Education for a Digital World Advice, Guidelines and Effective Practice from Around Globe, 2008a

1 – Emerging Technologies in E-learning
tor to decide how published work may be copied, modified,
and distributed.
DRM. Digital rights management; the protection of
copyrighted digital content to prevent unauthorized
viewing, copying or distribution.
E-learning 2.0. The application of the principles of
Web 2.0 to learning, specifically the collaboration and
creation aspects leading to more student-centred learning.
E-portfolio. An e-portfolio is a digitized collection of
documents and resources that represent an individual’s
achievements. The user can manage the contents and
usually grant access to appropriate people. There are currently
a variety of different types of e-portfolios with
varied functionality. E-portfolios are increasingly being
used for coursework and other assessment purposes.
Extended/hybrid/blended learning. A mix of classroom,
self-directed, synchronous, and asynchronous
approaches designed to optimize the learning for the
subject matter and learners.
EPSS. Electronic performance support system. See
performance support.
Folksonomy. Derived from “folk” + “taxonomy”, a
folksonomy is a way of categorizing data on the web
using tags generated by users. Folksonomies are used on
collaborative, social websites for photo sharing, blogs,
and social bookmarking. Social bookmarking websites
are services that allow users to store their favourite websites
online and access them from any Internetconnected
computer. Users tag their favourite websites
with keywords. These are then shared with other users,
and build into folksonomies of the most popular sites
arranged under different categories.
GPS. Global positioning system: a satellite-based location
technology that can determine position down to a
few metres. GPS modules are used for in-car navigation
and in handheld navigation devices and can be added to
PDAs and laptops. Location-based services that make
use of the technology are being developed for education.
Learning management system (LMS). Computer
software designed to manage the organization, delivery,
and tracking of online courses and learner performance.
They are sometimes called virtual learning environments
(VLE) or course management systems (CMS).
Corporate learning management systems are also designed
to manage classroom instruction.
Learning content management systems (LCMS).
Content management systems specifically designed for
managing learning materials. Typically, they include a
searchable learning object repository or database.
Learning objects. Small chunks of information (text,
graphics, modules, video, audio, etc.) that can be used
for learning. Usually discussed in the context of reusable
learning objects and learning content management,
which refers to the storing and cataloguing of learning
objects so that learners and instructional designers can
access, reuse, and adapt them.
M-learning. Mobile learning: learning delivered
through mobile devices such as wireless laptops, cell
phones, PDAs, etc.
Mashups. “A mashup is a website or web application
that seamlessly combines content from more than one
source into an integrated experience” (Wikipedia,
2006a, para. 1).
Massively multiplayer online game (MMOG). An
online game that can be played simultaneously by many
people.
MMS. Multimedia messaging service (MMS) is a
technical standard to provide for the addition of rich
media (audio, video, etc.) to text messaging.
Moblogs. Blogs posted to the Internet from mobile
devices such as PDAs and cell phones.
Peer-to-peer sharing. In a peer-to-peer (P2P) network,
files are shared directly between computers without
going through a server.
Performance support. Performance support refers to
providing information to working people when they
need it in order to do their jobs effectively. This is
sometimes referred to as just-in-time training. Tools
may include job aids and electronic performance support
systems (EPSS) that enable people to access relevant
information online.
Podcast. Podcasts are audio files that can be easily
distributed via the Web and downloaded to computers
and personal audio players. Podcasts are often syndicated
(via RSS) so that users can subscribe (usually for
free) to a particular service and download new content
automatically. The software required is available for free
or at little cost, making this form of broadcasting extremely
accessible.
Referratories. Referratories link to other sites for
information and content, as opposed to a repository,
which contains the actual content.
RFID. Radio frequency identification: a generic term
that refers to wireless technologies that are used to provide
information about a person or object. The term has
been popularized with the emergence of RFID tags: inexpensive,
miniature wireless chips with antennae that
can be embedded into objects. It is used mainly in the
distribution and inventory business for tracking the
location of shipments and parts.
RSS. Really simple syndication: a set of XML-based
specifications for syndicating news and other website
content and making it machine-readable. Users who
subscribe to RSS-enabled websites can have new content
Education for a Digital World 19