Impact of Technology and Multimedia

Blog Assignment – Impact of Technology and Multimedia

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What impact does technology and multimedia have on online learning environments?

Technology and multimedia play a very important role on online learning environments. Technology and multimedia have impacted the online learning environment a whole lot providing it is implemented correctly (Horn, 2008).  This can be seen through the use of discussion boards, wikis, videos, audios, course management systems and Social Networking sites you name it.  However, using them appropriately and not allowing technology to get you overwhelmed is of paramount importance (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010). According to our text, we must pick one to three of them mastering them well in order to meet the learning goals or objectives.  We must keep it simple and branch out later on to use more of these tools as we go along (pp. 57, 58).  Technology tools could make an impact in online learning environments, but certain important facts mentioned before and others that will be mentioned later on must be kept in mind.

What are the most important considerations an online instructor should make before implementing technology?

The most important considerations an online instructor should make before implementing technology are making sure it is accessible and usable to all, using the tools that are essential for learning and teaching experiences (pp. 57, 58).  There are many available tools, but for a beginner online instructor, knowing a few of these tools and making sure they are accessible and usable to all will serve the instructor well. The online instructor should also consider if it is in keeping with the objectives of the course or performance goals and the learning outcomes.  It is no use using tools that are unnecessary so we must know some of them. When we keep these considerations in mind then we would do well in teaching an online course.

What implications do usability and accessibility of technology tools have for online teaching?

The implications of usability and accessibility technology tools are that the online teacher has to make sure that the tools they use are usable to all and accessible to the disabled as “Technology that mediates lifelong learning does so in an accessible way” (Cooper, Colwell & Jelfs, 2007). The implications of this are that a variety of tools could be used in our teaching, but the important criteria here are to make learning accessible to all, even the disabled so it would need careful design (p.232).  The implications also are that technologies would be successfully used with these considerations in mind.

What technology tools are most appealing to you for online teaching as you move forward in your career in instructional design?

The technology tools that are most appealing to me are Course Management Systems, using discussion boards, blogs, audio and videos, Turnitin software, using social networking sites and of course using different design and graphical tools, but they need to be accessible and usable to all students.  If necessary, I would need to use assessment tools to find this out to see if they are needed.  According to our video posting, it stated that it is important to know about Web 2.0 Technologies (Palloff & Pratt, 2011).  We should know at least some of them, making them accessible and usable.

References
Boettcher, J., & Conrad, R., (2010), The online teaching survival guide. Simple and practical
pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA. Jossey-Bass.

Cooper, M, Colwell & Jelfs. (2007). Embedding accessibility and usability: considerations for
e-learning research and development projects ALT-J: Research in Learning Technology, 
15(3) 231-245.

Creativity Web Site for all. Retrieved from http://www.torbayfishing.com/disabled-access.htm

Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (2011). Enhancing the online experience. (Video).