Pushing and shoving do not produce quality uptake

What many senior management in institutions do not realise is that in their eagerness to push through the implementation of online learning and increase its uptake for strategic reasons, this pushing and shoving will eventually lead to a mass adoption in a shallow form that does not necessary guarantee an increase in the quality of learning. The masses will adopt a learning management system or a virtual learning environment simply to ease their current administrative task such as grading assessments and communicating important information to large groups of students. These reasons do not automatically lead to more effective teaching or learning experience. It will make the work of the academics who adopt the technology more efficient in completing their administrative work, but it does not necessary mean that this efficiency will be transferred to teaching and learning practices. 

Quality implementation requires learning about the enhancement that the technology brings. This learning process is achieved through both formal and informal interactions between those who have already mastered certain best practices and understand the affordances of the technology, and those who are just beginning to embark on their journey to explore the possibilities of integrating technology. Thus, the concept of community of practice is well-suited as a model to understand these interactions between the masters and their apprentices that would lead to fruitful collaborations between the two parties.  

E-Learning and Rising Fuel Cost

I am thinking with the cost of paper and publication rising due to the fuel price hike, it is sensible for educational institutions at all levels to implement some form of e-learning to reduce the use of paper products. One practical example would be omitting the need to print and submit printed assignments. I think this is the easiest task that can be implemented immediately because the technology is simple to use and does not require any steep learning curve. Even if the educational institutions do not have a learning management system or broadband connection, they could still use thumb drives which are very affordable nowadays. If we do not have Microsoft Office at home or at our workplace, we could always use Open Office and even Google Documents to write and submit the assignments. Educational institutions who do not have any servers to keep the assignments could invest in a few external hard drives and this would definitely be sufficient to store simple Word documents for many semesters if not years.