e-Learning
Tech Talk: From Floppies to Wireless
by Kevin Kruse
E-learning has been around for many decades --
although it wasn't always called e-learning. In
its earliest form it was stored on huge mainframe
computers attached to terminals that could only
display green text. But with the invention first
of the personal computer, and more recently with
the advent of Web browsers, there have been great
advances in the field of educational technology.
Some organizations and individuals are early
adopters who immediately embrace the newest technology.
But for most organizations it takes time to evaluate,
purchase, and implement new hardware and software.
This means that at any given point in time, there
will always be new, recent, and old technologies
in use. In the section that follows we'll look
at the variety of data storage technologies -
things that hold programs and data - which have
defined the limits of multimedia, and introduce
Web technologies that have drastically changed
the face of e-learning.
Floppy Disks
Training programs were primarily delivered on
floppy diskettes in the late 1980's and early
1990's. 3.5 inch floppy diskettes hold 1.44 megabytes
of information, which is the equivalent of about
1.5 million text characters, or 700 pages of straight
text. Compression software can increase the amount
a floppy disk holds by approximately five-fold,
but the software must then be installed onto a
computer's hard drive before the disk's data can
be run. This storage amount is relatively small,
given the large file size of audio and video files.
Using uncompressed files, one floppy disk can
hold only six seconds of low-quality video. Because
of this, computer-based training delivered via
floppy disk is usually text-based, with some limited
graphics. It isn't that multimedia can't be delivered
via floppies; the issue is that it takes an impracticably
large number of floppy disks to hold even a relatively
small multimedia program.
But it will not be much longer before floppies
become completely obsolete. There are other, newer
portable storage devices that have much more capacity
(for example, Zip disks). But the whole need for
portable storage devices is disappearing with
the emergence of high-speed network connections
at the office and at home.
CD-I
CD-I, which stands for Compact Disc Interactive,
is a multimedia system developed in the late 1980's
that was designed to be used at home, in schools,
and in business. A CD-I player is a relatively
inexpensive device that connects to any TV, much
like a VCR. CD-I disks hold text, computer animation,
and digital audio, along with video that can be
displayed full-screen.
The CD-I format gained popularity initially because
it was easier and cheaper to implement than purchasing
a complete multimedia CD-ROM-equipped computer
system, and the quality of the multimedia was
much higher. However, a major limitation was that
there was no hard drive or floppy disk system
attached to CD-I and data, such as student test
scores or bookmarking features, could not be saved.
As multimedia computers rapidly came down in price,
the popularity of CD-I technology declined.
CD-ROM
CD-ROM, which stands for Compact Disk - Read
Only Memory, is a system for delivering multimedia
to a personal computer. These circular, 5-inch
discs look identical to audio CDs that are played
in a home or car stereo. They require a CD-ROM
drive, which has come as standard equipment with
all new computers for several years.
Each CD-ROM has a storage capacity of 650 megabytes.
In other words, one CD-ROM can hold as much as
450 floppy diskettes, or approximately one hour
of low-quality video. Because of this vast storage
capability, CD-ROMS are a relatively easy and
inexpensive way to distribute large files and
programs, including audio, video, and complex
animations. Through the mid-1990's e-learning
was primarily delivered using CD-ROM.
DVD-ROM
DVD-ROM, which stands for Digital Video Disc
- Read Only Memory is essentially a bigger, faster
CD-ROM. It is a new standard that is being embraced
for training and business information, as well
for home entertainment. DVD-ROMs look identical
to standard CD-ROMs, but can hold 4.7 gigabytes
of information, or 2 hours and 13 minutes of full-screen
digital video. Figures 2.1 and 2.2 compare the
storage capacity of different media.
DVD-ROMs are already quickly replacing CD-ROM
technology. New computers are being equipped with
DVD drives as standard equipment, and these drives
are compatible with the older CD-ROM technology.
In other words, consumers and employees can switch
to the new DVD technology but still access all
of their old CD-ROMs using the DVD drive.
Storage Media Comparison Chart #1
1 Floppy Disk = 1.44 megabytes, or 6 seconds
of low-quality video
1 CD-ROM = 650 megabytes, or almost 1 hour of
low-quality video
1 DVD-ROM = 4.7 gigabytes, or 2+ hours of high-quality
video
Storage Media Comparison Chart #2
1 DVD = 7 CD-ROMs = 3,157 Floppy Diskettes
Internet/Intranet
The Internet started in 1969 as a Department
of Defense research project to create a secure
means of communication in the event of war. Originally
it was called ARPAnet, and consisted of computers
dispersed around the globe that would pass messages
to each other using a new technical standard called
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol).
In the 1980's, funding for the network was taken
over by the National Science Foundation and only
a few hundred computers were attached to the Internet,
mostly owned by government agencies and academic
institutions.
Initially, the Internet was difficult to use
by non-technical people, but the invention of
Web-browser software changed all that. A Web browser
is simply a piece of software that sits on the
user's computer and provides a point-and-click
graphical interface to the World Wide Web. The
Web is a global network of millions of "pages"
of information that contain text, graphics, and
links to other pages or pieces of information.
Now, with advances in browser technology Web pages
often contain multimedia elements, too. Browsers
made it easy for everyone, regardless of their
level of computer expertise, to "surf the
'net" and gain access to a vast worldwide
library of information.
The modern form of e-learning didn't take off
until 1996. Initially, the more common term was
"Internet-based training" (IBT), and
then "web-based training" or "online
learning", but the reality was that most
corporations never put their private training
programs and internal information on the Internet,
which is open to the public. Instead, Web pages
were held on organizations' private internal networks,
called Intranets. Intranets are just smaller,
private networks that work on the same TCP/IP
technology as the Internet. Because a Web browser
provides the interface to both Internet and Intranet
education, the term Web-based training is more
dominant today.
Mobile Technology
By the year 2000, wireless mobile devices (e.g.,
cell phones and personal digital assistants PDAs)
became fairly ubiquitous in the business and government
environment. There is now an emerging interest
in developing e-learning applications for these
devices, which is now called "m-learning"
for "mobile" learning. Whether or not
this form of delivery will really ever take off
remains to be seen.
Source: e-Learning
Guru
|
HOME
