E-Learning: A method of Learning in the Digital Era

From the water we learn tranquility.....
We learn the hardness of the stone....
From the butterfly we learn how to change .....

Learning.... is word that should be always pinned in every individual because it will never cease until the time we die. Learning from era to era is changing, both in terms of content, learners, teachers, as well as techniques or ways of learning. Learning is done only in a place which we call it a class conventionally, with the presence of teachers and learners.

Conventional learning and teaching is still held until now. However, with the development of technology, learning is now not only in the classroom  with the teachers anymore....learning can be done remotely. At the beginning distance learning is done with a module system, by VCD or CD ROM. But now we come to the information age. We live in a third waves of community development: The first wave of agrarian society, the second wave of industrial society, and the third wave the information society. In this information era, learning is recognize the so-called e-learning.

E-learning or electronic learning is an extension of the distance learning system based IT. The development of e-learning brings a conventional learning into digital learning. E-learning is able to address the limitations of space and time. E-learning is becoming an innovation that has significantly contributed in the learning process where the learner not only listen to a lecture from the teacher, but also encourages and directs the students to be more creative. It also arouse students curiosity to a material and learning can be designed to be more fun.

E-learning is not a rival to conventional learning (face to face), but it is a supplement and complement to the learning. Therefore, it is previously mentioned that e-learning is the answer because of the limited range of face to face training. E-learning can be equipped with features text, graphics, animations, simulations, video, and audio. E-learning also can present this discussion group accompanied by appropriate facilitator to the field of study. E-learning can be implemented together with face to face learning. If the face-to-face learning is considered as a resource facilitator / omniscient person, as the place to ask, and was assigned to convey knowledge in the learning process, learning through e-learning encourages participants to find themselves the necessary resources or appropriate material. Participants are required more independent and should be able to manage time. E-learning is a tool that can enrich the learning values ​​that can be used to deliver educational information and also can be used as a communication vehicle for building a network in effort to improve the professionalism of the profession, which in this case for teachers.

To build an e-learning required a content writer, course designer, and computer programmers. A content writer is required to prepare materials in accordance with the level of interest and learning needs. Course designers prepare a design of an interesting learning, making through a variety of available features. Course designer and content writer determine the activities that are designed in accordance with the purpose of learning and the material to be delivered. The three elements of the builders of e-learning should be synergized well, given that the content is not more important than the technology used in e-learning.

In other words, the content must be able to integrate into the development of technology that could be changed fast. Content which is prepared by a course content should compatible to other applications and easily processed by the course designers and computer programmers. Therefore once again, the three components of e-learning maker must be able to work together so that quality content can be integrated into an interesting way. Those three elements should be work together and make the user or participants as a center of e-learning.