Etherpad - can it be so easy?

I had a good e-learning experience today!
Everybody always asks one - how does e-Learning make one's life easier?
Well Etherpad (www.etherpad.com) did the trick today.

A lecturer (1st year Chemisty) asked me on e-mail what technology I would suggest for getting students to work collaboratively in groups, planning a research project on Sterling water. At first my usual reactions came out: do it on a forum. But then I remembered a little programme I explored a year or so ago - Etherpad.
I suggested a plan to the lecturer, who subsequently invited me to his class later in the day to share my "big plan" with his students. A few words on working collaboratively in groups, how Etherpad can help, and a short demonstration, even I was amazed at the potential of this technology. The recipe I suggested was as follows:

1. After dividing into groups, one group member goes to www.etherpad.com and creates a public pad.
2. Then goes to Webstudies (the LMS) and in a pre-setup discussion forum - he/she published the webaddress of the public pad.
3. All the group members find the address there and make their way to the Pad.
4. They can then write and collaborate in "really" real time and work on their proposal.
5. When finished, they can export the document to Word or PDF and use it for their presentation.

I also told them about Google docs (http://docs.google.com) that can do the same, but with a little more effort (and not such immediate immediacy) than Etherpad. Images are better dealt with in Googledocs - but for now I want Etherpad to bask in its glory.

The best way it to test it out. Go to www.etherpad.com, create your own public pad and invite someone to write with you (literally).

Roadmaps and e-Learning (or stop and ask for directions!)

I do like Thom Kuhlman's Rapid e-Learning Blog very much. He teaches e-Learning from a very solid kiss (keep it simple "stupid") perspective. His views are simple but powerful, easy but with flair. Judging from the comments on almost all his posts, his advice to the rapid e-Learning community is acknowledged and appreciated.

In his newest post "A roadmap for building an E-Learning course, he is at his best talking about a three stage "design" process. Since we are incorporating the Addie model, I find it useful to also look at other perspectives that might also enhance your understanding of the design process. In this model he breaks the course into three chunks (Kuhlman Feb 2010):

• Visual design: determine the look and feel of the course
• Information design: determine what content belongs in the course
• Activity design: how the learner applies or interacts with the course content

 In one comment a reader asked about Assessment design (from a more educational perspective) as a possible fourth chunk.

What do you think? Is this way more helpful to getting started on your own e-Learning project? Have you tried it? Please let us know how you think it could be relevant to HSE e-Learning.

Hello 2010 2nd years!

Please "comment" on this post, and tell us your name, as well as the webaddress of your blog.

Module orientation today

I must say, I really look forward to the contact session later today with the Mphil Year 2 students. Busy preparing the hand-outs and flow of the session.
The thing with e-learning is that one can get carried away by it so quickly!
So many new and wonderful tools and educational ideas as technology grows and matures.