Tools, Skills and the Possible

The early days of computing and the internet largely enabled text-focused communication with only few and/or relatively low resolution images. However as cheap computing power has expanded in line with Moore's Law, the uptake of broadband internet rises, more effective forms of compression are developed and utilised (most recently and notably Flash, as used by YouTube), and simpler inexpensive multimedia tools have all emerged, the scene has been set for truly multi-modal computer mediated communication in academic scholarly discourse, be it academic journals, essays or theses.

Indeed what is remarkable at this point in time is that is difficult to imagine human-computer interactions that would not be technically possible in the present or near future. Already most people carry around mobile phones which are also a video and stills camera, an email device, calculator, web browser, Bluetooth device (thus connectible to other devices), MP3 player, radio, alarm clock, address book, diary, a file storage device, a games device and a computer capable of running many basic java and/or flash programs (Nightingale 2007, Smith 2008, Clark 2003). At the same time home computers and laptops include most if not all of the above elements as well as, potentially, acting as a VOIP phone, video editing suite, sophisticated musical instrument and editor, DVD player and author, graphics suite and home network hub. Modern machines are comparatively cheap (£200 to £500 in many cases), robust and also contain all the normal features one expects: word processing, web browsing, etc. present in previous generations of computers. What has changed though is the portability of computing power with full integration of multimedia devices (e.g. Mac's on board camera and microphone) now standard in many computers. A sea change in the price and culture of computer usage has meant that many now use laptops as their only computer, particularly university students who increasingly arrive at university with a high powered personal laptop (Oblinger 2005) and a mobile phone capable of producing multimedia content that can be edited or uploaded at ease. Given the widespread use of new and portable technologies, especially by university students, it is surprising that the educational sector remains reluctant to embrace the potential learning opportunities that these technologies provide.

As suggested by the increasing power of home computers modern learners now come to academia with expectations and experience in popular multi-modal tools and may be using many of these on a recreational basis already. For example Mr_Stein (2008) has constructed a visual representation of all of the tools in his own personal learning environment (PLE) which brilliantly highlights the diverse networked nature of the modern web environment:

There are however important limitations on technologies mainly related to institutional policy, accessibility and individual engagement. The tech-savvy nature of young learners and researchers may be at odds with the position of their educators or senior scholars (Oblinger 2005). Regardless of age or background the enthusiasm for technology and the integration between individual and device can differ quite widely (Hastings and Newman 2008) and this may, in part, explain the text-focused usage of many technologies that allow for much more.