E-learning has been around for many decades -- although it wasn't always called e-learning. In its earliest form it was stored on huge mainframe computers attached to terminals that could only display green text. But with the invention first of the personal computer, and more recently with the advent of Web browsers, there have been great advances in the field of educational technology.

Some organizations and individuals are early adopters who immediately embrace the newest technology. But for most organizations it takes time to evaluate, purchase, and implement new hardware and software. This means that at any given point in time, there will always be new, recent, and old technologies in use. In the section that follows we'll look at the variety of data storage technologies - things that hold programs and data - which have defined the limits of multimedia, and introduce Web technologies that have drastically changed the face of e-learning.

Floppy Disks

Training programs were primarily delivered on floppy diskettes in the late 1980's and early 1990's. 3.5 inch floppy diskettes hold 1.44 megabytes of information, which is the equivalent of about 1.5 million text characters, or 700 pages of straight text. Compression software can increase the amount a floppy disk holds by approximately five-fold, but the software must then be installed onto a computer's hard drive before the disk's data can be run. This storage amount is relatively small, given the large file size of audio and video files. Using uncompressed files, one floppy disk can hold only six seconds of low-quality video. Because of this, computer-based training delivered via floppy disk is usually text-based, with some limited graphics. It isn't that multimedia can't be delivered via floppies; the issue is that it takes an impracticably large number of floppy disks to hold even a relatively small multimedia program.

But it will not be much longer before floppies become completely obsolete. There are other, newer portable storage devices that have much more capacity (for example, Zip disks). But the whole need for portable storage devices is disappearing with the emergence of high-speed network connections at the office and at home.

CD-I

CD-I, which stands for Compact Disc Interactive, is a multimedia system developed in the late 1980's that was designed to be used at home, in schools, and in business. A CD-I player is a relatively inexpensive device that connects to any TV, much like a VCR. CD-I disks hold text, computer animation, and digital audio, along with video that can be displayed full-screen.

The CD-I format gained popularity initially because it was easier and cheaper to implement than purchasing a complete multimedia CD-ROM-equipped computer system, and the quality of the multimedia was much higher. However, a major limitation was that there was no hard drive or floppy disk system attached to CD-I and data, such as student test scores or bookmarking features, could not be saved. As multimedia computers rapidly came down in price, the popularity of CD-I technology declined.

CD-ROM

CD-ROM, which stands for Compact Disk - Read Only Memory, is a system for delivering multimedia to a personal computer. These circular, 5-inch discs look identical to audio CDs that are played in a home or car stereo. They require a CD-ROM drive, which has come as standard equipment with all new computers for several years.

Each CD-ROM has a storage capacity of 650 megabytes. In other words, one CD-ROM can hold as much as 450 floppy diskettes, or approximately one hour of low-quality video. Because of this vast storage capability, CD-ROMS are a relatively easy and inexpensive way to distribute large files and programs, including audio, video, and complex animations. Through the mid-1990's e-learning was primarily delivered using CD-ROM.

DVD-ROM

DVD-ROM, which stands for Digital Video Disc - Read Only Memory is essentially a bigger, faster CD-ROM. It is a new standard that is being embraced for training and business information, as well for home entertainment. DVD-ROMs look identical to standard CD-ROMs, but can hold 4.7 gigabytes of information, or 2 hours and 13 minutes of full-screen digital video. Figures 2.1 and 2.2 compare the storage capacity of different media.

DVD-ROMs are already quickly replacing CD-ROM technology. New computers are being equipped with DVD drives as standard equipment, and these drives are compatible with the older CD-ROM technology. In other words, consumers and employees can switch to the new DVD technology but still access all of their old CD-ROMs using the DVD drive.

Storage Media Comparison Chart #1

1 Floppy Disk = 1.44 megabytes, or 6 seconds of low-quality video

1 CD-ROM = 650 megabytes, or almost 1 hour of low-quality video

1 DVD-ROM = 4.7 gigabytes, or 2+ hours of high-quality video

Storage Media Comparison Chart #2

1 DVD = 7 CD-ROMs = 3,157 Floppy Diskettes

Internet/Intranet

The Internet started in 1969 as a Department of Defense research project to create a secure means of communication in the event of war. Originally it was called ARPAnet, and consisted of computers dispersed around the globe that would pass messages to each other using a new technical standard called TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol).

In the 1980's, funding for the network was taken over by the National Science Foundation and only a few hundred computers were attached to the Internet, mostly owned by government agencies and academic institutions.

Initially, the Internet was difficult to use by non-technical people, but the invention of Web-browser software changed all that. A Web browser is simply a piece of software that sits on the user's computer and provides a point-and-click graphical interface to the World Wide Web. The Web is a global network of millions of "pages" of information that contain text, graphics, and links to other pages or pieces of information. Now, with advances in browser technology Web pages often contain multimedia elements, too. Browsers made it easy for everyone, regardless of their level of computer expertise, to "surf the 'net" and gain access to a vast worldwide library of information.

The modern form of e-learning didn't take off until 1996. Initially, the more common term was "Internet-based training" (IBT), and then "web-based training" or "online learning", but the reality was that most corporations never put their private training programs and internal information on the Internet, which is open to the public. Instead, Web pages were held on organizations' private internal networks, called Intranets. Intranets are just smaller, private networks that work on the same TCP/IP technology as the Internet. Because a Web browser provides the interface to both Internet and Intranet education, the term Web-based training is more dominant today.

Mobile Technology

By the year 2000, wireless mobile devices (e.g., cell phones and personal digital assistants PDAs) became fairly ubiquitous in the business and government environment. There is now an emerging interest in developing e-learning applications for these devices, which is now called "m-learning" for "mobile" learning. Whether or not this form of delivery will really ever take off remains to be seen.