A look at where we are with VLEs, how we got there and future research directions

1. VLEs and the democratisation of e-learning Martin Weller

3. Where are we?

4. What is a VLE? The principal components of a VLE package include curriculum mapping (breaking curriculum into sections that can be assigned and assessed), student tracking, online support for both teacher and student, electronic communication (e-mail, threaded discussions, chat, Web publishing), and Internet links to outside curriculum resources. “ the components in which learners and tutors participate in "on-line" interactions of various kinds, including on-line learning LMS = “a software application or Web-based technology used to plan, implement, and assess a specific learning process.” MLE = The whole range of information systems and processes of an institution (including a VLE if appropriate) that contribute directly, or indirectly, to learning and the management of that learning

11. Democrats vs revolutionaries staff development academic staff innovation tradition critical mass cottage industry mainstream Robustness Reliability Ease of use Flexibility Excitement Technological flair Rigour Usabilty New tools New approaches

12. OS VLEs Previous OS VLEs Commercial VLEs

13. How did we get here?

14. Plant succession

15. Technology succession “ technological environments are not merely passive containers of people but are active processes that reshape people and other technologies alike” (McLuhan 1962)

29. Scott Wilson

35. Affordances Do we instinctively communicate differently with different technologies? Can we capture all the affordances in a learning experience? Develop a suite of tools that have different affordances

36. Known unknowns Technology Unknown unknowns Impact of web 2.0 Impact of digital natives Impact of open content Globalisation Known unknowns Creating content based courses Use of forums Pedagogy Standard tool sets Newer technologies Known knowns