November 2006

• UK - Open University offers free e-learning (Silicon News)
  OpenLearn will allow anyone across the world to access, download and use the OU's educational resources for free. The online learning material is taken from Open University courses and uses technologies including videoconferencing, mind maps and instant messaging to get teachers and students interacting and learning.

Issue no. 357 - 26 March 2006

• UK - Ofcom publishes media literacy audit (out-law.com)
  Ofcom has published the results of a survey assessing the extent of media literacy in the UK. It finds that media platforms are seen mainly in 'traditional' terms, with little widespread recognition of their wider digital functions.

Issue no. 355 - 5 February 2006

• UK - TV bedfellows upset teachers (Guardian)
  The first dedicated teachers' TV channel, established to provide information and guidance to the country's teachers, has complained to Ofcom after its output of lesson plans and topical discussions was moved to nestle among Sky's soft porn and dating channels.

Issue no. 354 - 31 January 2006

• EU - A pan-European virtual community (RAPID)
  Mr Ján Figel´, Member of the European Commission responsible for Education, training, culture and multilingualism. Welcome address to the eTwinning conference; Linz, 13 January 2006.

Issue no. 353 - 15 January 2006

• EU - A pan-European virtual community (RAPID)
  Mr Ján Figel´, Member of the European Commission responsible for Education, training, culture and multilingualism. Welcome address to the eTwinning conference; Linz, 13 January 2006.

Issue no. 343 - 4 September 2005

• EU - e-Learning Policy Indicators 2005 study (Europa)
  Call for Tender. e-Learning Policy Indicators 2005 study. see also Invitation to Tender, Terms of Reference, Service Contract. These documents are obtainable until 9th September and the last date for submission of offers is 15th September.

Issue no. 338 - 7 May 2005

• US - MIT students pull prank on conference (Reuters)
  In a victory for pranksters at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a bunch of computer-generated gibberish masquerading as an academic paper has been accepted at a scientific conference. Jeremy Stribling and two fellow MIT graduate students questioned the standards of some academic conferences, so they wrote a computer program to generate research papers complete with 'context-free grammar,' charts and diagrams.

Issue no. 332 - 22 February 2005

• US - Teaching Students to Swim in the Online Sea (New York Times)
  Information literacy seems to be a phrase whose time has come. Last month, the Educational Testing Service announced that it had developed a test to measure students' ability to evaluate online material. That suggested an official recognition that the millions spent to wire schools and universities is of little use unless students know how to retrieve useful information from the oceans of sludge on the Web.

Issue no. 325 - 28 November 2004

• UK - Doubts about school computer use (BBC)
  Students who use computers a lot at school have worse maths and reading performance, research suggests. Those using computers several times a week performed 'sizeably and statistically significantly worse' than those who used them less often.

Issue no. 317 - 22 August 2004

• USA - Back-to-School Issue: When Gadgets Get in the Way (New York Times)
  Now that computers are a staple in schools around the country, perhaps the machines should come with a warning label for teachers: 'Beware: Students may no longer hear a word you say.' Teachers have started to fight back. All agree that the best weapon against attention deficit is the same one that worked before the dawn of computers: strong teaching. But new strategies don't hurt, either. Some teachers have found, in fact, that the best defense against the distractions of technology is other technology. Here are five examples of teachers who are fighting fire with fire. see also In the Classroom, Web Logs Are the New Bulletin Boards.

Issue no. 313 - 13 June 2004

• UK - 'Shameful waste' on e-university (BBC)
  A Labour MP has condemned a failed online degree scheme as a 'shameful waste' of tens of millions of pounds of public money. Dr Ian Gibson, who chairs the science and technology committee at the Commons, called the UK's e-university 'an absolute disaster'. The online university - called UKeU - was set up a year ago but failed to attract enough students. The plug was pulled on it in February and it is being quietly dismantled.

Issue no. 312 - 6 June 2004

• UK - Latin set for schools comeback (BBC News)
  Latin is being made available to thousands of pupils across the UK, even if there is no specialist teacher in their school. And gone are the days of wading through Julius Caesar's accounts of his Gallic wars. Pupils now get to read about the exploits of 'wheeler-dealer' Caecilius who manages to offends his wife by buying the prettiest girl available at a slave market and Grumio the cook who is in and out of affairs. The Cambridge Online Latin Project, which has been tested by 2,000 pupils aged 12 and upwards over the past four years, is being rolled out nationally in September.

Issue no. 311 - 31 May 2004

• UK - 'Plagiarist' to sue university (BBC)
  A student who admits down-loading material from the internet for his degree plans to sue his university for negligence. Michael Gunn claims his university should have warned him his actions were against the regulations.

Issue no. 310 - 16 May 2004

• UK - 'Big improvement' in ICT teaching (BBC)
  There have been big improvements in the teaching of information and communication technology (ICT) in schools, Ofsted has said. England's schools' watchdog said there had been many advances since 1997. It highlighted the fact ICT resources in English schools now compared well with those of schools elsewhere. However, its report said the government's aim of 'embedding' ICT in the curriculum, rather than teaching it separately, is not yet a reality.

• Teachers pool computer knowhow (BBC)
  Teachers from across Europe have met to swap ideas on the best use of technology in the classroom. In the first of what is planned as an annual forum, 100 teachers from 45 countries met to discuss innovations in the use of ICT in schools. The event - called the Forum for Innovative Teachers - is part of a scheme to build a community of teachers for sharing ideas and practices. It was organised by the computer giant, Microsoft.

Issue no. 278 - 10 August 2003

• DE - Kultusminister sucht Sponsoren für Internet im Unterricht (Heise)
  Wegen der desolaten Haushaltslage will sich das Land Niedersachen aus der Finanzierung des Projektes n-21 -- Schulen in Niedersachsen online zurückziehen. Kultusminister Bernd Busemann hofft daher auf größere Unterstützung privater Sponsoren für das Anfang 2000 noch unter der früheren Landesregierung gestartete Aktionsprogramm. Um die Schulen im Land auch künftig mit Internet oder Multimedia auszustatten und innovative Konzepte zu fördern, sei das Engagement von Handel und Handwerk, Unternehmen und Freiberuflern unerlässlich.

Issue no. 260 - 23 February 2003

• EU - eLearning: Commission launches website for information and exchange (RAPID)
  The European Commission has launched its website on eLearning.This portal will provide not only information on Community initiative in this field, such as the eLearning programme (2004-2006), but also links with national initiatives, both public and private, and contributions from experts on subjects ranging from "eLiteracy" to the situation in the candidate countries. see also Education policy in a globalized world and Is e-learning going mainstream? by Viviane REDING, Member of the European Commission responsible for Education and Culture. Combating digital illiteracy, promoting virtual campuses and virtual twinning ofschools: the e-learning programme's aims (2004-2006).

Issue no. 256 - 18 January 2003

• UK - BBC to give away school syllabus online (Guardian)
  The government has given the BBC the green light to spend £150m to put the national curriculum on to the internet, sparking anger among firms already manufacturing interactive teaching materials. The project, called the Digital Curriculum, will use licence fee payers' money to make large parts of the school syllabus available online, free of charge, for pupils in school and at home. Jowell approves BBC curriculum plan.

Issue no. 255 - 6 January 2003

• Professors Vie With Web for Class's Attention (New York Times)
  Universities are rushing toward a wireless future, installing networks that let students and the faculty surf the Internet from laptop computers in the classroom, in the library or by those ponds that always seem to show up on the cover of the campus brochure. But professors say the technology poses a growing challenge for them: retaining their students' attention.

Issue no. 247 - 19 October 2002

• Langenscheidt: Privatkunden wollen nicht für E-Learning zahlen (Heise)
  Langenscheidt will vorerst kein E-Learning per Internet für Endverbraucher anbieten. Privatleute seien derzeit nicht bereit, für solche Bildungsangebote zu zahlen. Langenscheidt habe unter anderem Sprach- und Nachschlageliteratur sowie entsprechende Software im Programm und konzentriere sich mit E-Learning-Angeboten auf Firmenkunden, bei denen ein "erheblicher Bedarf" vorhanden sei.

Issue no. 246 - 29 September 2002

• US - Learn for free online (BBC)
  Over the next 10 years, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will move all its existing coursework on to the internet in a project called OpenCourseWare (OCW) . The first group of courses are set to be published on the internet on 30 September, including subjects like anthropology, biology, chemistry and computer science. There will be no online degrees for sale, however. Instead, it will offer thousands of pages of information, available to anyone around the globe at no cost, as well as hours and hours of streaming video lectures, seminars and experiments

Issue no. 244 - 7 September 2002

• Is our children learning? (Red Herring)
  After hundreds of exhaustive studies, there remains no conclusive proof that technology in the classroom actually helps to teach students. In fact, in some cases it hinders learning. And even if there is a benefit, the amount of money and resources being expended to put technology into the classroom does not match the current or expected benefit.

Issue no. 243 - 31 August 2002

• US - Wanted: Web-Savvy Schooling (Washington Post)
  Tech-savvy middle and high school students say they are increasingly frustrated with the way the Internet is - or, more aptly, isn't - being used in their education. A study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that students are independently using the Internet for a variety of educational activities but do not think their schools take full advantage of the Web as a teaching tool. The Digital Disconnect (Pew Internet & American Life Project) The widening gap between Internet-savvy students and their schools. see also Ghosts of Classrooms Past: A Web Teaching Tool Languishes (New York Times).

Issue no. 236 - 8 June 2002

• EU - The Commission backs generalisation of school twinning via the Internet (RAPID)
  Drawn up for the Seville European Council, the report adopted by the European Commission and under the responsibility of Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Education and Culture, proposes that by the end of 2006 each of the 150 000 secondary schools in the European Union concludes an Internet twinning agreement with one or more schools in other Member States, or even in third countries as part of the dialogue between cultures.

Issue no. 232 - 28 April 2002

• EU - European Commission to encourage public-private partnerships in education (RAPID)
  In promoting the implementation of e-learning in Europe, Viviane Reding, Member of the Commission with responsibility for Education and Culture, welcomed the launch of the eLearning Industry Group. The Group, which has been established at the initiative of 15 leading companies, will assist the Commission and Member State Governments in furthering the objectives of the Commission's eLearning Action Plan. The 15 founding members of the e-learning Industry Group are : 3Com, Accenture, Apple, BT, Cisco, Digitalbrain, IBM, Intel, Line Communications, NIIT, Nokia, Online Courseware Factory, Sanoma WSOY, Sun Microsystems and Vivendi Universal Publishing.

• France - Label «école de l'internet» (internet.gouv.fr)
  Le décret relatif à la délivrance du label "école de l'internet" est publié au Journal officiel. Ce label est destiné à faire émerger un réseau national "d'écoles de l'internet" dédié à la formation aux technologies et aux applications de l'internet dans l'ensemble des secteurs économiques.

Issue no. 227 - 10 March 2002

• Deutschland - Lernen im Netz: Die Universitäten und die Online-Studiengänge (Heise)
  Die deutschen Hochschulen gehen verstärkt ins Netz. Zu den herkömmlichen Angeboten treten immer mehr Studiengänge, die per Computer absolviert werden können. Chatrooms und elektronische Diskussionsforen ersetzen die Diskussion im Seminar, Übungsblätter gibt es per Download, die Betreuung erfolgt per E-Mail. Die Universitäten Erlangen-Nürnberg und Trier testen sogar seit rund einem Jahr die Abfrage von Prüfungsergebnissen per WAP-Handy.

Issue no. 225 - 24 February 2002

• Russia - Nation's Schools to Get PCs, Internet (Moscow Times)
  If the Education Ministry has its way, by the autumn of this year, every child in every school in every village in Russsia will have access to a personal computer and the Internet. On Feb. 28, the ministry will announce an open tender to install the computers, the second part of a nationwide project that is part of the broader Children of Russia program.

Issue no. 223 - 10 February 2002

• UK - Ex-Blue Peter editor slams BBC's digital learning plans (netimperative)
  The former editor of Blue Peter is to spearhead a new pressure group protesting at the BBC’s plans to "dominate" digital learning delivery to children in the UK. Lewis Bronze, chairman of Choice for Schools and CEO of Espresso Education, said the proposals by the BBC for a new digital curriculum in September 2000 would limit the choices available to schools developing their online learning plans.

Issue no. 217 - 16 December 2001

• UK - £50m for online school resources (Guardian)
  Tony Blair today launched a £50m scheme to help teachers in England bring internet materials into the classroom and motivate pupils. Curriculum Online is billed as the world's first partnership between government, leading public/private broadcasters and software producers to provide materials for every curriculum subject.

Issue no. 214 - 23 November 2001

• EU - eSchola 2002 Launch (Press Release)
  eSchola 2002, an online festival of eLearning taking place from 8 April to 9 May 2002, was officially launched at the Salon de l'Education in Paris, France. It is organised in collaboration between European Schoolnet and the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education and Culture.

Issue no. 210 - 14 October 2001

• EU - School Net Use Growing, But Still Needs Investment (Newsbytes)
  Internet usage in Europe's schools is growing, but there are still wide differences between different countries, a report just published by the European Union says. The "Eurobarometer" report, which took in responses from schools across Europe between February and May, see eEurope 2002 benchmarking - European youth into the digital age (European Commission) Staff working document

Issue no. 209 - 1 October 2001

• France - Internet va-t-il démanteler l'école? (Le Monde)
  L'e-learning accélère la mondialisation et la marchandisation de l'offre éducative, et menace les enseignements de service public. Mais le gouvernement, éducation nationale en tête, prépare sa riposte.

Issue no. 207 - 18 September 2001

• British schools flocking to Net (MSNBC)
  British schools are flocking to the Internet and gearing up to let their pupils surf the Web in droves, according to a government report.

• Elearning to thrive in Europe (NUA)
  IDC has forecast that the European elearning market will be worth nearly USD6 billion by 2005.

Issue no. 206 - 3 September 2001

• UK - Internet porn 'is threat to teachers' (Schoolsnet)
  Pupils in the region are "seriously jeopardising" the careers of their teachers by creating pornographic images of them and putting them on the internet, a union has warned. In a prank which is proving increasingly popular, children are downloading pornography from the Internet or scanning in pictures from magazines and pasting on their teachers' faces.

• USA - Back to School (Wired)
  What's new in school these days? What isn't! Technology isn't creeping into the school systems, it's advancing like a tidal wave. Campuses are going wireless. Students are downloading texts to their laptops. Preschoolers are more tech savvy than their parents. Cheaters are finding new ways to prosper.

• USA - Take-Home Test: Adding PC's to Book Bags (New York Times)
  Given the advances in wireless networks and the news that some laptops now cost little more than $1,000 each, the push to outfit students with computers has taken on an inexorable logic of its own.

Issue no. 203 - 19 July 2001

• High-Definition Television Could Change Telecourses and Online Learning (Chronicle of Higher Edication)
  Within a few years, specialized telecourses that make use of high-definition television, or HDTV, will be delivered over high-speed networks like Internet2. But some institutions whose students could benefit from advanced television technology may not have the network capacity to receive the courses.

• Germany - Schulen ans Netz: Internet spielt im Unterricht Nebenrolle (ZDNet DE)
  Förderverein zieht zum fünfjährigen Bestehen Zwischenbilanz: "Experimentierfreude stärker fördern"

Issue no. 201 - 26 June 2001

• eEurope and eLearning (RAPID)
  Erkki LIIKANEN, Member of the European Commission responsible for Enterprise and the Information Society, Seminar "Education and Public Service Broadcasting in the Digital Age", Helsinki, 15 June 2001

Issue no. 197 - 21 May 2001

• USA - Government Internet Subsidy Stretched to Its Limits (New York Times)
  School and library requests for discounted Internet connections and wiring are now far outstripping the resources available for the e-rate program, forcing federal officials to revisit how the funds are distributed.

Issue no. 196 - 15 May 2001

• Europe Morphs Into 'Knowledge Society' (Newsbytes)
  Sharing and using key knowledge are the foundation stones of electronic learning in the knowledge society, said Erkii Liikanen, the European Commission (EC) member responsible for the Enterprise and the Information Society. Speaking at the EC's eLearning summit in La Hulpe, Liikanen said that Europe is currently undergoing an important transformation.

• Mise en oeuvre de eLearning (RAPID)
  Viviane Reding, Membre de la Commission européenne responsable de l'Education et de la Culture, eLearning Summit, La Hulpe, 10 mai 2001.

Issue no. 195 - 8 May 2001

• eSchola week 7-11.05.2001 (European Schoolnet)
  eSchola is about learning from each other, working together and celebrating success using new information and communication technologies in Europe's classrooms. It involves reaching out across Europe, and teaming up with others during the eSchola week and for years to come.

• MIT To Post Most Course Materials On The Web (Newsbytes)
  In a step which it said challenges the privatization of knowledge, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced plans to make the materials for nearly all its courses freely available on the Web over the next 10 years.

• 'Professor, the Wireless Web Ate My Homework, I Swear' (New York Times)
  Colleges have rushed to join the wireless movement, installing invisible networks that enable students to use their laptops to go online during class. But do wireless networks help students learn? Research by two Cornell University professors sounds a cautionary note.

more items

QuickLinks consists of

• a free newsletter appearing approximately every two to three weeks. The newsletter is distributed by electronic mail through an "announcement only" mailing list.
• a Web site with frequent updates, an events page, news items organised by category as well as chronologically by issue and full text search.