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Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
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Searching... | 30000010053543 | HF5549.5.T7 H67 2003 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
A comprehensive guide to help you cut through the hype in order to select the best E-Learning tools and vendors for your specific needs
With its ability to both reduce operating costs and train more people, E-Learning is an attractive option for companies that are trying to balance business and educational goals. But in order to implement an E-Learning program, you′ll have to wade through hundreds of learning management systems, learning content management systems, authoring schools, and collaboration environments to determine what solution will work best for your situation.
In this in-depth book, recognized E-Learning experts William and Katherine Horton survey the entire field of E-Learning tools for you. They provide you with a systematic way to identify, evaluate, and choose products and services based on different E-Learning scenarios.
In this no-holds barred look at E-Learning tools, the authors:
∗ Arm you with a complete list of questions to ask vendors before you commit to a product
∗ Describe product limitations throughout each chapter and include special Rant sections that you must read
∗ Present tips and tricks as well as common mistakes to avoid
∗ List potential vendors and contact information by tool category
The companion Web site contains design forms, checklists of features to look for in the various tool categories, spreadsheets, and lists of specific tools and vendors.
Author Notes
William Horton is President of William Horton Consulting
Katherine Horton is Vice President of William Horton Consulting
Table of Contents
FAQ about this book | p. iii |
Who is this book for? | p. iii |
Is this just more hype? | p. v |
What's special about this book? | p. v |
What about a Web site? | p. vi |
Tools and technologies for e-learning | p. 1 |
1 People first | p. 3 |
Participants and processes | p. 3 |
What do they need? | p. 5 |
Target learners' technology | p. 6 |
What can you let others do? | p. 10 |
Now what? | p. 12 |
2 Types of e-learning and the technologies required | p. 13 |
Learner-led e-learning | p. 14 |
Facilitated e-learning | p. 16 |
Instructor-led e-learning | p. 18 |
Embedded e-learning | p. 20 |
Telementoring and e-coaching | p. 22 |
What now? | p. 23 |
3 Categories of tools | p. 25 |
Levels and tasks | p. 25 |
Categories of software tools | p. 29 |
What now? | p. 32 |
Hardware and networks | p. 33 |
4 Hardware for e-learning | p. 35 |
What to look for in hardware | p. 35 |
Other factors in picking hardware | p. 61 |
Server hardware | p. 64 |
What now? | p. 65 |
5 Networks for e-learning | p. 67 |
In the beginning was SneakerNet | p. 67 |
Types of networks | p. 68 |
Private networks | p. 70 |
Connecting to the Internet | p. 77 |
The wonder of TCP/IP | p. 83 |
Connecting external users to your intranet | p. 88 |
Wireless network connections | p. 90 |
Computing network speed | p. 92 |
What now? | p. 96 |
Tools for accessing e-learning | p. 97 |
6 Web browsers | p. 99 |
What is a Web browser? | p. 100 |
How does a browser work? | p. 100 |
All browsers are the same, right? | p. 103 |
Popular Web browsers | p. 108 |
Choosing a browser | p. 115 |
Alternatives to standard browser programs | p. 124 |
What now? | p. 128 |
7 Media players and viewers | p. 129 |
What is a media player? | p. 129 |
How does a media player work? | p. 130 |
Players for audio and video | p. 131 |
Viewers for proprietary content | p. 133 |
Choosing media players for e-learning | p. 137 |
Making players easier to use | p. 144 |
Alternatives to media players | p. 144 |
What now? | p. 145 |
Tools for offering e-learning | p. 147 |
8 Web servers | p. 149 |
Why you need to know about Web servers | p. 149 |
What Web servers offer | p. 150 |
How Web servers work | p. 152 |
Quick tour of a Web server | p. 156 |
Popular Web-server software | p. 160 |
Choosing a Web server | p. 163 |
Alternatives to Web server software | p. 166 |
What now? | p. 167 |
9 Learning management systems | p. 169 |
What an LMS does | p. 169 |
LMS vs. LCMS vs. virtual-school system | p. 170 |
Quick tour of an LMS | p. 172 |
How an LMS works | p. 175 |
LMS products | p. 176 |
Choosing an LMS | p. 179 |
Alternatives to an LMS | p. 187 |
What now? | p. 188 |
10 Learning content management systems | p. 189 |
What an LCMS does | p. 189 |
Quick tour of an LCMS | p. 190 |
How an LCMS works | p. 194 |
Popular LCMS products | p. 196 |
Choosing an LCMS | p. 197 |
Alternatives to an LCMS | p. 205 |
What now? | p. 205 |
11 Collaboration tools | p. 207 |
How collaboration tools work | p. 207 |
Collaboration tools and capabilities | p. 210 |
Online meeting tools | p. 239 |
Collaboration clients | p. 246 |
Choosing collaboration tools | p. 247 |
What now? | p. 251 |
12 Virtual-school systems | p. 253 |
What virtual-school systems do | p. 253 |
Quick tour of a virtual-school system | p. 254 |
How virtual-school systems work | p. 256 |
Popular virtual-school systems | p. 257 |
Choosing a virtual-school system | p. 258 |
Alternatives to virtual-school systems | p. 263 |
What now? | p. 263 |
13 Media servers | p. 265 |
What media servers do | p. 265 |
Quick tour of a media server | p. 266 |
How media servers work | p. 268 |
What media servers require | p. 270 |
Popular media servers | p. 271 |
Choosing a media server | p. 272 |
Alternatives to media servers | p. 274 |
What now? | p. 274 |
Tools for creating e-learning content | p. 277 |
14 Course authoring tools | p. 279 |
What course authoring tools do | p. 280 |
Quick tour of a course authoring tool | p. 280 |
How course authoring tools work | p. 284 |
Popular course authoring tools | p. 285 |
Alternatives to standard course authoring tools | p. 292 |
Choosing an authoring tool | p. 296 |
What now? | p. 304 |
15 Web site authoring tools | p. 305 |
Why create e-learning with Web site tools? | p. 306 |
Quick tour of a Web site authoring tool | p. 306 |
How Web site authoring tools work | p. 310 |
Popular Web site authoring tools | p. 310 |
Alternatives to Web site authoring tools | p. 313 |
Capabilities needed for e-learning | p. 314 |
Blogging tools | p. 318 |
Related tools | p. 324 |
What now? | p. 325 |
16 Testing and assessment tools | p. 327 |
How testing tools work | p. 328 |
Quick tour of a testing tool | p. 328 |
Popular testing tools | p. 330 |
Alternatives to testing tools | p. 334 |
Choosing testing tools | p. 335 |
What now? | p. 338 |
17 Media editors | p. 341 |
A little strategy first | p. 342 |
Multimedia tools | p. 346 |
Graphics tools | p. 353 |
Animation tools | p. 362 |
Alternatives to animation tools | p. 364 |
Audio tools | p. 367 |
Video tools | p. 372 |
Virtual world tools | p. 377 |
Media utilities | p. 381 |
To find more media editing tools | p. 383 |
What now? | p. 383 |
18 Content converters | p. 385 |
How content converters work | p. 386 |
Quick tour of a converter tool | p. 386 |
Converters for PowerPoint | p. 389 |
Converters for Microsoft Word | p. 394 |
Acrobat: General-purpose document converter | p. 399 |
File converters and batch processors | p. 400 |
Alternatives to converters | p. 400 |
What now? | p. 401 |
Picking tools and technologies | p. 403 |
19 Strategies for picking technologies | p. 405 |
Overview of a strategy | p. 405 |
Set your technology goals | p. 407 |
Form a team | p. 411 |
Identify needed categories of tools | p. 412 |
Set policies | p. 415 |
Pick tools | p. 423 |
Get money | p. 424 |
Buy | p. 426 |
Implement | p. 430 |
What now? | p. 432 |
20 Picking tools | p. 433 |
Steps in selecting products | p. 433 |
Recruit others to help you | p. 434 |
List and rank required capabilities | p. 435 |
Compile a list of candidates | p. 437 |
Evaluate products | p. 440 |
Pick a product | p. 442 |
What if no product meets your requirements? | p. 443 |
Common blunders in picking tools | p. 445 |
How much diligence is due? | p. 446 |
What now? | p. 447 |
21 General criteria for picking tools | p. 449 |
Vendor criteria | p. 449 |
Tools criteria | p. 453 |
What now? | p. 467 |
Evolution, trends, and big ideas | p. 469 |
22 Standards for e-learning | p. 471 |
What's all the fuss about standards? | p. 471 |
The promise of e-learning standards | p. 472 |
What exactly are standards? | p. 475 |
E-learning standards | p. 477 |
Packaging standards | p. 479 |
Communications standards | p. 483 |
Metadata standards | p. 488 |
Quality standards | p. 493 |
Other standards and regulations | p. 496 |
Make standards work for you | p. 498 |
What now? | p. 499 |
23 What the L is XML? | p. 501 |
What is XML? | p. 501 |
Common applications of XML | p. 507 |
Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation | p. 515 |
Browsers understand XML (sort of) | p. 518 |
Tools for XML | p. 522 |
What now? | p. 523 |
24 Trends in technology and learning | p. 525 |
Trends and advances | p. 526 |
Fundamental technologies | p. 526 |
Technological trends | p. 528 |
Learning trends | p. 533 |
Not the end | p. 540 |
Appendix A Bits, bytes, Ks, and other measures of digital data | p. 541 |
Bits and bytes | p. 541 |
Kilo, mega, and giga | p. 542 |
Ks, MBs, GBs, and other abbreviations | p. 542 |
Speed reading with Kbps, Mbps, and Gbps | p. 543 |
Hertz and going around in cycles | p. 544 |
Appendix B File formats for e-learning | p. 545 |
Index | p. 553 |