E-learning aided by Linux operating
system
The current age of high speed Internet and instantaneous global communication has made a number of things
possible that simply were not possible before. Distant learning via the Internet is one of the great
technological benefits that are now available within the field of education because of advances in global
communication speeds and infrastructures. Online education is also known as e-learning, is regarded as a
specific sub branch of tele-mentoring, and is used by a number of public and private educational
institutions. E-learning can take a number of forms, and can be applied to a number of different age
groups. The Linux operating system and Linux server products are often used as part of the electronic education process.
Telementoring refers to the use of telecommunications equipment to create contact between a student and a
teacher. While education via two way radios and telephones has been going on for a long time with students in
rural parts of the world, it is only since the age of the Internet that long distance education has started to be
applied to a wider variety of situations. E-learning is much more powerful than education via the older
telephony infrastructures, as the Internet allows for a wider range of media than just voice messages.
E-learning can now include text, pictures, video, audio, and collaboration between a number of individuals
simultaneously. Entire university courses are now conducted in an online environment, and many courses have
an electronic component to complement their face-to-face teaching.
While distant learning only used to be applied as a last resort when normal education resources were not
available at a particular location, e-learning has a number of advantages over traditional teaching methods and is
often participated in even when face-to-face learning is an option. E-learning can be a more convenient and
efficient way of receiving information, as a student does not even have to leave the comfort of their own
home. In this age of readily available wireless communication infrastructures and lap top computers (at least
in the developed world), it is easier than ever before to become educated regardless of your location or time
zone.
E-learning is of great benefit when a student is being educated in a specialised field and local teachers are
not available. Online tutoring is a way to create a more equitable educational situation around the world, so
that geographical limitations and the scarcity of qualified and available teachers in a certain location do not
have to necessarily limit a student's chances of success. However, for productive e-learning to take place,
students do need to have access to good quality computing equipment and communication infrastructures. This
is not always available in the locations where it is needed the most, and is one of the challenges in the attempted
creation of a equally educated world.
The Linux operating system is playing a big part in a number of independent e-learning systems, and is even
involved in some of the projects that are attempting to get computer technology into the hands of the children of
developing nations. Because Linux is a freely available and open source operating system, it is the perfect
software to counter the issues of global technology inequality. Linux has a history of use in server
computers, and is therefore also in the perfect place to influence the design and development of many of the
communications devices which are used in e-learning all over the world.
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