I just received my own paper copy of the TACCLE ‘how-to-do-it’ e-learning handbook.

TACCLE (teachers’ aids on creating content for learning environments) is partly funded by The European Union through its Life Long Learning Programme COMENIUS. The goal of this project is to help teachers create e-learning materials and raise awareness of e-learning in general. The project provides a ‘how-to-do-it’ handbook, local training sessions and an international in-service training once a year.

Currently the handbook can be downloaded on the TACCLE website (after registration) in English and French. I have a paper version in Dutch, so I guess the Dutch version and other languages will be available soon.

I am a little bit surprised about their choice for a paper-based version only. A citation by Jenny Hughes in her introduction to the handbook “Some people have made the obvious point that a book about e-learning is rather a contradiction in terms and felt that it would have been more appropriate to have produced an on-line version with all of the obvious advantages of easy updating.  However, we felt that the very teachers for whom this book is written are probably the group least likely to use or feel confident about using web-based materials. A book is comfortable and familiar and that is exactly how we would like teachers to feel about e-learning. It is both a reference book and a practical handbook. Some teachers will use it to find out about e-learning, others will be keen to actually get involved and start producing materials.”

Unfortunately, the book doesn’t include many practical references or good practices. Add the choice for a paper-based version on top of that, and you get a rather conceptual then practical handbook. But for those of you looking for a free handbook on e-learning, I would definitely recommend you to download it.