Home » Education & Career » Training & Development » Technology-Based Learning Resources

Technology-Based Learning Resources

© Audrey Choden

Whether you're a developer, instructor or learner, you'll find plenty of information about technology-based learning at the Office of Learning Technologies (OLT) web site.

The Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) operates the OLT "to raise awareness of the opportunities, challenges and benefits of technology-based learning and to act as a catalyst for innovation in the area of technology-enabled learning and skills development."

While the OLT is intended mainly for the educational sector in Canada, training professionals in the US and internationally might benefit from it as well. This well-designed site has corners for developers, instructors and learners.

Developers Corner

The Developers Corner includes resources that can help developers of technology-based learning find information on Professional Associations, Funding and Information Directories. Professional Associations contains links to organizations that focus on different aspects of technology-based learning. You can find links to professional associations located in Canada, the United States, internationally, in Australia, in Europe and in the United Kingdom. I found 15 links to the associations and groups in the United States alone.

Funding opportunities are meant exclusively for the Canadian education and training sector. Several different organizations offer information about funding sources for the development of learning technologies. The OLT has three funding programs. Developers can find information technology and multimedia resources in the links to Information Directories.

If you develop courseware that is to be delivered in part or entirely over the Web, you might be interested in the World Wide Web Courseware Developers listserv.

Instructors Corner

For the novice instructor, there are links to guides and resources for understanding new learning technologies. In addition to the OLT Learning Technologies Library, there are links to AskERIC and to selected online publications.

The Technologies Tool Box provides tips and techniques for implementing new learning technologies such as synchronous and asynchronous delivery systems. Web site addresses are constantly changing so don't be surprised if you're redirected when you click on some of the links.

Professional Development includes links to Canadian and international associations and educational opportunities. OLT has a searchable database of professional conferences on learning technologies in Canada and around the world.

In addition, it has a "searchable database of over 200 electronic discussion forums on distance and adult education, information technologies, technology assisted instruction." Instructors also have access to the latest online journal publications related to learning technologies. I found links to archives of Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALN) Magazine and to TechLearn Trends Newsletter.

OLT's searchable Literature Database contains more than 35,000 references to books, periodicals and articles on learning technologies. OLT also has 500 links to full-text electronic documents.