New Media Final Project - Research Blog

In terms of education, digital media has dramatically change the way we think, especially in terms of how we learn with new technologies providing new and innovate methods. eLearning was introduced as a more cost effective but more efficient way of learning which only became more successful with the rise of technologies. In recent years, gamification, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) have been tested as an alternative learning method to make the users interact and engage more with the content. Hayles (2012) purposes that: "The classroom is no longer sufficient for the needs of web pedagogy; needed are flexible laboratory spaces in which teams can work collaboratively, as well as studio spaces with high-end technologies for production and implementation" (p. 5). However, the introduction of SmartByte intends to take this a step further by not requiring the need of ' studio spaces with high-end technologies' in order to collaborate. Having a collab...

eLearning is predominately restricted to the workplace or access via a portal requiring a desktop or laptop; therefore with SmartByte being mobile exclusive, this will allow users to interact and distribute content with ease. Taking this into consideration, I intend to investigate the current state of mobile learning and what it takes for it to be successful. The book, 'Mobile Learning: Structures, Agency, Practices' outlines how mobile learning is an "emerging, and rapidly expanding field of educational research and practice across schools, colleges and universities as well as in the work place" (Pachler et al., 2010), and it is of my interest to produce SmartByte in order show how learning on a mobile devices has a prosperous future. I want the product to feel informal so the user can participate in the available courses at home, on the go or wherever convenient. Pachler (2010) also raises the concern that do we really need to add yet another form of learning to s...

The main purpose of my application (SmartByte) is to encourage a new form of learning in a digital environment. Every individual has an alternative way to learn, but through personal experience working with an eLearning company and scrutinising a variety of academic literature outlining the benefits of bitesize learning, I aim to implement these findings to my product. I have started by looking into the means of the internet and how it has played a large influence in modern society. Carr (2011) has focused on the internet as a mass medium and how it is a hugely disruptive force that is changing the way we think, read and remember. Being in a digital era surrounded by the internet, the smallest tasks are now becoming digitalised, as Carr notes that "the Net has become my all-purpose medium, the conduit for most of the information that flows through my eyes and ears and into my mind" (2011). He mentions how he uses the internet to complete the majority of his daily tasks, suc...