Webinar: Interactive Learning

Is Your eLearning Interactive? (Kineo webinar)

During the past year I have become aware and taken advantage of a number of professional associations, businesses, and institutions that offer free webinars to anyone who wants to listen. I work for an organization that primarily targets nontraditional adult learners and is working to increase learning access through technology. Therefore, I often listen to webinars related to elearning and training. Through these webinars and their associated blogs, I have become aware of leading experts who regularly offer learning opportunities. I consider these experts as part of my personal learning network and use these learning opportunities as part of my professional development (ce5160 course objective number 6). I add to this network as I become aware of new resources.

 One of these experts is Cammy Bean, who works for an elearning company in Massachusetts. She writes a blog (which I follow in my RSS feed) and offers free webinars, which are also archived. Rather than focusing on a K-12 environment, these blogs and webinars are more relevant in a context of organizational training and adult learners. For this assignment I listened to an archived webinar called “Is Your eLearning Interactive?”. 

Elearning refers to training/learning that is offered online or using technology. As organizational training moves to more technology-based solutions, there are increased challenges to engaging learners. Moreover, technology offers opportunities to enhance and improve older modes of learning and content. According to the webinar, interactivity can use human-to-device interaction or human-to-human interaction. Interactivity is on a continuum that goes from passive learner control (such as watching TV) at one end, to complete user control and freedom (such as immersion in a simulation or game) at the other end of the spectrum. Increasing the interactivity of elearning away from the passive end, also potentially increases the attention of the learner, improves retention and can be more fun and engaging. The webinar discussed various tools and strategies for incorporating interactivity into elearning, including polls or quizzes, using Twitter hashtags, simply asking questions that elicit responses, using learner reflection, engaging learner emotions, using scenarios that call for action, and other techniques. Examples were shown from actual elearning training programs.

Coincidentally (or maybe not so coincidentally) I teach using webinars. So this webinar was very relevant to how I teach. I will use the ideas discussed in the webinar in my own webinars. Webinars are challenging to get learners to interact; it’s very easy for them to be passive, and it can be hard to engage them. When I teach in person, I feed off the energy of the class and use body language and learner actions as feedback for how I am teaching. Webinars are challenging because I can’t get visual cues from learners, and it can be hard to get verbal cues. So interactivity is a big deal. Having new ideas from this webinar that in turn spawn other new ideas, will enhance what I do in my teaching, both in webinars and face-to-face classes. I have colleagues who also use webinars, so I will share the webinar and ideas with them as well.

In addition to course objective number 6, the webinar pertains to objectives 7 and 8. “Use knowledge of digital tools and technology applications to facilitate experiences that advance learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.” “Evaluate, adapt, and reflect on emerging tools and trends by participating in global learning communities and by reviewing current research and professional literature.” Taking the opportunity to listen to webinars taught by experts in the training and elearning field is often part of a global learning community. These experts in turn connect with other experts, both industry and academic, and follow the current research, trends and discussions. Technology through webinars and elearning enables easy access to all of this current research and professional literature.