How digital web tools support the learning environment
In the new era of learning, digital web tool plays a fundamental role in the processes of teaching different ages people. After reading Claire Major’s chapter, I have a basic understanding of five faculty members take different approaches to teach online courses by using different tools and methods. They introduced moodle system, social media:blogs, online meeting and word-press blog and so on…
Firstly, I considered that WordPress blog can support online learning. In Lisa Lane history, asynchronous online course, “she have offered the class as a hybrid in WordPress”, she pointed out that the technology works very well for creating a format (Major, 2015, P.90). Also, In the fourth instructor Alan Levine computer science online course, it is hosted in WordPress Platform. Students use WordPress blog publish creative work in this class. “Students manage their own personal cyber-infrastructure”(Major, 2015, p.99). By using WordPress platform, Students learn online from a variety of sources, such as video, audio, visual, design, and web. Students share what they create and get reflection. Furthermore, the overlapping community of students from different places; they learn how to acquire what they need from the software. Moreover, users can decide to use real name or use a pseudonym, and to choose blog private or public.(Major, 2015).
In my opinion, I like WordPress blog not only because these useful functions, but also because this online tool is free, it provides more opportunities to enrich every blogger’s knowledge, especially for these learners who didn’t study at school.
Secondly, I was interested in a free, downloadable digital-story tool which is called “photo story”. This tool allows adding narration, effects, transitions and background music to create movie file. The photo story could be uploaded to the “About Me” part or a page welcoming visitors to users’ site, thereby users can share digital stories by creating and customizing their digital stories to get to know each other better. What I though was most piratical function in this online tool is the highlight important or special topic (Major, 2015, p.176).
Above all, Nowadays, “many faculty who teach decentralized courses tend to make extensive use of social media.”(Major, 2015, p.87). Online social learning provides students efficient and effective learning environment.
Reference
Major, C. H. (2015). Teaching online: A guide to theory, research, and practice. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press.