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Introduction
Education is of great importance to the society and because of this; individuals and governments have invested significant amounts of money in its development. Innovations in Information Technology have enabled great advances to be made in education through online learning. This form of learning is able to overcome problems inherent in traditional education such as physical resources limitation and time constraints. In this paper, I will discuss the relevant online learning technologies and highlight their advantages and disadvantages. I will also reflect on my personal online learning experience.
Technologies for Online Learning
Video and Audio Conferencing
This is a synchronous mode of learning and the students can communicate in real time with their teacher and the other students. The use of video enables students to interact with the teacher in a manner similar to a traditional class setting. The core advantage of this technology is that students can acquire the benefits of a traditional class without having to physically go to a school building (Bennett, Marsh, & Killen 2007). Through this method, instant feedback can be obtained from the students thus enabling the teacher to know if the students understand him/her.
A major disadvantage of video conferencing is that it does not allow students to have their classes at their convenience as they are bound by a schedule (Filimban 2008). This is the same restriction as with traditional classrooms where a person is forced to attend classes on a fixed schedule. Also, students are forced to learn at the same pace since learning takes place in real time. This is a demerit since different people have differing learning speeds and a technology that allows the individual to set their own pace would be most appropriate.
Chatting
This is also a synchronous mode of learning and the students communicate with the teacher and other students by use of chatting software. By using this technology, the learner can communicate instantly with the teacher or even the other learners. This encourages interactivity in the class setting (Bourne 2004).
A demerit of chatting is that since chats try to be as natural as possible, they mostly make use of acronyms or initials. Watkins and Corry (2010) state that these acronyms can impede communication especially when a person is new to online communication. Another disadvantage of chatting is the learner is likely to loss concentration due to lack of face to face interaction.
Online whiteboards
Online whiteboards are applications that allow a person to draw, write cursively, or doodle. The work done can then be saved or deleted at the end of the writing session. This technology has a friendly user interface which increases efficiency. A user friendly interface is that which a person can user intuitively without being required to go through an extensive training process (Haythornthwaite 2004). Another advantage of whiteboards is that they help to capture thoughts, ideas and sketches. Learners can therefore brainstorm ideas during chats or videoconferencing. Porter (2004) states that whiteboards are especially useful when you want to represent ideas that are difficult to describe in words.
Bulletin Boards
This is a popular tool for online classes which is used to post information that is important for all class members. This tool allows a person to learn at the pace in which they are most comfortable. It has always been acknowledged that students vary in levels of intellect and reception. This fact has meant that teachers cannot set a constant pace while teaching because the levels of understanding per students differ. Bourne notes that online learning programmes are predominantly focused on interaction via asynchronous tools (74). Through bulletin boards, students can set their own pace and the level of challenge that they are best suited in. This helps in building their self confidence and esteem making the learning process fun rather than frustrating.
A demerit of Bulletin boards is that students, if not prompted, are more likely to skip reading the bulletin board which will impede on the learning process (Porter 2004). Information accumulates on the bulletin board which makes it difficult to read. Porter (2004) states that at times it is difficult for learners to keep track of a discussion due to too many posts
My opinion
In my opinion, an online education that makes use of both synchronous and asynchronous technologies is the most efficient. This is because if asynchronous technologies such as bulletin boards and emails are relied on too much, one is likely to loss concentration or even interest in the subject. Using synchronous technologies solely on the other hand will limit the flexibility that online learning should possess.
Conclusion
This paper set out to discuss the relevant online learning technologies and showcase their merits and demerits. It has been seen that each technology has its own advantages and disadvantages. An online learning experience that makes use of a number of online technologies would be most beneficial for the student. By capitalizing on the merits of the online learning tools and minimizing their demerits, online learning can become the most effective and efficient means of education.
References
Bennett, SD, Marsh, D & Killen C, 2007, Handbook of online education, London: Continuum International Publishing Group.
Bourne, J 2004, Elements of quality online education: into the mainstream, USA: Sloan.
Filimban, GZ 2008, Factors that contribute to the effectiveness of online learning technology at Oregon State University, Princeton: ProQuest.
Haythornthwaite, C 2004, Learning, culture, and community in online education: research and practice, Michigan: Peter Lang.
Porter, R L 2004, Developing an online curriculum: technologies and techniques, Pennsylvania: Idea Group Inc.
Watkins, R & Corry, M 2010, E-Learning Companion: A Students Guide to Online Success, NY: Cengage Learning.
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