“I love weather more than anybody”: A digital ethnography of The Weather Channel’s fan community

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 271-289
Author(s):  
Jeremy L Shermak ◽  
Kelsey N Whipple
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
User Generated Content ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Digital Ethnography ◽  
High Functioning ◽  
Weather Information ◽  
Affinity Space ◽  
Ethnographic Analysis

We Love Weather is the fan community of The Weather Channel. Launched in 2016, We Love Weather aims to serve so-called “weather geeks” by providing exclusive and specialized weather content, as well as participatory and communal elements. This study proposes that We Love Weather is an “affinity space” where participants create, procure, and develop content and knowledge. It exemplifies the power and capability of a high-functioning, efficient online information hub. Using digital ethnographic analysis of We Love Weather’s discussion forums and user-generated content, we found that We Love Weather promotes teaching and learning of weather information through sharing and community maintenance that establishes the site as an affinity space. It is an example of a positive, helpful, and deliberative online space.

Mobile Learning

2017 ◽  
pp. 329-344
Author(s):  
Bonface Ngari Ireri ◽  
Ruth Diko Wario ◽  
Elijah I. Omwenga ◽  
Robert Oboko ◽  
Mwingirwa Irene Mukiri
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Mobile Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Knowledge Retention ◽  
Digital Content ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Video Clips ◽  
Hit Rate ◽  
Open Content ◽  
Video Format

When an instructor is able to identify, develop and apply appropriate digital media content that motivates learners and encourages them to learn, the process of learning is empowered. This study has identified multimedia digital content packaged in the format of video as the most preferred learning media by the learners. Content formats that had highest hit rate with accessed mean rate above 300 (discussion forums, video clips, and graphics) are discussed. The study revealed that learning becomes interactive and effective when a video is presented in the style of hypermedia. Learners' perceptions rating indicated that learners perceived the video format as satisfactory, helpful in knowledge retention, motivational and an enhancement of learning. Available online authoring tools and supportive open content sites are identified and educators are encouraged to develop digital content in video format and disseminate them for teaching and learning.

Literacies on the Web

2011 ◽  
pp. 65-79
Author(s):  
Christina Olin-Scheller ◽  
Patrik Wikström
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Young People ◽  
Informal Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Participatory Culture ◽  
User Generated Content ◽  
Fan Fiction ◽  
Good Environment ◽  
The Web

In this chapter the authors discuss and informal learning settings such as fan fiction sites and their relations to teaching and learning within formal learning settings. Young people today spend a lot of time with social media built on user generated content. These media are often characterized by participatory culture which offers a good environment for developing skills and identity work. In this chapter the authors problematize fan fiction sites as informal learning settings where the possibilities to learn are powerful and significant. They also discuss the learning processes connected to the development of literacies. Here the rhetoric principle of “imitatio” plays a vital part as well as the co-production of texts on the sites, strongly supported by the beta reader and the power of positive feedback. They also display that some fans, through the online publication of fan fiction, are able to develop their craft in a way which previously have been impossible.

E-Learning with Wikis, Weblogs and Discussion Forums

2010 ◽  
pp. 174-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reinhard Bernsteiner ◽  
Herwig Ostermann ◽  
Roland Staudinger
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Software Tools ◽  
Social Software ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Academic Context ◽  
Empirical Survey ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Innovative Learning ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Context Of Learning

This chapter explores how social software tools can offer support for innovative learning methods and instructional design in general and those related to self-organized learning in an academic context in particular. In the first section the theoretical basis for the integration of wikis, discussion forums and weblogs in the context of learning are discussed. The second part presents the results of an empirical survey conducted by the authors and explores the usage of typical social software tools which support learning from a student’s perspective. The chapter concludes that social software tools have the potential to be a fitting technology in a teaching and learning environment.

scholarly journals Online Learning in a South African Higher Education Institution: Determining the Right Connections for the Student

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothy Ruth Queiros ◽  
Mary Ruth De Villiers
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
South African ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
The Right

<p class="3">Online learning is a means of reaching marginalised and disadvantaged students within South Africa. Nevertheless, these students encounter obstacles in online learning. This research investigates South African students’ opinions regarding online learning, culminating in a model of important connections (facets that connect students to their learning and the institution). Most participants had no prior experience with online learning. Their perceptions and barriers to learning may apply to other developing countries as well.</p><p class="3">A cross-sequential research design was employed using a survey among 58 fourth-year students who were studying a traditional paper-based module via open distance learning. The findings indicated certain essential connections:  first, a <em>strong s</em><em>ocial presence </em>(through timely feedback, interaction with facilitators, peer-to-peer contact, discussion forums, and collaborative activities); second, <em>technological aspects</em><strong> </strong>(technology access, online learning self-efficacy, and computer self-efficacy); and third, <em>tools</em><strong> </strong>(web sites, video clips). The study revealed low levels of computer/internet access at home, which is of concern in an ODL milieu heading online.   Institutions moving to online learning in developing countries should pay close attention to their students’ situations and perceptions, and develop a path that would accommodate both the disadvantaged and techno-savvy students without compromising quality of education and learning. The article culminates in practical recommendations that encompass the main findings to help guide institutions in developing countries as they move towards online teaching and learning.</p>

scholarly journals Media Usage Survey: How Engineering Instructors and Students Use Media

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerd Gidion ◽  
Luiz Fernando Capretz ◽  
Michael Grosch ◽  
Ken N. Meadows
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Study Behavior ◽  
Faculty Teaching ◽  
Online Information Services ◽  
Information Media ◽  
Faculty Teaching Methods

Web 2.0 has ubiquitously penetrated academia. The dissemination of online information services in higher education has led to substantial changes in faculty teaching methods as well as the learning and study behavior of students. For example, the use of online services, such as Google and Wikipedia, has become mandatory not only during teaching and learning activities but also during leisure time for students and faculty. At the same time, traditional information media such as textbooks and printed handouts still form the basic pillars of teaching and learning. This article explains the preliminary results of a survey about media usage in teaching and learning conducted with Western University faculty and students, highlighting trends for the usage of new and traditional media in higher education. Furthermore, the article intends to participate in the ongoing discussion of practices and policies that purport to advance Web 2.0 has ubiquitously penetrated academia. The dissemination of online information services in higher education has led to substantial changes in faculty teaching methods as well as the learning and study behavior of students. For example, the use of online services, such as Google and Wikipedia, has become mandatory not only during teaching and learning activities but also during leisure time for students and faculty. At the same time, traditional information media such as textbooks and printed handouts still form the basic pillars of teaching and learning. This article explains the preliminary results of a survey about media usage in teaching and learning conducted with Western University faculty and students, highlighting trends for the usage of new and traditional media in higher education. Furthermore, the article intends to participate in the ongoing discussion of practices and policies that purport to advance the effective use of media in teaching and learning.

scholarly journals Thinking in Dewey's Experimentalist Education: The Contribution of the Internet and Digital Tools

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Leonard J. Waks
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Thought Experiment ◽  
Higher Order Thinking ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Higher Order Thinking Skills ◽  
Information And Communication

Purpose —The purpose of this paper is to explain how the introduction of the Internet and digital tools renews and enriches John Dewey's experimentalist model for teaching and learning with particular attention to the place of and resources for higher order thinking. Design/Approach/Methods —The methods include a close exposition of Dewey's classical texts, and a thought experiment introducing ICT elements into Dewey's design diagrams for teaching and learning. Findings —Dewey's model has inherent difficulties, and that digital technologies helps resolve them. Originality/Value —With the Internet and new digital tools, teachers can design new virtual learning spaces and learning activities. Learners can use online information and communication tools to act more effectively using higher-order thinking skills.

scholarly journals Generous Attitudes and Online Participation

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Floor Fiers ◽  
Aaron Shaw ◽  
Eszter Hargittai
Keyword(s):  
Dictator Game ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
User Generated Content ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Online Content ◽  
Online Participation ◽  
Experimental Measure ◽  
Review Question ◽  
Time And Energy ◽  
The Relationship

Some of the most popular websites depend on user-generated content produced and aggregated by unpaid volunteers. Contributing in such ways constitutes a type of generous behavior, as it costs time and energy while benefiting others. This study examines the relationship between contributions to a variety of online information resources and an experimental measure of generosity, the dictator game. Results suggest that contributors to any type of online content tend to donate more in the dictator game than those who do not contribute at all. When disaggregating by type of contribution, we find that those who write reviews, upload public videos, write or answer questions, and contribute to encyclopedic collections online are more generous in the dictator game than their non-contributing counterparts. These findings suggest that generous attitudes help to explain variation in contributions to review, question-and-answer, video, and encyclopedic websites.

scholarly journals A generation of a Multi-Layered Application by Applying the MDA Approach for Online Learning Platforms

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-115
Author(s):  
Aziz Srai ◽  
Fatima Guerouate ◽  
Hilal Drissi Lahsini
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Network Access ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Learning Platforms ◽  
New Form

The e-learning study reflects a trend in the integration of information and communication technologies in universities. This trend evokes a new form of teaching and learning and a new form of relationship between students and teachers. In fact, information and communication technologies, such as e-learning, call into question the ways of thinking and the ways of acting of individuals in the representation of learning. This paradigm shift requires introspection and the renewal of skills. In the face of these changes, higher education institutes must develop and make essential the courses that allow students to adapt to the new demands of the labor market. on the other hand, information and communication technologies and computer networks, These objects from daily life, are part of the immediate environment that is both professional, educational and personal of each one. With the massive arrival of personal and accessible digital tools (computers, nomadic equipment such as mobile phones and digital tablets, etc…), multiple online spaces are emerging on the Internet (discussion forums, e-learning platforms, blogs, messaging, chats, social networks like Facebook, online information sharing sites, etc…). E-learning offers features that differentiate it from others media objects such as books or television. e-learning offers quick, even instant, access to a multitude of information sources. They make it possible to store them and facilitate the possibilities of networking between individuals and groups of individuals whatever the time and place. Access to the Internet information network is "universal". You only need to connect to a computer on the network to access almost this entire network. Access is also "simultaneous" because each Internet user exists on the network in the form of information by "his digital presence", by the data that he moves or deposits and the interactions caused. We can also say that access is independent of time and distance since it is a space permanently open to human activity. Developing an e-learning application for each technology requires a lot of human resources and technical knowledge. To solve this problem we propose a development of an e-learning application according to a model-driven architecture approach. This paper is a development of our work in paper [Srai,2020].

scholarly journals Internet Self-Efficacy and Visual Search Strategies: The Use of Eye Tracking Technology in the Development of Web-Based Learning Resources

10.28945/3253 ◽  
2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Eachus ◽  
Simon Cassidy ◽  
Sarah Norgate ◽  
Lynne Marrow ◽  
Leah Greene
Keyword(s):  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Tracking System ◽  
Information Source ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Learning Resources ◽  
Web Based ◽  
On Line

Higher Education is increasingly relying on e-leaming as a means of providing students with teaching and learning resources. Almost inevitably, this means that students interact with these learning resources through the medium of the computer screen. Although there have been significant advances in the design and implementation of on-line resources, exactly how students interact with these resources is a relatively new field of research. In this study, students were asked to interact with three types of virtual learning environment, i.e. BlackBoard, IngentaConnect and Wikipedia, while their eye movements were scanned and recorded using a Tobii 1750 eye tracking system. The data gathered was analysed dynamically, statistically, and graphically in order to identify search patterns and “hot spots” within the online information source. The data was also correlated with a measure of Internet self-efficacy, the Web User Self-Efficacy scale (WUSE). Preliminary findings suggest that qualitative data obtained in this type of study may prove more useful than quantitative data.

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