Review of 3 elearning Tools HST860VV Ash Patel Annie La Trieu Thursday June 12, 2014

Transcription

1 Review of 3 elearning Tools HST860VV Ash Patel Annie La Trieu Thursday June 12, 2014

2 Table of Contents Facebook 3 Pros of Facebook.. 3 Cons of Facebook.. 4 What is Facebook Missing?... 4 How Facebook is important for the elearning build... 3 Powtoon....5 Pros of Powtoon Cons of Powtoon.5 What is Powtoon Missing?.5 How Powtoon is important for the elearning build..6 Wix.6 Pros of Wix..6 Cons of Wix..6 What is Facebook Missing? 7 How Facebook is important for the elearning build.7 Works Cited..8 2

3 Facebook Facebook is one of the most popular social networking sites used all over the world. Almost everyone has an account and signs on at least once a day. This can have both positive and negative effects for students as Facebook is mainly used as a form of communication and entertainment. Users are able to communicate with other users, post pictures, write on walls, participate in discussions, send messages, join groups, like pages, use third party applications, and play games on a daily basis. Generally Facebook was not created for educational purposes, however as technology advances, social media is now used as a learning platform for individuals and many organizations. The Pros of Facebook Facebook is extremely easy to use and almost everyone has an account. This makes it very easy to network and interact with other virtual students (Ferriman). Since people are already familiar with the navigation tools of Facebook, students technically do not need to learn another learning platform before the actual learning can occur. Facebook has many applications that encourage elearning, here are a few according to Mark W. Medley: 1. Using Facebook Notes Students are able to makes notes on their student network or personal profile, this is easy, and quick. Sharing notes can allow students to recap what they have learned, pick up on what they have missed, all while keeping a track record of notes for the course/class. 2. Wikimono Students are able to have their own wiki within Facebook, which encourages students to share links and information about the course/class. This may encourage individual learning and helps to share a different range of knowledge based website links. 3. Groups Facebook allow users to make groups where elearners are able to share files, view/add links, share photographs/videos and more importantly ideas about a given subject through discussion threads. Students can easily access and contribute as a group member, that enhances their ability to self- study, and brainstorm a subject. If students need help on a subject, they are able to send group messages and create events (such as a study session). Almost all elearners own a smartphone, that being said, they are able to receive instant notifications regarding a course/class to keep track of anything new that happens; new groups, requests, discussions, comments, tagging, material, links etc. [and] students are able to subscribe to group update via RSS feeds for instant notifications and current information without even logging in to the platform (Pappas). Allowing uploads or 3

4 downloads of course material to be accessed all the time, is also a major advantage for Facebook. Facebook also makes it very easy for users to create applications, making it a great canvas for developers to add cool new functionality [for students] (Ferriman). These applications encourage elearning and social learning. If it is fun, it may very well be effective. Facebook can also be used to improve relationships between students and can be used with other learning platforms. Other advantages of using Facebook for elearning include creating open groups which can attract a wider audience to a specific course, domain, application or even school (Pappas). Another great advantage of Facebook is the ability to create polls and questionnaires to allow for feedback to request the opinion of your audience on a specific topic or even to generate statistics [and questionnaires] to comprehend the likes, dislikes and interests current/future students (Pappas). The Cons of Facebook Facebook is a social media website, therefore it may take away from actual learning as users many get distracted. Facebook can definitely cause procrastination as it is time consuming since most people use it for entertainment. Since it is so simple to upload and download files, it may be difficult to distinguish between factual and made up information. Facebook is also distracting with its constant updates and notifications. This can be seen as a con, as sometimes an elearner s newsfeed is spammed with notifications and may find this to be irritating. What is Facebook Missing? Since Facebook was not created initially for educational purposes, I believe that many of the tools and features of this elearning platform readily available, and if not, are somehow linked to Facebook. This tool may be distracting, however in the end it is up to the user and what they decide to take away from Facebook and how they will utilize certain applications and features. How Facebook is important for the elearning build Facebook is obviously not initially made for educational purposes however it can actually be seen as a great tool for social learning and to encourage learning. Using Facebook for my elearning build may be a good idea, as it is interactive and I would be able to receive immediate feedback from students. As it is a social media site, the lesson could be easily talked about and word could spread quickly regarding the course. Students are able to learn at their own pace and may go over the lesson over and over again, as modules could be uploaded to a page. Users can also speak of their experience with the course itself and offer tips to other Facebook members. 4

5 Powtoon Powtoon allows users to make animated lessons/presentations for free. Powtoon also offers more advanced features for an additional cost. The Pros of Powtoon Powtoon right off the bat is very interesting to the eye. This intriguing elearning tool uses a cartoon approach which allows for positive humor [which] can also increase the likeability of the instructor [or lesson] (Moore). In Cathy s blog about Powtoon, her findings state that: Humor appears to reduce anxiety by decreasing the effects of stress hormones. It appears to improve motivation and recall. It should be appropriate to the audience and sprinkled here and there rather than applied with a firehose. With humor involved in the lesson, learners will have a natural keen interest into the subject matter. This elearning tool is fairly simple to use, once the user plays around with the features. There are built- in characters, animations, and a decent supply of images within each style of images (Moore). Powtoon allow users to create a presentation from scratch or from a template which include pre- arranged slides for Promotional Videos, Slideshows, Educational Clips, Infographic Videos and Social Clips (PowToon Quick Reference - Google Docs). Users are also able to add personal sound clips and music as well, this makes the elearning very intuitive and interactive for users. The Powtoon timeline is also very useful as it allows users to customize all animations to a particular time in the presentation. The storyboard feature allow users to organize their presentation with an outline of intial visual and narration ideas. Powtoon makes it easy for users to edit presentations, save any work online, as well as export the overall file. The Cons of Powtoon There are a range or character styles, however it may not be enough for some users due to the complexity of the presentation. It is not possible to change music files in the middle of an animation or fade out the audio and the shortest interval found on the timeline of Powtoon is one second. What is Powtoon Missing? Powtoon offers many features however still limits users to about 20 seconds per slide. Perhaps Powtoon could offer a more serious approach so that it may reach another audience/other users, this will at least give users the option. Powtoon does 5

6 not offer the feature of allowing users to post animated GIF files, which is not a huge ordeal but it would be a nice feature. How Powtoon is Important for the elearning Build? Any animated video will contribute to the learning of any course. In an elearning Build, videos are a very interactive way to get learners involved and interested. Powtoon puts a twist on things as it adds humor to the lesson, thus using analogy, exaggeration, emotion, vivid imagery, and unique sounds, all of which probably make the content more memorable (Moore). Powtoon would be an effective tool for elearning as it would relieve a bit of stress, make it more enjoyable for learners, and allow users to have fun with it. In terms of my elearning build, Powtoon will be very effective in delivering a memorable video clip in regards to the types of terrain, how to triangulate a position, and shooting a bearing. Learners will be able to remember through a comedic approach and will be able to have fun with it and share its embedded link anywhere on the web, as well as export it to Youtube. Wix Wix is a free platform for users to easily build a website from scratch as well a premium version for an additional cost. The Pros of Wix Wix offers more than 200 templates for users to customize their website using HTML5, which is user friendly for all devices. There are even categories or themes that users are able to choose from. It is easy to use as you just follow the simple instruction on the screen. It is simply a drag and drop procedure to incorporate your lesson with a consistent preview of how the website will appear once it is finished. If there are questions as to how to navigate the site, there is a consistent support forum where users are able to ask questions and seek answers. With a website, users are able to design their lesson any way they want and with Wix, each theme is cosmetically pleasing. Wix also allow users to add buttons to outside links or resources. Wix offers an advanced editor which allow for an apps builder and the freedom to design your own HTML code or even a Google event calendar. The Cons of Wix Once a template has been chosen, it not possible to change it. In order to do so one must start over, this is frustrating as this could be very time consuming. There is also no native blogging app [one must] install a third- party application [such as] Tumblr or Blogger through the App Market (Andre). Another con of Wix is that there are ads on the finished website which can take away from a learner s 6

7 experience. It is also impossible to export your template to use on a different website builder because the code is specific to Wix. What is Wix Missing? A main feature that Wix is unable to provide is the ability to collaborate with other elearning platforms, as it does not support any of them. Another complaint that was consistent is that there are over 41 million users however the templates are still limited to this many users (Andre). How Wix is Important for the elearning Build Wix is ultimately a website builder and it is important for my elearning build to have a one which can be updated and allow users to frequently check back if they wanted. Wix is search engine optimized, so it will allow learners to search the enavigation topic if ever interested. Modules can be easy created by adding pages and photos of the different module focus can be dragged and dropped onto the site. 7

8 Works Cited André, Laura M.. "Wix Review." Web Presence Design RSS2. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 June < review- a- few- pros- and- 10- cons/>. Boudreaux, Ryan. "Review: WiX website builder." TechRepublic. N.p., 1 Aug Web. 9 June < designer/review- wix- website- builder/>. Ferriman, Justin. "Using Facebook for ELearning." LearnDash. N.p., 16 Apr Web. 9 June < facebook- for- elearning/>. Karrer, Tony. "elearning Technology."Facebook as a Learning Platform. N.p., 15 Oct Web. 9 June < as- learning- platform.html>. Medley, Mark W.. "How to Use Facebook As an E- Learning Tool." Ezine Articles. N.p., 10 Feb Web. 9 June < to- Use- Facebook- As- an- E- Learning- Tool&id= >. Moore, Cathy. "How humor helps + Powtoon review." Cathy Moore. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 June < moore.com/2013/07/how- humor- helps- powtoon- review/>. Pappas, Christopher. "8 Tips To Use Gmail as an elearning Tool." elearning Industry. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 June < tips- to- use- gmail- as- an- elearning- tool>. Pappas, Christopher. "How To Use Facebook For Social Learning." How To Use Facebook For Social Learning. N.p., 17 May Web. 9 June < to- use- facebook- for- social- learning>. "PowToon Quick Reference - Google Docs." PowToon Quick Reference - Google Docs. The Center for Teaching and Learning, n.d. Web. 9 June < W9QkfLkts4/edit>. 8