E-learning Tools and Technologies

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.

Table of Contents

FAQ ABOUT THIS BOOK.

TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES FOR E-LEARNING.

1. PEOPLE FIRST.

2. TYPES OF E-LEARNING AND THE TECHNOLOGIES REQUIRED.

3. CATEGORIES OF TOOLS.

HARDWARE AND NETWORKS.

4.HARDWARE FOR E-LEARNING.

5. NETWORKS FOR E-LEARNING.

TOOLS FOR ACCESSING E-LEARNING.

6. WEB BROWSERS.

7. MEDIA PLAYERS AND VIEWERS.

TOOLS FOR OFFERING E-LEARNING.

8. WEB SERVERS.

9. LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS.

10. LEARNING CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS.

11. COLLABORATION TOOLS.

12. VIRTUAL-SCHOOL SYSTEMS.

13. MEDIA SERVERS.

TOOLS FOR CREATING E-LEARNING CONTENT.

14. COURSE AUTHORING TOOLS.

15. WEB SITE AUTHORING TOOLS.

16. TESTING AND ASSESSMENT TOOLS.

17. MEDIA EDITORS.

18. CONTENT CONVERTERS.

PICKING TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES.

19. STRATEGIES FOR PICKING TECHNOLOGIES.

20. PICKING TOOLS.

21. GENERAL CRITERIA FOR PICKING TOOLS.

EVOLUTION, TRENDS, AND BIG IDEAS.

22. STANDARDS FOR E-LEARNING.

23. WHAT THE L IS XML?

24. TRENDS IN TECHNOLOGY AND LEARNING.

APPENDIX A: BITS, BYTES, KS, AND OTHER MEASURES OF DIGITAL DATA.

APPENDIX B: FILE FORMATS FOR E-LEARNING.

INDEX.