541_Session 7

Session 7

1. Why is media selection important in eLearning?

Media selection is important in order to create a successful learning environment. Most students who chose to take e-learning courses, generally, have very busy schedules and find this style of learning to be convenient. If the media selected is not conducive to these needs, the success of the learning and experience will suffer. So, when e-learning courses are being designed/developed, the selection of the media needs to meet the busy lifestyles of the students as much as the needs of the instructor and the course content.

As we have continually been discussing, interaction must always be considered, including in media selection- meaning that it must support all three major interactions- student-student, student-content and student-instructor.s in these classes have busy lives; most do not have extra time toe

2. Define "new media"?

New media refers to on-demand access; in the e-learning environment, this would be access to content, interaction and participation. This access would be available to the student anywhere, at any time and on kind of digital device, such as smart phones or tablets. New media allows us to interact and share information in an instant.

3. Choose a "new media" and explain it's strengths and weaknesses for supporting eLearning.

I took a class that used facebook as its media. We received our content via links, we collaborated through postings. I found one of the biggest strengths to be access; we had access to content and each other anytime of any day. I personally was able to do my studies on my iPhone at work, in the car waiting for my kids to get out of school or in the comfort of my living room.  Another strength was privacy; our facebook was only able to be “friended” by invitation of the professor.

The greatest weakness was that it forced students to get a facebook. For most people that would not be a big deal, but we did have one student that voiced her dislike of being forced to join a social network.

4. Explain the term "Mobile Learning" and discuss the importance of "Mobile Learning in the current eLearning environment and in future eLearning environments.

Our texts describes mobile learning with two meanings: 1- participation in learning events while mobile, and 2- learning from the world in which we move.

I can say that currently I have taken advantage of our university’s mobile web app on my iPhone on numerous occasions. I have had to look up an activity or even post to my blog from time to time. I can say, that I have trouble commenting on other blogs; but that is probably a user issue rather than a tech issue. The main issue I see at this time is the size of the screen or keyboard on the mobile devices- not as easy to see or use as a laptop or desk computer.

The lifestyle of students is becoming more and more busy, and convenience and instant gratification is a way of life. Everywhere you look, people are on their smartphones or tablets, emailing, checking facebook, texting….thus, creating a cultural environment that is demanding instant, on-the-go education. We must, as e-learning designers/developers, take advantage of technological advances and meet those needs.

 5. Explain the term "Virtual Classroom". Describe how a "Virtual Classroom" can be used in eLearning.

The text explains that a virtual classroom can be in two formats: a webinar or a course. A webinar is an individual online meeting that is generally a one-time course. A course is a complete program of learning; which could be a series of webinars. Webinars and courses are taken online.

Instructors have a great deal of work and effort creating the syllabus and all of the technicalities of making the virtual classroom as effective in content and interaction as a f2f classroom- as we learned in our team project. The students have an added advantage of learning from each other through collaborations more in a virtual classroom than in most f2f (or in classes I have experienced). In my other class, I discussed the isolation that students feel (it was on K-12 e-learning). Virtual classrooms, if designed and developed correctly, require students to be more involved- both with the content and other students.

*I apologize for any typos or crzy mitakes..... as I am dealing with a mobile learning environment that I am not used to- which is what led me to my weaknesses in question 4. Ironic for this session- I think. Laptop crashed.