The importance of e-learning can be seen in several areas now and includes:

• Support, interaction and communication
• Developing digital literacy skills
• Promoting different pedagogies
• Fostering creativity and innovation
• Connecting students
• Preparing them for employment

A timeline around technologies was outlined which has now spanned across more than three decades.

• 1980’s multimedia resources
• 1993 the web
• 1994 learning objects
• 1995 learning management systems
• 1998 mobile devices
• 1999 learning design
• 2000 gaming technologies
• 2001 open educational resources
• 2004 social and participatory media
• 2005 virtual worlds (not often heard of now)
• 2007 e-books and smart devices
• 2008 MOOCs
• 2010 Learning analytics

Technology can be described as disruptive innovation with changes, something new, the unexpected and changing mind sets. Grainne referred to Ken Robinson and his question about is today’s education system out of date? Here is a link to his TED talk http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms

So what will education in 2020 be like a future vision is that students will use both real and virtual worlds for education but linked to situated learning. The emergent technologies will be hybrid online activities and focused on collaborative learning.

There will be innovating pedagogies such as MOOCs, badges to accredit learning, learning analytics, seamless learning and crowd learning. Disruptive learning such as flipped classrooms will be important and OER repositories and ITunes.

Learning design is about supporting practitioners to make design decisions that are pedagogically informed. The 7 C’s of learning design

Conceptualisation – key principles are decided and the nature of the learners

Activities that get undertaken

• Create
• Communicate
• Collaborate
• Consider
•  Combine
• Consolidate

Traditional institutions will need to consider new business models and pedagogies to be able to work with the changing world.