Benefits and Challenges of Using EIM & Media K-12 eLearning

What are the benefits and challenges of using electronic instructional materials and media in K-12 eLearning instruction? Consider infrastructure and instruction in your response.

I thought it would be fun to make a word cloud out of the benefits and challenges of eLearning.

 

Since I come from a Business Administration and Management background and Mathematics background I thought I would use a SWOT (Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats) analysis of the Benefits and challenges of eLearning.

Benefits	Challenges
Strengths	Weaknesses
·         Classes can be taken any time any where there is an internet connection, country and border boundaries do not matter	·         Broken Links, power outages, slow dial up, insecure web portal, outdated technology equipment and software, censorship (school, parents, government, age appropriateness)
·         ELearning building infrastructure costs are low	·         No home access, student might have to work in library on public computer
·         Expenses of travel for students and teachers are reduced, no car or transportation needed	·         On-line costs for actual physical schools in blended learning situations are the same
·         E-learners can learn at their own pace, instruction is at the learners pace	·         Students must be self disciplined to get modules done on time, learners do not have unlimited time to finish class
·         Immediate access to teacher via  e-mail	·         Teachers must check e-mail and respond in a timely manner
·         Modern technology, i-pads, i-phones, internet, web, blogging, social media	·         Eye strain, back aches, carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive motion injuries, poor posture

 

Benefits	Challenges
Opportunities	Threats
·         eLearning can be scheduled around busy lives	·         time deadlines for class work submission. everything takes much longer to work properly
·         E-Learners have access to huge databases and resources from all over the world	·         Virus attacks from anywhere
·         Different learning styles are supported	·         Blind, deaf, hearing impaired, mobility impaired (such as arthritis) need specialized expensive equipment
·         Community learning  is fostered through chat and bulletin boards	·         Learners with poor study skills, limited computer skills, and low technical skills will fall behind or be a drain on more expert learners, need more support, feelings of isolation
·         Innovative multi-media, voice, video, gameology, colors, visual mapping, real life images, virtual tours	·         Shovel ware, re-using old text based media, black and white, hands on is difficult
·         Students can log on multiple times a day, repetition of a lecture or instruction is easy as many times as needed, students can practice many times for successful learning of a concept, immediate feedback, automatic reminders of assignments due.	·         Students fail to log on frequently, students do not commit to hours of study, students do not submit work on time, students are not self-directed (especially K-12).

I also found a really good test for an e-Learner to take to see if they are up to the challenges of e-Learning.

 

http://www.unc.edu/tlim/ser/#ShowResults