#edcmooc Communication technology (the artefact)

I found it really difficult to create my digital artifact  I've been blown away by the whole edcmooc things. There have been many interesting themes, running through the course “E-learning and Digital Cultures”. The important thing for me is writing blogs, because I’ve never done it before.

So I decided to tell about communication technologies. As we know communication is the transfer of information and some means of ensuring that what is sent is also received. Technology is channel in which information can be communicated. 
Communication technology includes the speed of transmission, and the total volume that can be handled at any one time.

There are such communication technologies as: mobile phones, email, blogs, forums, social networks,   websites and etc.

Obviously, it plays an important part in your social and educational life. We can argue a lot about  advantages and disadvantages of it. Yes, technologies can’t replace the real conversation and  real emotion. But it helps us to keep in touch with people who are far away from us.  This technologies is helpful in work, collaboration on projects and sharing resources.  

New communication technology is the key for education which can provides the opportunity to get and share the knowledge. It can contribute to universal access to education,  equity, and quality learning and teaching, teachers’ professional development and more efficient education management, governance and administration.
Communication technology has the potential to:

•  enrich, and deepen skills;
•  motivate and engage students in learning;
•  contributes to  changes in school; 
•  helps to create  economic viability for future's workers;
•  provides opportunities for connection between the school and the world

The big problem is the digital divide between advanced and developing countries. Ukraine has also some problem in providing this technology in educational life. Most people, school students haven’t an access to new tech at schools in distant regions. For instance, having an Informatics subject at school, students have neither computer equipment nor access to the web. The country is still developing. I believe in our future of education. 

But communication technologies can contribute towards violence - both unintentionally and intentionally.

I want to show you another side of communication technologies which can change people’s opinion in one country and lead global changes. All those ideas are due to my country (Ukraine). 

The social networks turn into the tools which can expand the revolutionary spirit in the country (for

instance, the Arab Spring). 

What about Ukraine?

Few in Ukraine were expecting mass protests after  the decision by the government to postpone the association agreement with the European Union. The agreement would be a historic landmark in Ukraine's economic and political integration into Europe, and was seen by many as a sign of its geopolitical choice between Russia and the EU. 

Only about 1,000 people had come to Kiev's Independence Square on Thursday evening, 21th November 2013 - first independent activists, then opposition leaders. The important thing is, all these people come together through social networks (Twitter, Facebook, Google+). According to BBC, the #euromaidan hashteg (rally took place in European Square) first appeared in social networks and become a trend of Ukrainian Twitter. It had been used by more than 21 000 times by November 22. During the Orange Revolution 2004, an important role in the coordination and organization of protesters played mobile phones. The information was shared via sms-messages, and gathered a large number of people. The social network  helped to raise the people in 2013.

Most of reputable journalists posted important information on social network’s pages and blogs. The next action was online translation events through the Internet. The information was shared faster than appeared on TV.

The new media became source of information for all residents.

Sharing the information through the communication technologies, people know the situation all over the Ukraine. The whole world has an opportunity to follow events and news in the country. 

The official EuroMaidan Facebook page, created by journalists and civil activists, became the fastest growing page in the Ukrainian segment of the social networks.Since its beginning (November 21), it has garnered more than 130,000 subscribers. During the first days of the demonstrations the page appeared in the top 20 of Ukrainian Facebook pages and became the most “talked about”.

 Twitter, which until now has been underutilized in Ukraine, finally became a main and important source of information, simultaneously with Facebook. 
But social media is also a powerful tool for opponents. A number of bots used the hashtag on Twitter to promote similar provocative messages. 

So, communication technology is a powerful tool for the development of quality teaching and learning and also it is a catalyst for radical change in society. It helps to create new generation and new type of human.