Telecommunication media types

There are several different telecommunication media types that I have had a chance to have a personal experience with. The types of media I have had an opportunity to use are Chat/Instant messaging, streaming media, pod casts, and bulletin boards.

The first type of media that I use often is the instant messaging. Although this is not really related to my educational needs it is a technology that I prefer to use to keep in touch with friends and family members who are not with me. By using instant messaging I am able to talk to people who maybe across the city or across the country. I can hold a conversation and receive instant feedback from the other person. Some people may consider it a drawback because you need to type everything out, but if you are like me you are able to type fast and use abbreviations when possible. I would consider instant messaging very low on the media richness scale because even though it is communication online, two people need to be sitting down at the computer at the same time in order for instant messaging to work. A project that you would be able to use instant messaging for would be a situation where you needed to ask the instructor or a small group of classmate’s brief quick questions.

Another type of media that I have had the chance to use is the streaming media. I have use streaming media in the classroom. To use technology in the classroom I have used the website United Streaming to find video clips to show my students that met certain state standards that I was teaching. The students were then able to see what I was talking about and it made them want to learn more about the topic. Or I have also search for certain audio clips that related to our Language Arts program so the students should hear samples of a speech or a song. I think that streaming media is very rich on the media richness scale. The way that I would use it is in the classroom for mainly science and social studies. Just so the students can gain a hands-on perspective of what they are learning.

The third type of media that I have had a chance to experience is the podcast. Week one of this quarter is actually the first time that I have ever seen a podcast. This is a new technology that I have become aware of. I think that the podcast is a great way to deliver a lecture for online classes. The students are able to listen to the podcast at their convenience and then complete their assignment. The student is able to access this file from any location that has internet access. I would say that podcast are very media rich because the instructor is delivering the needed material to the students in audio format only. The type of project that you would use the podcast for would be lectures for online courses. Perhaps if there were special instructions you needed to leave for students or staff.
The last type of media that I have had a personal experience with are the bulletin boards. In this class I have used study on the beach to post my responses to certain topics Dr. Newberry has decided on. This is a quick way to respond to what other classmates have written. It also allows you to post an avatar so you can connect a certain picture to a name. The bulletin board also allows you to choose emotion icons to be displayed in your post. The bulletin boards would be rich on the media richness scale because there is no face-to-face interaction. A project that you might use the bulletin boards with could be for chapter reading responses. Have the students read a certain chapter and post a response to a certain topic.