Online Learning Changes Society's Expectations

School used to consist of a brick and mortar building, but that is not the case anymore. People of all ages are now able to attend school, via the internet. When doing online schooling, students are able to connect with their professors/ teachers as well as other students in their classes.  

            With students working online, it allows them to complete their studies, generally, in the comfort of their own homes and at their own pace. If a student also works a full time job and has a family, it is difficult to attend classes in the conventional form. Setting aside time that works for the student, is something that may be more beneficial to the student.

            More students are utilizing online classrooms to further their education with a variety of classes available to them. “With nearly three million students currently enrolled in fully online degree programs and six million taking at least one online course as part of their degree program, online education has clearly become one of the most popular higher education alternatives (OEDb, 2012). That number is continuing to increase with more students looking into the benefits of online schooling.

            Students want a cheaper alternative for school with more options. Online classes are generally cheaper than if students attend classes on a campus. Some books may be free with classes as they are downloaded. “[it is estimated] "that full-time virtual schools cost, on average, $6,400 per pupil, compared with $8,900 for blended schools and $10,000 for traditional brick-and-mortar public schools’” (Vander-Ark, 2012).There are also no fees for commuting, saving time and money. Cost saving being lower is not only the thing that drives students to online learning.

            Local schools may not offer the courses or degree a student may want, online opens up a new realm of possibilities. A local college or university may offer several degrees in Business Management and Healthcare, but not much in Liberal Arts, what are the options? Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) offers a degree in Communications, focusing on New Media and Marketing, for someone who wants a degree in that field, but lives in Oregon, SNHU online, is the best fit.

            Mass media plays into online school with assignments consisting of watching videos and perhaps Skyping as an instructor demonstrates and teaches. Pictures are worth a thousand words, as sometimes it is easier to visualize when seeing things for themselves. When posting something an entire class can see, allows for more feedback and opportunities to improve the work, versus turning something in and waiting for the instructor to grade and analyze the work.

            With technology advancements students attending online school, the demand for the options available have been increasing. More schools and universities offer online programs as well as class and degree options. It has come to be expected that when a student is attending online classes that it will be cheaper, they will have more options and be involved with mass media to help them learn. 

References

Agarwal, A. (2013). Six Advantages of Online Learning. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/R8sUpgRqkgI

OEDb. (2012). 10 Advantages to Taking Online Classes. Open Education Database. Retrieved from

http://oedb.org/ilibrarian/10-advantages-to-taking-online-classes/

Vander-Ark, T. (2012). Is Online Learning One Third Cheaper? Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-vander-ark/is-online-learning-one-th_b_1198033.html?

Social Media Change's Society's Expectations

Social Networking has changed the way people interact. People are able to communicate from across the globe instantly. Society is now able to connect with others on LinkedIn for business, Facebook for socializing and catching up on News, just to name a couple.

“LinkedIn allows people to share professional information by posting their resumes, work experience and interests. “LinkedIn, a social networking website aimed at professionals, allows members to contact past and current colleagues, look for a new job, uncover new business opportunities and network with experts within a particular industry. LinkedIn members exchange information and ideas to further their careers and achieve personal and professional goals” (Scott, 2015).

People no longer have to wait for a yearly convention to meet others in their industry or got through the classifieds in the paper. Being able to log onto LinkedIn, open up a whole other level of connections and jobs. 

           

Facebook is another social networking site that has become all the rage. There are approximately 1.23 billion active users per month (The Next Web, 2014). That number is nearly three times that of any other social media platform. Users are able to connect with most anyone by searching for their name and/ or key words. People utilize the platform to post pictures, videos and “status” updates on what may be going on in their lives or hot topics. News feed on social media is also growing, users are able to “like” their sources and the news feed will come to them.

            With people becoming more and more impatient as technology progresses, technology has been responding to their needs. Being able to communicate with anyone by sending a quick message or viewing the pictures they posted from their vacation, allows more connections. People who have families that are not close to them, can stay updated on their lives, even posting videos of a person’s birthday party.

            The more users that are on Facebook, the more connections people end up having. There is no longer tracking down that old friend from high school, going through several sources, but rather searching for their name. Technology has allowed all of this to happen, mass media has been an integral part of meeting the expectations of society.

           

          

References

The Next Web. (2014). Facebook passes 1.23 billion monthly active users, 945 million mobile users, and 757 million daily users. The Next Web. Retrieved from

http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2014/01/29/facebook-passes-1-23-billion-monthly-active-users-945-million-mobile-users-757-million-daily-users/

Scott. S. (2015). How Does LinkedIn Work? Chron. Retrieved from

http:/www.smallbusiness.chron/linkedin-work-11688.html

 Global News Changes Society's Expectations

The news industry has been greatly affected by technology and what society has come to expect. Getting and reporting news, no longer takes as much time and legwork as it did 20 years ago. If the subject was local, a reporter was able to contact people easier by using the telephone and meeting with the sources in person. This was not the case if the news was across the globe. Globalization is defined as “the act of globalizing, or extending to other or all parts of the world” (Dictionary.com, 2015).

            In 1980 CNN (Cable News Network) launched World News (WN), it was the first of its kind to broadcast news from around the world. “The program's idea was to develop a news programme in which many voices from around the world could be heard” (Volkmer, 2014). This was revolutionary for its time, news from around the globe could potentially change everything, and it did. Technology has helped mass media to become accessible 24 hours a day from around the world, has connected people worldwide in a matter of minutes, even seconds.

            There is currently an Ebola epidemic spreading throughout West Africa, where many doctors offered to help. The good nature of said doctors may have carried the virus with them, transferring it to other continents. Word of the Ebola virus seems to be everywhere; world news, social media, even the Jacksonville Jaguars mascot held a sign up mentioning the virus. “The Ebola virus outbreak that’s ravaging West Africa probably started with a single infected person, a new genetic analysis shows” (Fox, 2014). Due to the globalization of news, information of the deadly disease is easily accessed from West Africa.      

References

Breaking News 24x7. (2014). Liberia declares state of Emergency over Ebola virus. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFDjI1MltzU&feature=player_detailpage

Dictionary.com. (2015). Globalization. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/globalization

Fox, M. (2014). Ebola Virus Outbreak Where did Ebola Come From? Likely One Person, Gene Study Finds

< http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/where-did-ebola-come-likely-one-person-gene-study-finds-n191161

Volkmer, I. (2014). International Communication Theory in Transition Parameters of the New Public Global Sphere

< http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/papers/volkmer.html#top

Technology has changed the work of communicators and influenced the training they need

One example of how technology has changed work for a communicator is new journalists. Before technology was part of our everyday lives, journalists had to do a lot more leg work. It took them much longer to produce a story, get the images and verify their sources. Now, they have access to the internet, where their research can ensure but at a much faster pace. They have access to so much more information and rapidly. They are able to look for similar articles, get the facts of the one they are working on, upload needed photos and verify their sources because it’s all at the tip of their fingers. The training is no longer just about the story or the article, but all of the technology that journalists use to access the information. They are trained on computers instead of typewriters, they have the internet instead of encyclopedias and they are able to locate sources as well as people involved in the story by a simple search on the internet. They may also learn to use social media to tweet updates on the story they have or breaking news they do not have time to write. “(Online news) online was the only category of news that showed growth in Pew Research Center’s 2012 News Media Consumption survey,” (Mitchell, Olmstead & Sasseen, 2013). Digital news is on the rise while other media forms are slowly falling.

 

Educators are great communicators, but as technology came into the picture they had to learn how to stay on top of it and teach their students. People would never before thought about having a social media class, but perhaps English. Simply opening a text book and reading from it and assigning homework is no longer the only way to teach. With technology growing and more people communicating via social media, text messages and email. This has made educators constantly learn the skills themselves as well as how to teach them to others. “Late last month, The Federal Communications Commission voted to overhaul and possibly expand one of its funding programs with $2.3 billion to provide schools and libraries with up-to-date telecommunications service and equipment, including high-speed Internet connections,” (Egar, 2013). The educators also have to go through everything themselves as technology is constantly changing. It’s not only the students being taught but at times the educators as well. Most schools now have a portal, for parents and students to log into. The educators update the assignments and homework for the students, if one misses class they can simply download the assignment. All of these takes time to learn and with online schools, the need for educators to be technology savvy is a must.

Advertising and PR have changed significantly with the development of technology. Mass media has been used for a long time when it comes to advertising, mostly on billboards, inserts in magazines or newspapers, even television. Now things are going digital, being that more people are online than ever before, that is the best way to advertise. Online advertising is an industry that 20 years ago, did not exist. It has created a whole new industry called Affiliate (Digital) Marketing. It allows companies to direct marketing campaigns towards an individual’s interests, based on past searches and likes. I have to admit, I play Trivia Crack daily on my phone and being that I downloaded that game, it will source other similar games to me. When my turn is over an ad will pop up, showing me a similar or popular game, enticing me to download it, that is targeted marketing. Something this individual was not possible before, advertising consisted of trying to appeal to the masses in a television commercial. Not everyone needs to buy Gerber baby food, but those who follow parenting sites and are on a mailing list from Pampers, will receive the advertisement. The technology in this type of communication is new and things are always changing. “The line between digital and traditional marketing continues to blur. For marketers in 2014, it's less about digital marketing than marketing in a digital world,” (McLellan, 2014).

The consumers make the demand of what they want in their digital world. The industry changes every day as new ads come out, a new way of building the add is quicker, a lot of it is trial and error, but the basics are still needed on working in from of a computer every day with no contact.

 

For more statistics visit: http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2013/digital-as-mobile-grows-rapidly-the-pressures-on-news-intensify/

References:

Egar, J. (2013). Huffington Post. Technology and Education: The Tipping Point?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-m-eger/technology-and-education_b_3698440.html

McLellan, L. (2014). Gartner. Gartner Survey Reveals Digital Marketing Budgets Will Increase by 8 Percent in 2015

http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2895817

Mitchell, A., Olmstead, K., Sasseen, J. (2013). The State of the News Media 2013.

An Annual Report on American Journalism.

http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2013/digital-as-mobile-grows-rapidly-the-pressures-on-news-intensify/