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The recent growth of ebooks and tablet computers, like the iPad, is fuelling the drive towards digital education. For the first time, institutions are thinking of innovative ways to incorporate digital content into learning programs. The potential to reach a global audience is also significant. And online learning need not be static or impersonal: on the contrary, it offers unparalleled opportunities for interactivity and open communication among students and teachers

Another attractive feature of online learning is that it is much more accessible than traditional tuition. Since resources can be spread instantly and for free to anyone in the world, learning is immediate, affordable and rewarding. It does not attract the hidden costs of contact based learning, like transport, material and stationery costs, which makes it valuable for less-privileged students. It also allows working people to gain valuable education in the time available to them, so that they can increase their skills and improve their working lives.

Many universities are now posting video lectures, reading materials and other resources for free online. The range of materials covers everything from introductory videos and podcasts to advanced textbooks and detailed research -- a true multimedia experience.

Compiling a course in Twitter

There has been a lot of buzz about MOOC, the free Massive Open Online Course.  To date, many learners have signed up and participated in this form of super-sized open education course

It is a mistake to try to implement a full "course" as an mLearning application, or to think of mLearning as classic asynchronous eLearning but on a smaller screen. In order to avoid this, designers must think through their instructional strategy (how to effectively combine the various modalities and platforms) and their implementation strategy (it may be better to start with performance support via mobile than to start with delivery of instruction). You can get a lot of help in this effort from the Mobile Learning: Landscape and Trends report itself. It will give you unbiased information about the issues, the tools, and the experience of many organizations as they implement mLearning. In the next two weeks, Learning Solutions Magazine will offer features on implementing mLearning. On June 14, The Guild’s Thought Leader Seminar will feature Gary Woodill, speaking on “The Mobile Learning Edge: How Learning on the Move Can Be A Competitive Advantage.”