What's on the web

Citation

(2007), "What's on the web", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 21 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/dlo.2007.08121cag.001

What's on the web

Well-organisedwww.eclo.org

This not-for-profit European site is the online application of the European Consortium for the Learning Organisation (ECLO). With a high visual impact, and plenty of links to related sites and affiliated organizations, what is available for general viewing on this site is good. However, much of the site is accessible to members only, and with membership costs being substantial one wouldn’t subscribe merely for use of the website. There are enough articles and sources of information generally available to make a visit to the site worthwhile however, and although use of the forum is limited to members only, it is possible to e-mail some of the authors of articles, and speakers for the ECLO.

Good resourceswww.trainingreference.co.uk

Although at first glance this site may look a little bland, don’t be put off. They provide “news, articles and resources on a variety of learning, training and development, e-learning, team building, IT training and learning management systems”. The information they provide is excellent, the majority of the articles well written and concise with extra links to further reading material provided. A wide range of training suppliers’ details is also listed, offering courses in a huge variety of areas ranging from “assertiveness” to “writing skills”. Overall this is an excellent site, simple, easy to use, and very informative. The resources page is especially recommended.

Park lifewww.roffeypark.com

Roffey Park is a charitable trust, originally set up in the 1940s as a rehabilitation center for workers suffering from overwork, nervous strain and depression. Based on the success of this scheme they then set up a research and training institute which has been running ever since. All their training courses are run at their training center situated in Sussex, and unfortunately they do not appear to offer any in-house or distance learning options. The site itself, however, is great. Simple but effective with the right mix of client testimonials, information about the company and visual aids. Ease of use seems to have been a key concern when designing the site and in-depth listings about the suitability and structure of the courses offered are provided. It is definitely a site to keep in mind when considering employee or managerial development.

Model sitewww.onepine.info

This site initially looks quite promising, if a little basic and on closer inspection was found to contain some informative (although rather dry) articles and features on learning theories and models. However, the site is not overly well organized and finding any particular piece of information one may be searching for could prove quite time consuming. Saying this, the site provides a lot of general research and information, and is worth a look just to gain a generic feel for the various theories and models that people have come up with. Also, if you are aware of a particular author/researcher of learning processes and theories then this could be a good place to find out more about their work, as a sizable number of them are listed under the “People and Theories” link. Various books on related topics are also mentioned as recommended further reading. Overall this is a good starting point for researching the differing models and theories of learning.

Good in partswww.learningtechnologies.ac.uk

Offering advice and information about e-learning and ICT development this site contains various features including blogs, links to “organisations working to improve learning through technology”, course categories, demonstrations, resources and events. The layout is not particularly exciting, and it can be rather awkward to navigate, but some of the content is good enough warrant trawling through the difficulties. An especially nice feature of this site is the webcast, enabling the viewer to listen to and observe previous conferences, which makes a pleasant change from reading. The blogs section is also worth having a look at as most of these, unusually, actually seem to contain relevant information.

And finally

Some quotes for the New Year:

I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn. – Albert Einstein

I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think. – Socrates

The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. – John Powell

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. – William Arthur Ward

Contact us

www.emeraldinsight.com

For a particularly interesting and useful site you could always try the Emerald one! And if you have any favorite (or otherwise) sites that you would like us to review on these pages, please drop us an e-mail and we will submit them to our reviewers’ usual rigorous analysis.