Customer Reviews

E-learning Tools and Technologies: A consumer's guide for trainers, teachers, educators, and instructional designers

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book dives deep down into the process of selecting the precise software and hardware one needs to create, deliver and access e-learning. As in his previous books, Horton has done an admirable job at presenting the tools, and the process for selecting them, into small, step by step discussions.

However, I have two significant quibbles with this book.

First, it begins with chapter after chapter on all the individual tools you might possibly use and concludes with the process for deciding what you need. To me that is akin to starting off a book written to help someone decide what type of home they want, with chapters on all the different types of roofs or windows there are, rather than first walking readers through such important questions as: how big is your family? and do you intend to entertain?, which instantly narrow your best options. Reading this book, I found myself quickly bogged down in deep detail on tools I learned I might not even need.

Secondly, many of the e-learning tool categories overlap in functionality, and some tools do it all. If this book had provided specific reviews of the best tools out there and how their features co-mingle, it would have been a big help. Instead, he neutrally lists scores of products in several of the categories discussed.

I did come away from this book with a solid understanding of the tool categories. Unfortunately, I am still pretty befuddled as to how to wade through all the complexities of those tool categories and how they relate to my objectives to decide which tools to buy.

William and Katherine Horton have written another excellent book. Their latest, E-Learning Tools and Technologies, provides a phenomenal amount of information about the tools and technologies that can be used to develop, manage, and deliver e-learning content. The authors cut through the clutter to clearly and succinctly explain the different types of tools, and their functionality and capabilities. Unlike many other technology books, Horton and Horton do readers a great service: they actually examine the different tools available in the commercial marketplace and share value-added information designed to help you select the best e-learning tools for your purposes.

The book is divided into the following categories:

Hardware and networks
Tools for accessing e-learning
Tools for offering e-learning
Tools for creating e-learning content
Picking tools and technologies
Evolution, trends, and big ideas

For each tool type, the book addresses the following:

What is the tool?
How does it work?
What else can the tool do?
What are the differences between tools?
How to choose the correct tool
The capabilities to look for

The book is clear and understandable, and helps you comprehend what these tools are, why you might want them, and how to evaluate them. The conceptual information is well presented and informative.

If you've ever found yourself confused about available e-learning technologies, or wondered if you need a particular technology or not, this is the book for you. It not only tells you what the tools do, it puts the technology in perspective for e-learning. William and Katherine Horton have distilled their years of experience into this 592-page book to help you make the right decisions and avoid the pitfalls. Highly recommended.

As one of the previous reviewers said Horton books are always a weath of information. This book is that and more. As an experienced practitioner in this space you'd think I'd know this stuff. And I do but it didn't stop me from reading this book cover to cover and enjoying every minute of it.

My favorite part is the Bill, Kit and Curmudgeon cartoons. They really proivde different perspectives about various issues. These are common views in real life and how they are expressed and addressed give this book an edge no other book on this topic has.

All this in addition to Bill and Kit's easily readable writing style and depth of knowledge. You can't lose when you buy this book. It's worth every penny and a lot more.

The Horton books are always a rich source of information but this one is a huge time-saver. It condenses into one (not too short) source all of the many years of experience that the Hortons have had in dealing with all of the issues involved in designing, developing, implementing, and maintaining e-learning. It is arranged in such a way that if your issue is software, you can get right there. If it's hardware, the same.

This book will help you avoid the pitfalls that so many organizations have encountered in implementing e-learning. Bill and "Kit" demystify the hype. E-learning has been oversold to business, industry, and education, in many ways and there is so much available today to choose from you can end up in "analysis paralysis" and never move in any direction. Another use for the book is as a resource if you work in an organization where someone dictates "moving to the web." "A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing" the adage goes. You can use the information in this book to connect the intracies to show that it's easier to say than it is to do.

This is the most up-to-date and thorough book I have seen on this very complicated, complex, and confusing topic.

This book gives a good overview to eLearning and standard tools used in the industry. It assumes the reader is a beginner and want to explore opportunities in the eLearning field.

I found this book helpful in explaining the tools and processes used by course developers and training professional. The authors' other book (can't recall name right now) was not as coherent or systemmatic as this book.

I would recommend this book for any beginner or intermediate level trainers or developers to further expand their knowledge of eLearning.

Easy to learn, easy to use, this book guides you in a very practical way through each step in e.learning instructional design. Besides you may use many of its information for computer based training (CBT)too. Step by step, he develops each chapter with information and examples, it even shows the computer page. Very interesting the way he organized the Activate Learning Chapter and the ideas at Motivate Learners Chapter. Even when it is a thick book you may read it quite fast and find a lot of support and ideas to work with. Very Useful.