Technologies and Innovations

Important Technologies and Innovations Supporting Online Education

Web technologies are evolving, and will likely continue to do so at more rapid pace. As educators, we have a duty to continually learn the newest and best methods of creating course content, interacting with our students, and assessing student performance. 

Here are some important technologies and innovations that all online educators should know about and embrace in developing their courses.

CSS Stylesheets for Mobile Browsers

Many cell phones, Blackberry and other PDAs, and netbooks have web browser capability.  The problem is most webpage content does not display well on these mobile devices.  Pages are often designed assuming that the user has a 17-inch monitor and "lock in" the page design; the result is that users have to continually scroll around the screen in order to access the links and read the content.

A better strategy is to design web page content that uses liquid layouts to have content "flow and fill" to the width of the browsing device.  That means that content will be resized to the width of the cell phone or browser - eliminating the need for horizontal scrolling.  As more students have web-capable mobile devices, this provides greater access to course content (especially for those using public transportation and wanting to make better use of their time on the bus, or those students who are trying to catch up on readings during work breaks and lunches at their places of employment).

Remember that the information is the most important thing; you can still have attractive designs, but the design should not dominate the information (rather it should support it).

CSS separates the content from its layout.  This allows the same content to look different on different devices (based on the features and capabilities of each device).  It also makes the content much more accessible, since a low-vision or color-blind user can substitute his/her own stylesheet in place of the one the instructor is using, thereby converting the content instantly into formats which work better for their specific needs.

Collaborative Writing Tools

Wikis and Google Docs are tools that allow multiple authors to collaborate, write, and edit a document.  Google Docs has the ability to revert to prior versions, so that information that is deleted or changed by another author can be recovered.  Additionally, blog tools can also allow multiple authors to individually contribute articles (such as Blogger owned by Google), in which multiple authors can contribute works, but only the original author or the blogsite owner can edit materials.

Podcasting

Audio podcasting has great appeal.  It provides content in a mobile format that students can play back on their MP3 players (most modern cell phones also have MP3 player capability), and the costs of creating the materials are extremely low ($20 for the headset with microphone, and then the free use of the open source software Audacity to record and edit the audio content).  For accessbility purposes, it is best to record from a script - so that you can post the script for those who are deaf or who prefer to read the materials.

Streaming Video

When a particular activity needs to be demonstrated, or when a case study scenario needs to be acted out, the use of streaming video is a great solution.  If a campus does not have its own streaming media service, faculty can explore the use of free streaming services such as YouTube.com, Google video, and Stage6.divx.com to upload content (at no cost) to be streamed out to users.  In order to have quality streamed video, it would be best to have a dedicated video studio with appropriate lighting, backgrounds, camera, and digital editing equipment. Again, scripts should be utilized and then open captions be added to the final video to ensure accessibility for all audiences.

Web Conferencing

Use of web-conferencing applications such as Adobe Acrobat Connect (formerly Macromedia Breeze), WebEx, Microsoft Live Meeting, or DimDim have much potential for deliverying content and creating interactive learning activities.  These include:

• Presentations of group projects
• Work status reports on group projects
• Guest speakers
• Training for use of software systems
• Virtual tours of facilities

• "Oral examinations" (put information or question on screen, and then have students answer questions verbally)
• Office hours for counseling, feedback, and progress
• Remote supervision (student observation "on the job")

VOIP

Services such as SKYPE allow bridging of multiple IP and land-line phones to create phone conferences (Skype allows up to 9 land-line phone calls to be bridged or up to 100 IP Skype accounts in a "Skypecast").  This has great applications for working with student groups remotely (arranging phone conferences and designing work product).

Mash-ups

Increasingly there are web services that are creating "mash-ups" by using features of other existing web services.  For example, the site http://www.shaded-relief.com/ combines the interface of Google Maps with terrestrial elevation information to show relief maps for most locations on the planet.  Additional "mashups" can be viewed at ProgrammableWeb (http://www.programmableweb.com/mashuplist).  As new services evolve, faculty will likely find applications that support and extend the course learning activities.