Interview
Jay Cross
At Epic, we love to hear the opinions and experiences of influential
figures within the learning industry. You may remember we ran an
interview with Jane Massy last month. This month, Jay Cross, who
invented the term 'e-learning', has generously answered our questions.
The questionnaire aims to get personal views, rather than general
thoughts on the state of the market and the questions have been
designed acccordingly.
Q What's your INTEREST in learning/online learning?
That goes way back. In 1977 I developed and marketed the first
business program for what we now call the University of Phoenix.
From the late 70s to the late 90s, I held a variety of executive
positions with mainstream training vendors. Then the web came along.
I was enraptured. I was convinced the combination of learning and
the web would change the world. Did you know that I coined the term
eLearning? To this day I am enthusiastic about the potential of
technology-supported learning.
Q What interactive technology do you use and have at HOME?
We have a couple of IBM ThinkPads and a couple of SONY VAIOs hooked
to a Local Area Network connected to DSL through a Linux box. The
real issue isn't what's at home, is it? On the web, hosted heaven-knows-where,
we have websites for Internet Time Group, Workflow Institute, Meta-Learning
Lab, Emergent Learning Forum, and other things. These link to a
variety of content, blogs, and experiments.
Q What stands out as your MOST EFFECTIVE learning experience?
Since I define learning as that which helps one prosper with communities
that matter and brings happiness, I'd have to put learning HTML
way up there. This was years ago, before Netscape. I would see something
I liked on the web and examine the code to figure out how to do
it. Then I'd use it on my site. Instant gratification.
Q What stands out as your LEAST EFFECTIVE learning experience?
There are many contenders for this one. It's a toss-up between
high-school Trigonometry, Autocoder programming, and college economics.
All were taught in excruciatingly dull lectures and I cannot remember
one iota of any of them.
Q Any really NEW AND INNOVATIVE IDEAS out there?
Don't close the patent office. There is a fantastic array of new
ideas out there. We're headed into an era where complexity rules,
ideas are capital, and humankind can be free.
Q What do you want that DOESN'T YET EXIST in learning/online
learning?
I'm writing a book on Informal Learning. It's the way we learn
most of what we know yet it passes under the radar because vendors
don't make money from it and it doesn't yield certificates one can
hang on the wall.
Q Any views on the phrase and concept 'BLENDED LEARNING'?
Yes, I have strong views on Blended Learning. The term is atrocious.
"Blended learning" is only meaningful to people who thought that
computer-only learning was viable. When that didn't work, they came
up with this big ah-ha: blended learning. All learning is
blended.
Q Any views on GAMES in learning/online learning?
Games are going to play an immensely important role in online learning
although we may call them something else to appease dour corporate
finance types.
Q Any views on INTERACTIVE TV in learning/online learning?
I've never found television a very effective learning medium.
Q Any views on MOBILE DEVICES in learning/online learning?
Mobile learning is inevitable, so we ought to get good at it.
Q Any views on OPEN SOURCE in learning/online learning?
I love the spirit of the Open Source movement. I see a big role
for it in learning management systems, where you can get the wisdom
of many working for you, as in Linux development. I'm sceptical
of open learning object repositories, at least until we get a better
feedback loop installed.
Q What's your favourite PHRASE/QUOTE/EPIGRAM in learning/online
learning?
Possunt quia posse videntur. Virgil
(They are able because they think they are able.)
Q Could you recommend a PIECE OF RESEARCH in learning/online
learning?
I could recommend fifty. Drop by internettime.com
and click "KnowledgeBase."
Q Could you recommend a BOOK in learning/online learning?
Learning professionals would be better off reading books from other
disciplines. Tom Stewart's "The Wealth of Knowledge"
is great. Or Stephen Johnson's "Emergence".
Q Could you recommend a WEBSITE in learning/online learning?
ASTD's Learning Circuits is a great way to keep up. Also, Stephen
Downes' Edu_RSS. I keep a page of recommended links at www.internettime.com/enew.htm
Q If you were to pick one CONFERENCE to attend in learning/online
learning, what would it be?
Online Educa in Berlin, for its international flavour and its combination
of education, business, and government under one roof. Training
Directors Forum would be second because it's small and attracts
people who think. TechLearn is on its last legs. ASTD is comprehensive
but so large you can get lost.
Q Any words/phrases/ideas you'd like to BAN from learning/online
learning?
E-learning. I made it up to make training sound hip, to hitchhike
on e-Business. Too many people read "computer-only" into it, even
though I certainly never defined it that way.
Hope you found the questions stimulating. Thanks for your answers.
(Editor)
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