When I consider how Web 2.0 has affected the way we are taught and how we learn, I immediately think of the online classes I have taken. As we have experienced this quarter, Web 2.0 tools such as blogs or streaming video have enabled us to have rich learning experience outside of a classroom environment. Online courses have certainly changed the way I learn, challenging me to manage my own study time and testing my ability to research and communicate clearly through my writing.
After experiencing these tools in an online class, it is exciting to see Web 2.0 being incorporated into face-to-face classes in a variety of ways. My Mass Media Communications class had a blog that we contributed to each week. Through the blog, I was able to benefit from the perspectives of people who never spoke in the classroom. While I was taking Web II, I met with my group members through Skype as we discussed our project and shared files back and forth. In situations like these, Web 2.0 has enriched the communication I have had with my face-to-face classmates and broadened my learning experience.
While Web 2.0 tools have increased the amount of interaction I have with other students, I also feel that it has enabled me to learn more independently. Rather than completely relying on the people around me for help or guidance, in many cases I can find the solution online. If I want to know more about a particular photography technique, I can quickly make a Google search and find a wealth of information on independent websites, wikis, blogs or forums. When trying to master a new type of software, there are usually many tutorials that I can turn to online.
I am grateful that our DMD instructors have taught us to use the many resources that are available online. After graduation, it will be up to us to stay current with the changes in the digital media field, and the Web is an invaluable resource for us to continue learning and growing.
6 comments:
I agree with the increased student interaction due to the introduction of new tools. This is my fourth quarter and all of my classes have been online up to this point. This is the first quarter where I have had the opportunity to interact with other students. Before, it was just me trying to figure things out on my own.
Skype is a great program. I have used it for 3-4 years now. It is the main way that I keep in touch with fellow gamers around the world.
I really enjoy using Skype as well. In Web II my group would often schedule meetings between classes so that we could review our progress and work through any difficulties we were having. Using IM, we would send files back and forth and comment on each person’s work. It was amazing how much we could get done. Often we would make several revisions during our chat and would keep posting updated files for the other group members to review. It was almost like having face-to-face meeting, but it was much easier than making a trip to the labs.
The only disappointing part was that our connection was not strong enough to support any video or audio. We tried, but we kept becoming disconnected. I think being able to talk with each other would have made our progress faster, but we were still able to get a good deal done through just IM.
In the next few years, it's going to be much easier and affordable to get a faster Internet connection. I'd say within the next 5 years, an 8 mb/s connection speed will be the standard. It may be even more than that, considering how fast the technology itself is evolving. That would solve your video/audio problem, too bad it wasn't that way a year ago.
As far as our design work goes, Skype seems like it would be a great resource to work with clients. I've also been experimenting with Adobe's new system, where you can show your screen in real time to a client as you are working. It seems to work really well, and it seems like this type of software is going to be the norm very soon.
Skype is a great program, but I agree that it has some problems. I have had problems with connection issues before.
If you are looking for the best audio chat tool, then use Ventrilio. 99% of WoW players use it. I constantly get a good ping on any decent server. The codec is light on the bandwidth, but the quality sounds smooth. Of course your mic quality is also very important to how well you sound. That and the bitrate and codec the server uses.
For video chat I've had the best success with Google Chat. MSN seems to be really laggy. DIMDIM is a great tool. I heard about it on DiggNation (tech podcast) and tried it out with a friend. I had no problems and it was very easy to use.
I have never used Skype. We have a video phone, but our internet connection isn't the greatest because I live in the country. I agree with John that faster speeds for connection will become more prevalant in the next few years. I was told the cost of running 'special' fiberoptic lines out to my area would be about $10,000.00. I believe that in a few years the cost of producing the 'special' lines won't be so astronomical and be more available to everyone.
I certainly hope we get better bandwidth speeds soon. I know Verizon's FIOS service will hopefully be available in more areas soon. Its been around for a couple years now and would be 5x faster than what I currently have. I wish we could catch up to Japan and Korea in speed.
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