Chief Learning Officer - June 2008 - (Page 28) is to carefully consider contextualization and personalization. This means that you need to understand the learners’ likes and dislikes, their learning styles and learning preferences and their habits, as well as their particular language and culture.” In terms of the personalization of learning, the IMS ePortfolio specification — an international standard created to make ePortfolios interoperable across different systems and institutions — is a parameter that needs to be taken into account when producing and packaging content for an e-learning program. EPortfolios are now being used as tools for personal development planning, lifelong learning and learning in the workplace. Among other things, the ePortfolio specification supports the advancement of lifelong learning and makes exchanging portfolios from, for example, school-to-work transitions easier. “When it comes to the contextualization of learning materials, you need to understand the users and where they are, both spiritually and physically,” Cardinali explained. “This should enable you to compile a DID YOU KNOW? Europe includes the largest country (Russia at 6.593 million square miles) and smallest country (Vatican City at 0.2 square miles) in the world. Source: Encyclopedia Britannica write people’s portfolios encompassing their backgrounds, competencies, the learning objects they need and so on. This means that you can use this architecture to engage in talent management by spotting and then plugging the gaps in people’s knowledge, skills and competencies in order for them to progress and meet their organization’s needs. “And those organizations that take advantage of this architecture to rapidly up-skill their workforces will be winners in the global marketplace, especially in view of the increasing competition in world markets from firms in countries such as China and India,” he added. Europe’s multicultural publishers have been living with and making a living from this complex ecosystem for centuries. Over the years, they have learned that being successful as a publisher of multicultural learning materials, in all forms, involves a great deal more than merely translating text across languages. learning experience that is just in time, just enough and just for the learner. There is no longer any room for a monolithic approach. Instead, there must be learning solutions that are personalized to take into account the learner’s background, preferred learning style, precise learning needs and so on. Then you also have to consider the medium by which the learner receives the learning materials. Increasingly, this could be via PDA, BlackBerry, Nintendo, smartphone and so on. Finally, you have to consider the learner’s location. “So today’s learning platform should not be a single turnkey platform, but rather, it should be a learning services architecture, where, in addition to the learning content creation and delivery, you can read and 28 Chief Learning Officer • June 2008 • www.clomedia.com “To do this, European workforces need new learning paradigms, technologies and standards to help them develop ever greater skills and competencies. They must also develop these skills and competencies faster, more effectively and efficiently.” Consequently, Cardinali argues for the adoption of international standards to bring interoperability of systems and software, thus providing a common “information space” into which learners could tap. He also advocates the value of inclusion in human terms, as well as the benefits of innovation in learning technologies. He explained: “Since everyone in our society has valuable knowledge, skills and abilities, we shouldn’t write off anyone. This means that http://www.clomedia.com
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