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| “the
biggest growth in the Internet, and the area that
will prove to be one of the biggest agents of change,
will be in e-learning.” |
| John
Chambers (as cited in Rosenberg, 2001, p. xv) |
|
There
is an increasing recognition of the tremendous potential
of elearning in today’s knowledge economy because
it is crucial to be able to acquire and use knowledge
faster than one’s competitors. In fact, eLearning
is emerging as a driving force not only in education and
training but also in the development of communities around
the world. Botswana is no exception.
Besides conventional education and training, a wide range
of other areas can be covered through eLearning; it can
be used to address community education such as health
and social issues particularly in the areas of infant
health, youth health, sexuality, old age care, the fight
against HIV/AIDS and disability. If appropriately utilised,
eLearning can be a catalyst for innovation and national
development; it can certainly be a powerful engine that
can propel Botswana’s Vision 2016 aspirations to
become a productive, prosperous and innovative nation,
and to create an innovative knowledge economy of the 21st
century. It can also help transform Botswana into Africa’s
innovation hub as envisaged by His Excellency Festus G.
Mogae, the President of Botswana (The Botswana Gazette,
p. T6, 16-22 May 2007).
There is a lot of ICT-related work and research that are
being undertaken by individuals, and organisations in
Botswana but unfortunately most of them are done in isolation.
The synergy from collaboration and the power of group
intelligence are seldom appreciated and recognized.
The
main purpose of this portal is to:
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1. |
Develop
a member driven Community of Practice (CoP) of professionals
who are actively involved in the design, development,
management and promotion of eLearning in Botswana.
Such professionals are expected to come from a variety
of settings including corporate, government, and
academic institutions / organisations. |
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2. |
Serve
as a vehicle for the dissemination of new trends
(e.g., mobile learning, podcasting, open source,
blogging, vlogging, vodcasting and open content),
practical strategies, procedures and techniques,
and best practices in eLearning through collaboration
in an environment of intellectual openness. |
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3. |
Support
community development through community education. |
Adoption of eLearning by an organisation
is a shift towards a new learning culture. Obviously an
existing culture cannot be changed so easily overnight.
How long it will take for the change to happen depends
on several factors. While it may be tempting to jump on
the eLearning wagon, jumping too fast can lead to a risky
fall. Critical requirements for successful eLearning implementation
are an effective eLearning strategy and appropriate change
management strategies for specific organisational context.
Your
comments are welcome.
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