Digital media and e-learning provide a cost-effective means of reaching large widely-distributed communities and building their research capacity. The session offers experiential advice on - the strategies that could be adopted, particularly to support informal learning within communities - the resources that are available and - how these resources can be used to help build research capacity.

1. E-Learning in its Element: Building Informal Learning and Research Capacity in Large Communities John Cook Learning Technology Research Institute, London Metropolitan University ESRC funded National Centre for Research Methods, 10th Nov, Work-Based Learning for Education centre, Institute of Education, London

2. Email: [email_address] Home page: http://staffweb.londonmet.ac.uk/~cookj1/ Blog: http://blogs.londonmet.ac.uk/tel Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnnigelcook Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/johnnigelcook Skype: johnnigelcook Google Wave: [email_address] Blip.fm: http://blip.fm/johnnigelcook Possible tag: #ncrm09

8. Another possible framework for developing strategy: “Socio-Cultural Ecology” Pachler, Bachmair and Cook ( in press) Pachler, Bachmair and Cook Mobile Learning: Structures, Agency, Practices. New York: Springer. Due Feb 2010. http://www.springer.com/education/learning+&+instruction/book/978-1-4419-0584-0

15. http://www.slideshare.net/johnnigelcook

17. MATURE session on http://flashmeeting.open.ac.uk/home.html

20. http://blogs.londonmet.ac.uk/tel

22. http://cloudworks.ac.uk/index.php/cloud/view/2505.html

23. http://cloudworks.ac.uk/index.php/cloud/view/2505.html

24. http://cloudworks.ac.uk/index.php/cloud/view/2505.html

25. http://academia.edu/

26. http://reports.jiscemerge.org.uk/

27. http://ntupgce.ning.com/

31. http://staffweb.londonmet.ac.uk/~cookj1/#pubs

34. Thank You Questions Take the debate to: http://cloudworks.ac.uk/index.php/cloud/view/2505.html