I love the way that people can connect over the Internet today. I have had many different types of learning experiences, from traditional classroom instruction to the newest elearning methods-and a taste of nearly everything in-between. I also have 15 years of experience teaching English as a foreign language in Mexico. And of all the teaching methods I have seen, I think that elearning holds the most potential as a system for Photoshop training.
When I first started hearing about virtual classrooms, I didn’t like the idea very much. In my mind I probably associated elearning with traditional distance learning programs like television and correspondence courses. I’m grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to find out how wrong I was. Most people react negatively to new ideas the first time they hear them. That seems to be a fairly universal product of our education and socialization. It’s a wonderful thing when we are able to break down the barriers that cause us to resist new ideas.
When I had my first opportunity to participate in elearning, I realized almost instantly that I had been very wrong in my opinions-it’s easy to see why now. I didn’t like traditional television courses because they were even less interactive than traditional classroom instruction-communication was one way, instructor to student, without any technology to allow students to ask the instructor questions during a class. And traditional correspondence courses were even more frustrating in the days when snail mail was the only mechanism to facilitate communication between instructors and students.
The component that makes elearning so completely different from traditional distance learning systems is the interactivity that elearning not only allows, but encourages, empowers, and invites. Interactivity is the key element, the motor that drives the explosion in online training today. Students who are too timid to speak up in the traditional classroom environment now have in their hands a powerful tool for overcoming their shyness.
Another thing I love about elearning is that you have more freedom to practice what you’re learning. If you’re taking a Photoshop training course, for instance, your practice field is right at home on your computer.
As a teacher of English as a foreign language, I have always noticed that successful learners often learn as much from their classmates as they do from the teacher. I think that teachers in physical classrooms understand better today than ever before that connectedness in the classroom helps every student learn more. And now the Internet shows us how to take maximum advantage of the benefits of connecting to others-we can connect to anyone else in the world if the two of us have an Internet connection.
I’m excited about how elearning is changing the way we learn. If you’re an amateur photographer or videographer who wants to get more out of your photos and online videos, sign up for Photoshop training today and discover how elearning can help you be all that you can be.
