Online Learning Videos: Breaking Cyber Walls
Online learning is constantly taking new strides in the field of education. From initially reaching people in far places and at impossible time, online educators are breaking another barrier of somehow making online learning almost similar to traditional classrooms and even better. Further tapping technology to enhance education, modern educators are now introducing streaming online learning videos to create a more productive and interesting learning environment in cyberspace.Streaming online learning videos is the product of increasing network bandwidth technology, improving Internet connection speed, and accessibility of user-friendly and powerful computer hardware and software. Online educators developed a way to better transmit audio and video instructional materials, which are proven to motivate online students and make them really absorb knowledge more effectively.
Face-to-Face Online
Online learning videos also allow online instructors deliver difficult to understand ideas, which cannot be done in text-based lectures alone. Video streaming now serves as online learning’s counterpart of live lectures of traditional classrooms. It breaks the cyber wall of limiting an online student and instructor to alternately correspond. It also breaks the cyber wall of text-based online education. Streaming videos are actually compressed audio and visual files that allow real-time viewing through the Internet. So aside from recorded instructional materials, streaming videos can serve as venue for live face-to-face discussions, which can be recorded to be reviewed later on making learning much easier for an online student. And the good thing about it is that it is so accessible and popular that anyone can almost try it. As long as one is equipped with the right software to play any kind of online vides, simply clicking the play button would immediately bring one to a more exciting learning experience.
The principle behind online learning videos is that the combination of audio and moving images can better help learners absorb and comprehend concepts and procedures. Cognitive experts say that learning process is faster if concepts are seen in action. Videos also have the visual and audio appeal that stimulates emotional reactions, which could trigger motivation and academic interests. Indeed, multimedia enhancement serves very effective in complementing text-based instructional materials especially for online learners. Interactivity, which can be achieved through video streaming, is now an important factor online schools should render for better and high quality education. That is why a lot of online learning sites are offering not just audio materials but videos as well that students can access anytime they want.
The Drawback
Some drawbacks, however, can be encountered that can could limit one in using online learning videos. One must consider bandwidth capacity of your computer in retrieving or opening streamed files. Video streams usually require intensive bandwidth connection. Even online users who have 56K modems or digital line connections experience difficulty in terms of playing streamed videos such as playback delays and video reception. Another problem is that the video player software you have may not match with the one required by the available video online. That is why it is advised to get online learning software that is generally flexible and compatible to any online learning technology. Other technological equipment such as web cameras and microphones are also needed to allow a student or instructor to engage live video discussions. The user’s lack of training and technical support may also serve as a drawback in accessing online learning videos. That is why online instructors creation such instructional materials are advised to design it in a very accessible and easy to navigate manner.
Online learning videos really render wide exciting opportunities for both online instructions and learners. As online learning becomes more popular worldwide as an effective alternative learning practice, streaming videos and audios will surely play a bigger role in distributing online course materials. One can expect better things in this technology. So one should be ready to embrace and learn technology more that will be further tapped to advance online learning to higher standards.
