This is not really a follow-on from last week’s post but it deals with the same topic: the differentiation between E-Learning and IT. The two photos below may be a bit overstated, but they serve to illustrate the key difference between these two computer-related areas.
IT
Embed from Getty ImagesE-Learning
Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty Images
“IT” stands for “Information Technology” and contains within it all things related to computing and computers. IT professionals include programmers, sofware developers, network specialists, system analysts, engineers, technical support, user training, database admin, web developers, and other similar specialisms. IT specialists have computers as their subject area — their work is about computers (hardware and software) and computing.
“E-Learning” stands for “electronic learning” and is interchangeable with other terms like “digital learning” and (more dated) “learning technology” and “educational technology”. E-Learning professionals include academics, teachers, organisational development staff, learning / instructional designers, subject matter experts, graphic designers, multimedia specialists, content developers, researchers, web developers / designers and similar.
There is a small overlap in the two areas, as web designers and developers may specialise in applications for learning, but the over-riding distinction is that E-Learning specialists have education and learning as their subject area – their work is about learning and not about computers.
E-Learning uses computers and internet technologies as the tools of the trade and as environments for learning, and because these new technologies are complex, fast-changing and have vast potential there is a lot for teachers and educators to learn about how to use them to best advantage. Thus a sub-specialism has developed amongst those who want to dedicate their careers to exploring this new direction. This does not make them IT specialists. Crudely put, it’s like expecting traditional teachers to be experts in chalkboard manufacturing or school building construction.
So why do so many schools and universities ghetto off E-Learning to a corner of IT? If you need a centre for E-Learning and can’t allow it its very own hub, the natural place to put it is with teaching & learning or staff development. E-Learning will always need close ties to IT and to be able to call on the specialist expertise of IT professionals, but it shows a poor understanding of both the goals and the potentialities of E-Learning to lump it in with IT.
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