RESEARCH: E-Learning Websites

Task:
- research on 2 e-learning websites
- evaluate what is good and bad.
- state the goals, objectives and target audience





E-learning Website #1: Creativity-Portal
Objective:
To provide informative articles in all kinds of Arts. From small crafts to music & even writing.

Goals:
To share knowledge and to inspire creative expression and exploration

Target Audience:
Hobbyists or people interested in learning in picking up something new.

Good:
I think this website on the whole, is pretty impressive. I'm quite sure there is an article on ALMOST every kind of art there is! Even if there wasn't, there would still be helpful links to related websites. As a crafts lover, I couldn't stop ogling at all the different mini projects, ideas and short tutorials as well. The instructions and language used was casual, approaching and simple, which makes the site recommendable for a young user as well. There are friendly tips in between to help users tackle common problems they might encounter in their learning process.

Their adverts are catchy and cute too! Such as this:







And as quoted from another review,
"If you have the desire to learn photography, writing, fine arts, graphics design, music making, origami, balloon twisting, needlework and a whole lot of other things, then this is the right place for you to begin your learning adventure!"

Bad:
Although the instructions are simple and easy to follow, I think the website lacked visuals. It would have been alot more interesting if there were step-by-step pictures for the user to follow, or maybe a sample picture of an end project?

The lack of colours and bold fonts makes it rather dull after awhile. The articles are also chunky sometimes, this could make the reading or learning process boring for the younger age group.

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E-learning Website #2: Webmonkey
Objectives:
Provide users with information how to build websites.

Goals:
To be a resource page catering to all the different levels of users.

Target Audience:
Web developers ranging from beginners to experts!

Good:
The first thing that caught my attention was the web layout! Not only was it all colourful, but there were mini cartoon icons as well! Super artistic!

Next up would have to be the impressive menu at the right side of the screen. Short and sweet, it summarizes everything! There is a How-to-Library, Quick Reference links, a search bar and even a user's choice of web capability of Beginners, Builders or Masters! (wow!)

This website is extremely well detailed and organised. I also like the fact that even when you're in the middle of a certain topic, there would still be a drop down Quick Link to hop to another topic.

Bad:
Maybe it is because I hardly do web developing, but even as a beginner, I doubt there is much I would complain about this website. Some might beg to differ that the main page is too blue or hard to see, but I think it suits me just fine.

As I would like to quote another reviewer again,
"Whether you are just starting out to built your own site or are a professional web-master, you just cannot give this site a miss. With hundred of articles across categories like web authoring, design, multimedia, E-business, programming, etc...... ....Even if you are only remotely interested in IT or the internet, you won't be disappointed if you visit this site!"

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REFLECTION:Even though I'm an Arts lover, I couldn't help but be impressed by Webmonkey. Given a choice to choose between either website for E-learning, I would definitely give web programming a shot! Creative Portal has a wide range of articles, but it seems so much more boring and dull compared to Webmonkey!