Naming things is absolutely at the heart of communication. Without common
reference points communication is fatally flawed.
In this e-learning (I use the term with some trepidation) field, as has been
stated, the language is still new and we must tread with care. So many of
the terms we use mean so many different things to different people that they
are practically useless. While it is just talk, we can create the illusion
of agreement (as diplomats and politicians often do), but when the time
comes to realise the outcomes of the dicussion we will discover that we were
each actually referring to different referents and we will have to start all
over again.
Let's NOT be scared of taking time to define the terms. We will not make
real progress until we do.
Amber Thomas writes:
> posted on behalf of Sarah
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sarah Currier [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 09 March 2005 12:49
> To: Virtual Learning Environments
> Subject: Re: [VLES] How widespread is the use of the term (and the
> concept) of e-learning?
>
>
>
> Ken Smith wrote:
>
>
>
> What really surprises me is that this list has very little traffic when
> peeps want to discuss materials or learning technology but ask what
> something is being called these days and the world and his dog wants to
> air
> their opinion. A rose by any other name would surely smell as sweet.
>
>
>
>
>
> It doesn't surprise me at all. Working as an information specialist
> within e-learning, developing taxonomies and classification schemes, has
> taught me that there is very little that is as emotive as discussing
> what we call things, what we mean by what we call them, and how that
> meaning or name is situated within the rest of our understandings of
> things that we more or less share (or don't share at all). Phew, that is
> a baaad sentence, sorry!
>
> As an example, anyone involved in e-learning communities of practice
> must be familiar with the intense discussion that in the past has always
> followed the question "What is a learning object?". Many of us have long
> since decided to say "We're not going to define it too closely because
> it will derail this meeting/discussion etc."
>
> Best
> Sarah
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Virtual Learning Environments [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf
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