Rio Salado ELN104 Web 2.0 in e-Learning

1. THE BIOGRAPHY OF AN E-LEARNER
Janie Techno: A portrait
ELN104
LESSON 2, ASSIGNMENT 5
JOSALYN WILLIAMS
JOS2254562@MARICOPA.EDU
JANUARY 21, 2017

2. THE MILLENNIUM
E-Learners are a unique group with many
exemplary skills and characteristics. Janie
Techno exudes many of the characteristics
of the typical e-Learner.
Janie Techno was born in 1983. She is now
known as a Millennium because she has
grown up in an era of techno-savvy
individuals. Janie fits the mold of the
typical Millennium because she has the
following attributes of e-Learners or
Millenniums:

3. • MILLENNIUMS ARE KNOWN FOR BEING
EXCELLENT MULTI-TASKERS
• “WILL LEARN DIFFERENTLY AND DEMAND A
MORE ENGAGING FORM OF EDUCATIONS”
(Mason, Rennie, 2008, pg. 8).
• JANIE, LIKE OTHER MILLENNIUMS, ENJOY
WORKING IN TEAMS.
• JANIE IS ALSO VERY TECHNO-SAVVY.

4. • MILLENNIUMS LIKE JANIE ARE ALSO KNOWN
FOR HAVING A “PREFERENCE FOR INTERACTIVE
AND NETWORKED ACTIVITIES RATHER THAN
INDEPENDENT AND INDIVIDUAL STUDY”,
(Mason, Rennie, 2008, pg. 8).
• JANIE HAS A BROAD NETWORK OF FRIENDS.
MILLENIUMS ARE MULTI-CULTURAL. THIS
PARTICULAR FEATURE IS VERY IMPORTANT IN
OUR GLOBAL SOCIETY. IT HIGHLIGHTS THE
SIMILARITIES OF OTHERS THAT CROSSES ALL
CULTURAL AND ETHNIC BOUNDARIES

5. Janie does have some negative traits due to her familiarity with the e-Learning environment. Janie’s
primary problem is that she does not check on the authenticity of sources when conducting research.
Janie is not alone with this assumption, according to Mason and Rennie, “few have been taught how to judge
the reliability of online information”, (pg. 9). Another major issue that plagues Janie is that she has
admitted to committing plagiarism at times. Here again, many Millenniums have admitted to doing so also.
A study conducted in the UK found that “Nearly one quarter of the sample admitted to copying something
from the Internet and passing it off as his or her own work”, (Mason, Rennie, 2008 (pg. 9).
THE DOWNSIDE OF THE MILLENNIUMS

6. JANIE’S GOALS AND ASPIRATIONS
Janie, along with the other Millenniums, are aware of the fact that they are fortunate to have
progressed in an era where they have attained skills that, in older generations, took a lot of hard work
and re-programming. Social networks have made Janie a go-getter. She is not afraid to ask questions
to satisfy her inquisitive mind. She looks forward to jumping into activities that are new to her. She
has created a blog along with her friends where counterparts can brainstorm about their future
endeavors. Janie wants create video games for Microsoft.
She is currently in her junior year at Columbia University majoring in Computer Science. A majority of
her classes are online. She is fortunate that many of her classes are geared toward collaborative
learning. Johnson and Johnson, “cite a range of studies which demonstrate that cooperative learning
online results in higher achievement than individualistic learning”, (Mason, Rennie, 2008, pg. 14).

7. JANIE’S BRIGHT
FUTURE
 MILLENNIUMS HAVE MUCH TO LOOK
FORWARD TO DUE TO WEB 2.0
APPLICATIONS. THEY HAVE AN ACQUIRED
SKILLSET THAT RIVALS OLDER MORE
EDUCATED INDIVIDUALS. JANIE IS:
 ADEPT AT SETTING AND MEETING GOALS.
 HAVE TIME-MANAGEMENT SKILLS.
 IS SELF-DISCIPLINED.
 PROGRESSIVE THINKER.
 ADAPTABLE.

8. HOW SOCIAL MEDIA
HAS HELPED JANIE
 SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES HAVE BUILT HER
WRITING SKILLS; HUMAN RELATION SKILLS;
AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS.
 BLOGS HAVE ENHANCED HER WRITING SKILLS;
USER-GENERATED CONTENT; PROBLEM-SOLVING;
AND CRITICAL THINKING.
 WIKIS HELPED JANIE DEVELOP CRITICAL
THINKING SKILLS AND IS USER-GENERATED
CONTENT.
 PORTFOLIOS ARE USER-GENERATED CONTENT
THUS DEVELOPED WRITING SKILLS.
 GAMES ENHANCED HAND-EYE COORDINATION;
PROBLEM-SOLVING; AND CRITICAL THINKING.

9. JANIE’S EXPECTATIONS FROM HER
INSTRUCTORS
 Janie’s expectations from her instructors will
differ from traditional methods. Instructors
must have a module that is more student-centered
than instructor-centered. “Designing a course
around the learner’s needs is a cornerstone of
open and distance learning where it usually involve
passing at least some control to the learner”,
(Mason, Rennie, 2008, pg. 15).
 Janie expects her instructors to involve
technology into the content.
 Teamwork or collaborative learning modules.
 A structured lesson plan.
 Coursework expertise.
 Content that is entertaining.

10. REFERENCES:
Mason, R., Mennie, F. 2008. “E-LEARNING AND SOCIAL NETWORKING HANDBOOK: RESOURCES FOR
HIGHER EDUCATION. Walsworth Publishing: Marceline, MO.