epic thinking
Issue number 67, October 2007

The web is e-learning. E-learning is the web.

• New Epic White Paper - Open Source LMS
• Web 2.0 - Where are we now?
• Web 3.0 - A matter of semantics?
• Accessibility - Not just about visual impairment
• Mobile Learning - LMS = Learning Mario-Style?
• Hot off the Blog - What's new on the blog this week

by Mark Aberdour

If Web 2.0 is about community and collaboration, the Open Source model has played a crucial role in driving it forward. Recent years have seen Open Source making a major impact in the Learning Management System space, with Moodle, in particular, claiming a substantial portion of the education market. But it's not just about Moodle.

There are at least five credible open source substitutes to commercial LMS solutions, each of which Epic feels is good enough to recommend to customers. In this thorough and detailed study, Mark Aberdour not only recommend the top open source LMSs, but also looks at five key markets and proposes the open source LMS best suited to each.

Download the white paper

For more information about Open Source LMS please send an email to marketing@epic.co.uk

by Ishmael Burdeau

Perhaps the key feature that separates Web 2.0 from the old, top-down Web is the 'architecture of participation'. The phenomenal success of Wikipedia is a prime example of just what is possible using a fairly basic set of features, combined with this radical ethic of mass collaboration.

In the corporate world, wikis are beginning to replace company intranets. The shift towards simpler, shared tools is having a big impact within education. Is something new, something different taking place? Here in 2007, what impact is Web 2.0 having on how we learn, and think about learning, in this age of information?

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by John Helmer

Just when you thought you'd got your head around the Web, along comes another version release, and it's back to head shaking in anguished bafflement, cursing the pace of technology, wondering if doomed to spend rest of life in beta... And by the way, what happened to Web 2.1, Web 2.2..?

So what is Web 3.0, whose idea is it, and how soon should you, as a learning professional, start worrying about it? We provide a (relatively) jargon-free introduction to the Web's next big paradigm shift.

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by Simon Wilkinson

When we think about accessibility within technology, the term 'accessible' is often assumed to mean forms of assistive tools and techniques for users who are visually impaired, or more specifically, blind.

Whilst blind and partially-sighted users make up the largest proportion of computer users with a disability, other types of impairment are frequently overlooked when considering accessible design, e.g. deafness, language and cognitive impairment, mobility impairments, as well as other forms of visual impairment such as colour blindness...

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by Dominic Mason

Think about the phrase, 'Mobile learning'. Straight away, most people consider learning on their mobile phone - and its limitations. Whilst squinting at a text message isn't exactly what is being proposed - consider the capabilities of Windows Mobile 6.0; bigger and brighter screens, and mobile Instant Messaging - it's probably what most people immediately think of as the mobile experience.

Read more

What's cooking on the Epic Blog this week?

Help define Epic's next white paper

SCO goes bankrupt, Blackboard take note

Virtual worlds: you cannot be serious

Rapid Create

Are you looking for a rapid in-house e-learning tool? With so many options currently on the market, there are many which could suit your needs. Even Epic has their own: Rapid Create.

We've added Rapid Create to the mix because we saw a gap in the offerings for a super simple tool that creates fully accessible output.

For assistance in choosing the best tool for your needs, or if you would like more information on Epic's accessible tool (including a free 30 day trial), please send an email to marketing@epic.co.uk

FREE access to exclusive reports on TJ Online

Due to an exclusive arrangement with TJ Online - the publication for learning and development - readers of Epic Thinking can now gain free access to exclusive reports including an interview with Jay Cross, the green argument for using e-learning and a report on web conferencing.

To download these reports free of charge click here

To subscribe to TJ online please click

Thank you very much for your excellent work on the Anti-Discrimination compliance course for Germany; it is a pleasure working with Epic and I do appreciate the designer's attention to detail and reliability in particular.

Andrea Kluit
O2