User:Stephanie Dodgson

Contents 1 Background 1.1 New Media Technologies 1.1.1 Assessment 1.2 Economics 1.2.1 Assessment 1.2.1.1 Mid Semester Exam 1.2.1.2 Assignment 1.2.1.3 End Exam 2 Annotated Bibliography

Background

Currently studying public relations and media/communication at QUT.
Subjects include:

• New Media Technologies
• Public Relations Theory and Practice
• Journalism Information Systems
• Economics
  

New Media Technologies

Assessment

In this subject, we are required to choose a topic under the major idea of e-Learning and use Wikipedia to eventually create a key entry for the topic.
Firstly, we are to do background research and produce an annotated bibliography of approximately 10 sources.
Next, in groups of 5, we are required to produce a key entry for the major topic we are researching, of about 1000 words.
Finally, we are required to write 5 sub entries of 500 words to be added under the key topic we entered in groups.

Economics

Assessment

Assessment for this subject includes;

1. Mid Semester Exam
2. Assignment
3. End Exam

Mid Semester Exam

This exam consists of 30 multiple choice questions do be completed in 1 hour.

Assignment

A 1000 word, fully referenced assignment is to be done on one of two topics set by the lecturer.

End Exam

This exam is divided into 3 parts - multiple choice (20 questions), short answer (20 questions) and one essay question.

Annotated Bibliography

Barnard, G. 2005. Why e-Learning Affects Us All? The British Journal of Administrative Management. April/May:24.

Gerry Barnard wrote in The British Journal of Administrative Management, on the implications that e-Learning has had and is likely to have on the professional world.

Barnard sees the need for the professional world to follow that of the education world in adopting e-Learning strategies and technologies to better the workplace. He advises of the strategies that organisations could use to ensure they smoothly adapt to using the new technologies.

Barnard believes that many organisations are already following this trend by using learning portals for staff training and e-portfolios to display employees' credentials and company accomplishments.

He sees this shift as a positive one however fails to inform of the problems and limitations that e-Learning strategies may have on the professional world.

Overall, the article gives a biased but informative look at how e-Learning is slowly moving into other areas of business, and changes that are to come.

Cervieri, S. 2005. Turn Knowledge into Competitive Advantage: Introducing the Virtual School to Traditional Training. Franchising World 37 (3): 59.

This article realises the success of e-Learning and its movement into the business world. It recognises the potential of e-Learning to be used in other areas of business training.

While Cervieri praises e-Learning as a training assistant, the author realises that a balance between e-Learning methods and traditional ones is necessary to reach an optimum learning environment, where users gain the most from their online experience. Cervieri acknowledges that important skills, such as verbal communication and public speaking, are lost in an e-Learning dominant environment.

The article outlines three major advantages of e-Learning.

The first of these is its universality - it allows people to access learning material at any time and from any place in the world.

Secondly, e-Learning provides quality learning resources as material can be updated constantly as required.

Finally, e-Learning provides users with personalised and customised learning environments, allowing them to create their most favourable and effective surroundings.

Lastly, the author sees these strengths in a broader light by explaining that using e-Learning will provide organisations with an overall competitive advantage. He explains this by illustrating that e-Learning will provide the customer with unlimited and unrestricted information at their fingertips; and that employees have the best resources and set their own standards thereby giving them motivation in the workplace.

Downes, S. 2005. The Economy of E-Learning. www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/website/view.cgi?dbs=Article&key=1121044894 (accessed August 2, 2005).

This article by Stephen Downes was found via the website listed below, www.e-learningcentre.co.uk.

Stephen Downes is a leading voice in Canadian e-Learning research. He currently works at the Institute for Information Technology's e-Learning Research Group and has been writing reputable articles for various publications since 1995.

The article in review is entitled, "The Economy of E-Learning".

Downes' major focus of this article is the shift that is occurring in the education economy from production to service. He reinforces this by illustrating various educational shifts that have taken place and explaining how the focus has moved from institutional to individual as a result of e-Learning's dominance.

He recognises that there is no change in the funding of resources provided by education systems, however explains that opportunities will exist in more cost effective education organisations with the introduction of e-Learning.

Downes predicts in the public education sector, that as the cost to educate per person decreases, (as it does in e-Learning environments) the market expands and therefore more specialised and higher education is available for more people.

The article also addresses the content of online classrooms and the infrastructure which accompanies these, in terms of revenue and cost effectiveness.

The author next discusses the impact of the internet on e-Learning and tells of three ways in which it has affected the online classroom. These are;

• Digitisation
  
• Disintermediation
  
• Capacity
  

He concludes from this that the administration structure of education organisations is likely to change because of the shift towards self management of learning (as an effect of e-Learning).

While Downes focuses primarily on the economics of online education, the article provides useful insight into changes that may occur in e-Learning environments.

E-Learning Centre. 2005. The E-Learning Centre. www.e-learningcentre.co.uk (accessed August 4, 2005).

The aim of this site is to help businesses and education understand the potential of e-Learning.

This site predominantly acts as a source of directing interested visitors to the information that they require by providing links to relevant information. It also has features such as commentary and picks of the month. Here, the site offers commentary on certain articles and chooses the top five resources of the previous month.

The most useful aspect of this site is the "library". This is a section of the site that is divided into general categories, such as, "What is e-Learning?" and gives links to information relating to the topic.

Gillani, B. 2003. Learning Theories and the Design of e-Learning Environments. Maryland: University Press of America. ISBN 0761826041

This book gives an in depth analysis into learning theories and the development of e-Learning.
Part 1, which includes five chapters, explains the importance and relevance of behavioural, cognitive, social and psychological theories to e-Learning. These theories are identified by Gillani as the most significant in relation to education as they provide the basis for successful learning.

Gillani realises the lack of theoretical foundations currently being used in the development and establishment of e-Learning programs and explains the need for educators to understand the structure and content of their working environments. His reasoning for this is that without knowledge, teachers are unable to provide the best learning environments for students to reach their greatest academic potential.

The section of this book provides helpful examples of successful e-Learning environments incorporating the theories, to illustrate the author's arguments.

Ling, P. 2004. Integrated e-Learning: Pedagogy, Technology and Organisation. Distance Education 25 (2): 259.

This article is in fact a book review, however author Peter Ling uses the ideas introduced in the book as a basis for his own theories and develops on these within the article.

Ling begins by defining e-Learning for himself, in which he identifies the Internet as the dominant force.

Two aspects of learning in a virtual classroom are discussed; flexible and complex learning.

Flexible learning means that the student has a great deal of choice in the way that they learn, for example choosing the time and place to learn. Complex learning is outlined as discipline based learning, in which the student has limited choices regarding their education.

Ling recognises that there is a strong need to incorporate the two in e-Learning environments for these particular classrooms to effectively educate students.

The issue of teachers also comes up in this article when Ling discusses that those in e-Learning environments need to design programs that are education based and not solely information oriented. He brings up this point as he realises that online classrooms often lack instructions and practice in performing certain skills that could greatly affect employment opportunities for younger students.

Finally, Ling touches on the issue of online assessment and fairly provides both positive and negative aspects of the process. He recognises that online assessment provides instant feedback with minimal effort, however can assess only some selected processes. For example, verbal communication skills can not be assessed online.

Overall, Ling provides a solid article filled with original and reliable material. This article addresses issues regarding e-Learning that others have failed to mention or touched only lightly on.

Naish, R. 2005. Blog to Learn. E.Learning Age August: 16-19.

Richard Naish uses his article to explore the world of blogs and how they are used in e-Learning environments.

The article gives a detailed explanation of blogs and outlines, through an example, how they can effectively be incorporated into e-Learning environments to assist learning. The author gives a specific example of how posting and sharing essays assisted students in the development of their work.

The article displays both positive and negative ideas about blogging.

The arguments are that while blogging is accessible anywhere at any time, they are free from institutional intervention resulting in the possible unreliability of the skill within the e-Learning world.

Naish gives a strong and unbiased explanation of blogs by presenting a two-sided argument. He verifies their relevance and importance in e-Learning and provides an article useful at any level of understanding.

Solomon, G. 2005. Shaping E-Learning Policy. Technology and Learning 25 (10): 26.

This article begins with the idea that a shift towards virtual education has begun and is vital in the development of education throughout the world.

The author gives clear definitions and explanations of the many types of virtual education, one of which is e-Learning.

The article addresses issues that are otherwise shadowed by other articles, such as policy, funding and unions.

Solomon discusses policy, in relation to e-Learning, by introducing the ideas of regulation and licenses in the development of online education systems.

The focus in this article seems to be on the issue of funding. The two issues addressed here are the implications that e-Learning will have on government budgets, and the cost of creating and purchasing the online courses. The author suggests that cut backs in other areas of education budgets may become apparent as a reuslt of the high costs associated with establishing online education systems. These costs are also discussed within the article.

The idea that organisations such as teacher's unions will become sparce with the increase in virtual education is touched on lightly in this article also.

Finally, Solomon gives a brief outline of the major opposing arguments for and against e-Learning.

Stephenson, J. ed. 2001. Teaching and Learning Online: Pedagogies for New Technologies. Sterling: Stylus Publishing. ISBN 0749435117

Stephenson's focus in this book lies on the importance of teachers taking on active roles in understanding the importance of a shift towards e-Learning.

Stephenson believes that this shift is both inevitable and necessary in the development of education.

The first chapter of this book is quite short but provides useful, general background and information on the concept of e-Learning. The text provides examples of e-Learning and also some definitions of key terms relevant to the subject.

The author provides, in detail, the many opportunities that e-Learning provides the education system, however fails to outline any significant problems.

The book also gives numerous examples of e-Learning including lectures, computer conferences and online debates; and the potential of these in assisting learning.

Overall, a useful source of information in terms of basic principle however more detailed analyses of the concepts in action in e-Learning environments may have been useful to further illustrate arguments.

Stephanie Dodgson 16:16, 11 Aug 2005 (EST)