Learning by Using Media (E-learning)

Media has opened new dimensions in learning. Now education is no longer a constraint for anyone. Media has brought education to the doorstep of each and every individual. All forms of media- the newspaper, radio, television and the internet are equally important in imparting education. As the technology is progressing, the different educational modules are being channeled through certain community access centers like community radio system, televisions, internet, community multi-media centers etc.

Media literacy or education does not only mean to be entertained by media but to learn something from it. As a major part of the learning process is concentrated on children, media plays a significant role to satisfy their intellectual curiosity. Children often learn important things through the media, which change their perspective to life. Moreover, radio has now started to enter into the educational sector commonly known as Community Radio System, which indirectly forms the part of e-learning process. Computer-based education has transformed the traditional offerings of distance learning. This medium of education converts the traditional static resources into interactive and interesting online modules for the learners.

The primary motive of the Interactive Learning Modules is to create modular interactive learning materials for the development of education and to demonstrate their effectiveness in university curricula as well as industrial training programs. Interactive Learning Modules, which is another form of media, serves the purpose of both the technical and management corporate trainee people along with the people with learning disabilities. The main aim of this article is to focus on the positive effects of media on learning and how different forms of media have contributed to the development of mankind.

E-learning comprises all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching, which are procedural in character and aim to effect the construction of knowledge with reference to individual experience, practice and knowledge of the learner. Information and communication systems, whether networked or not, serve as specific media to implement the learning process[1].
E-learning is essentially the computer and network enabled transfer of skills and knowledge. E-learning refers to using electronic applications and processes to learn. E-learning applications and processes include Web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual classrooms and digital collaboration. Content is delivered via the Internet, intranet/extranet, audio or video tape, satellite TV, and CD-ROM. It can be self paced or instructor led and includes media in the form of text, image, animation, streaming video and audio.

Benefit

E-learning can provide benefits for the organizations and individuals involved.
1. Improved performance: A 12-year meta-analysis of research by the U.S. Department of Education found that higher education students in online learning generally performed better than those in face-to-face courses.
2. Increased access: Instructors of the highest calibre can share their knowledge across borders, allowing students to attend courses across physical, political, and economic boundaries. Recognized experts have the opportunity of making information available internationally, to anyone interested at minimum costs. For example, the MIT OpenCourseWare program has made substantial portions of that university's curriculum and lectures available for free online.
3. Convenience and flexibility to learners: in many contexts, eLearning is self-paced and the learning sessions are available 24x7. Learners are not bound to a specific day/time to physically attend classes. They can also pause learning sessions at their convenience. High technology is not necessary for all online courses. Basic internet access, audio, and video capabilities are common requirements. Depending on the technology used, students can begin their courses while at work and finish them at an alternate internet equipped location.
4. To develop the skills and competencies needed in the 21st century, in particular to ensure that learners have the digital literacy skills required in their discipline, profession or career Bates (2009) states that a major argument for e-learning is that it enables learners to develop essential skills for knowledge-based workers by embedding the use of information and communications technologies within the curriculum. He also argues that using e-learning in this way has major implications for course design and the assessment of learners.

Additional advantages of computer-based training over traditional classroom training include the ability to:
* Pay less per credit hour
* Reduce overall training time
* Spread training out over extended periods of time (even months)
* Bookmark progress (computer remembering where the student left off so they can
resume the courses from there)
* Remain in one location (e.g., home, office, airport, coffee shop, etc.) with no
need to travel (also reduces the cost of transportation to physical classrooms and
benefits environment).
* Participate in class activities when convenient (not tied to class meeting times)
* Access public content such as webcasts or other course content
* Access courses from a variety of locations[citation needed]

E-learning is naturally suited to distance learning and flexible learning, but can also be used in conjunction with face-to-face teaching, in which case the term Blended learning is commonly used. E-Learning pioneer Bernard Luskin argues that the "E" must be understood to have broad meaning if e-Learning is to be effective. Luskin says that the "e" should be interpreted to mean exciting, energetic, enthusiastic, emotional, extended, excellent, and educational in addition to "electronic" that is a traditional national interpretation. This broader interpretation allows for 21st century applications and brings learning and media psychology into the equation.[citation needed]
In higher education especially, the increasing tendency is to create a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) (which is sometimes combined with a Management Information System (MIS) to create a Managed Learning Environment) in which all aspects of a course are handled through a consistent user interface standard throughout the institution. A growing number of physical universities, as well as newer online-only colleges, have begun to offer a select set of academic degree and certificate programs via the Internet at a wide range of levels and in a wide range of disciplines. While some programs require students to attend some campus classes or orientations, many are delivered completely online. In addition, several universities offer online student support services, such as online advising and registration, e-counseling, online textbook purchase, student governments and student newspapers.
e-Learning can also refer to educational web sites such as those offering learning scenarios, worksheets and interactive exercises for children. The term is also used extensively in the business sector where it generally refers to cost-effective online training.
The recent trend in the e-Learning sector is screencasting. There are many screencasting tools available but the latest buzz is all about the web based screencasting tools which allow the users to create screencasts directly from their browser and make the video available online so that the viewers can stream the video directly. The advantage of such tools is that it gives the presenter the ability to show his ideas and flow of thoughts rather than simply explain them, which may be more confusing when delivered via simple text instructions. With the combination of video and audio, the expert can mimic the one on one experience of the classroom and deliver clear, complete instructions. From the learner's point of view this provides the ability to pause and rewind and gives the learner the advantage of moving at their own pace, something a classroom cannot always offer.

Using PowerPoint as a Teaching Media

A PowerPoint presentation is a presentation created using Microsoft PowerPoint software. The presentation is a collection of individual slides that contain information on a topic. PowerPoint presentations are commonly used in business meetings and for training and educational purposes.


Format

PowerPoint presentations usually begin with a title slide that may contain the name or the topic of the presentation and sometimes will contain the name(s) of the presenter(s). The title slide is followed by content slides that contain information usually in the form of text---often in the form of a bulleted list---and sometimes graphics. Examples of graphics that may be contained in a PowerPoint presentation include charts, graphs, diagrams, screenshots, photos, movies and animations. A final slide or group of slides is sometimes included to wrap up the presentation, for example "Conclusions," "References" or a slide with the text "Questions?".

Function

PowerPoint presentations are popular in business meetings, both face-to-face and teleconferenced. PowerPoint presentations are often used in business to present training material. Many college professors now use PowerPoint presentations for their lectures instead of writing information on the chalkboard or whiteboard before each class. PowerPoint presentations also are often used by students to give in-class presentations.

Software Information

PowerPoint is developed, manufactured, and marketed by Microsoft Corporation. It is bundled with some versions of the Microsoft Office suite and is also available for purchase as a stand-alone product. PowerPoint is available for both Windows and Mac OS platforms.

Features

PowerPoint software features and formatting options include a wizard that walks you through the presentation creation process. Design templates---prepackaged background designs and font styles that will be applied to all slides in a presentation---can be used, or you can create your own slide design if desired using a combination of layout arrangement, background color, text font and color, and extras such as call-out boxes, graphics (from clip art or from a file), photos, diagrams and movies. Sound can be added to a presentation from a PowerPoint library of sounds, from a saved music file, from a CD, or sound can be recorded using a microphone.
When viewing a presentation, slide progression can be manual, using the computer mouse or keyboard to progress to the next slide, or slides can be set up to progress after a specified length of time. Slide introductions and transitions can be added to the slides. For example "fade through black," "checkerboard across" or "random transition."


Viewing Presentations

PowerPoint presentations can be viewed on a computer on which PowerPoint software is installed. Alternatively, PowerPointViewer is available for free download from Microsoft's website for individual use. PowerPoint presentations can be viewed using PowerPointViewer, but cannot be created or edited.

Set Background Picture for a PowerPoint file in PowerPoint 2003
• Open/Create a PowerPoint file
• Choose one slide, Right Click, and then click Background


• Click on Pull-Down Menu, Choose the Fill Effects



• Choose the Picture tab at the top of the Fill Effects dialog box. Click on the Select Picture...button to locate the photo saved on your computer.


• Click on OK to add the picture to the slide background.
• Click on Apply to All or Apply button

Set Background Picture for a PowerPoint file in PowerPoint 2007

• Select the slide that you want to add a background picture to.
To select multiple slides, click a slide, and then press and hold CTRL while you click the other slides.
• On the Design tab, in the Background group, click Background Styles, and then click Format Background.


• Click Fill, and then click Picture or texture fill.
• Do one of the following:
o To insert a picture from a file, click File, and then locate and double-click
the picture that you want to insert.
o To paste a picture that you copied, click Clipboard.
o To use clip art (clip art: A single piece of ready-made art, often appearing
as a bitmap or a combination of drawn shapes.) as a background picture, click
Clip Art, and then in the Search text box, type a word or phrase that
describes the clip (clip: A single media file, including art, sound,
animation, or movies.) that you want, or type all or part of the file name of
the clip.

To include clip art that is available on Microsoft Office Online in your
search, select the Include content from Office Online check box, click Go,
and then click the clip to insert it.

• Do one of the following:
o To use the picture as a background for the slides that you selected, click
Close.
o To use the picture as a background for all of the slides in your
presentation, click Apply to All

Computer lecture presentations, using software such as Microsoft's PowerPoint, are becoming increasingly widely used in college classrooms throughout this country. Judging from the response in the classes that the teachers have been teaching, students are extremely enthusiastic about this type of technology. Many faculties appear to be equally satisfied, as evidenced by the fact that they are choosing to invest considerable amounts of time and effort into revising their courses.
Despite the rising popularity of presentation software, thus far there has been very little evidence that this technology can improve learning. This should not be surprising, inasmuch as the technologies have been used for a relatively short period of time, and it is not yet clear how to maximize their usefulness. It is probably true that learning to master the technology itself seems to be much easier than discovering the pedagogy that makes the best use of the technology for learning.
The new educational technology represents a special challenge to the current generation of college teachers. Traditionally, most college teachers have basically continued to teach the way they had been taught when they were students. As a result, change in teaching has been incremental at best. Now teachers are being called upon to learn how to teach in totally new ways. Although much has been learned about the learning process in the past decade, our understanding is still far from complete. For the time being, instructors must follow the development of educational theory, share the experiences of colleagues, and use student evaluations to determine what will work best in their classrooms.
This lack of hard knowledge is particularly prevalent in the use of images for instruction. Previously, few faculty had a convenient way to incorporate images into their lectures. Even those who used slides or videos may not have completely understood the best ways to use this visual material. Now presentation software, like PowerPoint, doesn't just allow for the creation of lecture presentations that are rich in images; it also brings together text and images in ways that have significant educational benefits.
Images are widely recognized to be powerful educational tools, and PowerPoint makes it easy to add visual material to lectures. All disciplines may not benefit equally from the enhanced use of images for lecture, but there are many situations where the synergy described here can be useful. Many professors like to include historical references in their lectures, but many students lack the background to fully understand the comment. My experience has been that adding appropriate images to the presentation can not only broaden the students' overal knowledge but can also establish cross-discipline relevancies, and thus produce strong reactions from students.
New tools require us to rethink our approach to the educational process. Even though no single teaching method, with or without technology, may be equally applicable to all educational situations, the new technologies, including the combination of PowerPoint with cooperative learning, open new possibilities for the educational process. The real challenge is not to learn the technology, but to find the pedagogies that use technology to give our students an improved learning environment.

The Function of Computer in Education Sector

Computer is an electronic device is complex and has many advantages. Computers found to be suitable to be used as a tool for helping teachers in the teaching process learning kerana-capable computer to receive and process data. Giesert and Futrell (1990) asserted that a person bahawa teachers who use computers in teaching the learning should be categorized as having the talent and skill enhancement. Teaching materials provided with the latest learning aids will be added interest in the field of the lesson students learn something.
In addition, if the computer can used in a systematic and impressive by the teacher he would be able to resolve any problems learning teaching. This is in line with pendangan Heinich (1993) who said bahawa computers can enrich teaching techniques. Computers are complementary to the delivery of teaching that impressed. Sandholtz (1997) have voiced bahawa teaching technology use may facilitate learning.

Accordingly, the kingdom or the Ministry of Education held a course specifically sentiasa foster the introduction of computers and computer materials for assisting teachers and teacher trainers in perkhidmatan. By then, a computer education program for training teachers rather than learning about computers is simple but also learning computer assisting.

Use of Computers In Teaching Learning
Hilary Mc Lellan (1991) asserted bahawa computers can help teachers implement teaching aktiviti darjah learning in the booth. He was pressed about the interests of a person having knowledge of teachers were at least in principle in controlling perkakasan ratings and perisian computer before they can produce a memorable teaching kaedah darjah the booth.
Diana Laurillard (1992) states bahawa berasaskan computer learning can enhance understanding of theoretical concepts. He believes bahawa kaedah simulation and computer-assisted learning can enhance the understanding stage with ease.
Heinich (1993) states-capable computers to oversee and manage a lot of teaching materials. Computer capabilities allow users to interact with teachers implement instructional teaching easier and interesting. This opinion is supported by Sandholtz (1997) which states bahawa technology use in schools may facilitate the teaching learning. So it can be said to have excess computer bahawa be an appropriate medium and impressive in the context of teaching learning in education.

Computer function in education today is very important. Computers can be used for teaching purposes, such as laptops are used lecturers / teachers to deliver class materials. Even now there are schools that require every student to bring a laptop in lieu of the existing notebooks. For practical purposes, the computer is also very necessary. Internet programs for schools that are being carried out the government will also further increase the intensity of the use of computers in educational institutions. Students and students currently working on the task also uses the computer, unlike 10 years ago which still uses a typewriter to work on school work / college. To conduct the study, the computers can be used to process data more quickly and accurately.

The conclusion is that the computer was created as a tool that provides convenience for people. Ease in all aspects of human life. Computers are made to pamper people. Currently, for those who do not want to recognize your computer, or not familiar with computers, both for its use and its benefits, like living in stone age. Actually there are many more functions and usefulness of computers for our lives, but the most numerous and the main is as I mentioned above.

Influence of Technology and the Internet in the World Education

Information Technology and the Internet has penetrated into our daily lives. Many of the implications for various fields, one of them is in education. The history of IT and the Internet can not be separated from education. Internet in the United States began to grow from an academic environment (NSFNET), as told in the book "Nerds 2.0.1". Similarly, the Internet in Indonesia began to grow within the academic (in the UI and ITB), although it appears exciting stories in business. It may need to be augmented stories about the benefits of the Internet for education.

The existence of the Internet open source information that was difficult to access. Access to information resources are not becoming problem again. Libraries are one source of information which are expensive. (How many libraries in Indonesia, and how the quality?.) The existence of the Internet allows a person in Indonesia to access the library in the United States. Mechanism library access can be done using a special program (usually using the Z39.50 standard, such as WAIS [5] ), telnet applications (such as on applications hytelnet [6] ) or via a web browser (Netscape and Internet Explorer). There have been many stories about the Internet for help in research, the final task. Exchange of information or the frequently asked questions by an expert can be done via the Internet. Without the Internet much the final project and thesis, which is may require more time to complete.

Cooperation between experts and also with students who are physically located far apart can be done more easily. Previously, someone had to wander or run away to see a specialist to discuss a problem. Currently this can be done from home by sending an email. Papers and research can be done with the data exchange via the Internet, via email, or by using the mechanism sharring file. Imagine if a student is in Irian can discuss medical problems with seoran experts at leading universities in Java. Students can access anywhere in Indonesia, experts or lecturers of the best in Indonesia and even in the world. Geographic boundaries are not a problem anymore.
Sharring information is also needed in the field of research, that research does not repeat (reinvent the wheel). The results of research in universities and research institutes can be used together so as to speed the process of developing science and technology.

"Distance learning" and "virtual university" is a new application for the Internet. Virtual University has the characteristics of scalable, ie able to provide education that is accessed by many people. If education is only done in a regular classroom, how many people can participate in a class? The number of participants may only be charged 50 people. Virtual university can be accessed by anyone, from anywhere.
For Indonesia, the benefits mentioned above have to be a good reason to make the Internet as the infrastructure of education. To summarize the benefits of the Internet for the education sector in Indonesia:
• Access to the library;
• Access to experts;
• Provides the facility.
The use of technology and the Internet in education is an initial step toward realizing the society in harmony with the desire Insight. Educational institutions as the most important container prior to initial changes compared with other institutions towards achieving that malamute. Potential and technological are sophistication necessary to be fully utilized.

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to serve billions of users worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic, business, and government networks of local to global scope that are linked by a broad array of electronic and optical networking technologies. The Internet carries a vast array of information resources and services, most notably the inter-linked hypertext documents of the World Wide Web (WWW) and the infrastructure to support electronic mail.
Most traditional communications media, such as telephone and television services, are reshaped or redefined using the technologies of the Internet, giving rise to services such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and IPTV. Newspaper publishing has been reshaped into Web sites, blogging, and web feeds. The Internet has enabled or accelerated the creation of new forms of human interactions through instant messaging, Internet forums, and social networking sites.
The origins of the Internet reach back to the 1960s when the United States funded research projects of its military agencies to build robust, fault-tolerant and distributed computer networks. This research and a period of civilian funding of a new U.S. backbone by the National Science Foundation spawned worldwide participation in the development of new networking technologies and led to the commercialization of an international network in the mid 1990s, and resulted in the following popularization of countless applications in virtually every aspect of modern human life. As of 2009, an estimated quarter of Earth's population uses the services of the Internet.
The Internet has no centralized governance in either technological implementation or policies for access and usage; each constituent network sets its own standards. Only the overreaching definitions of the two principal name spaces in the Internet, the Internet Protocol address space and the Domain Name System, are directed by a maintainer organization, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). The technical underpinning and standardization of the core protocols (IPv4 and IPv6) is an activity of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), a non-profit organization of loosely affiliated international participants that anyone may associate with by contributing technical expertise.

Protocols

The complex communications infrastructure of the Internet consists of its hardware components and a system of software layers that control various aspects of the architecture. While the hardware can often be used to support other software systems, it is the design and the rigorous standardization process of the software architecture that characterizes the Internet and provides the foundation for its scalability and success. The responsibility for the architectural design of the Internet software systems has been delegated to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).[9] The IETF conducts standard-setting work groups, open to any individual, about the various aspects of Internet architecture. Resulting discussions and final standards are published in a series of publications, each called a Request for Comments (RFC), freely available on the IETF web site. The principal methods of networking that enable the Internet are contained in specially designated RFCs that constitute the Internet Standards. Other less rigorous documents are simply informative, experimental, or historical, or document the best current practices (BCP) when implementing Internet technologies.
The Internet Standards describe a framework known as the Internet Protocol Suite. This is a model architecture that divides methods into a layered system of protocols (RFC 1122, RFC 1123). The layers correspond to the environment or scope in which their services operate. At the top is the Application Layer, the space for the application-specific networking methods used in software applications, e.g., a web browser program. Below this top layer, the Transport Layer connects applications on different hosts via the network (e.g., client–server model) with appropriate data exchange methods. Underlying these layers are the core networking technologies, consisting of two layers. The Internet Layer enables computers to identify and locate each other via Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, and allows them to connect to one-another via intermediate (transit) networks. Lastly, at the bottom of the architecture, is a software layer, the Link Layer, that provides connectivity between hosts on the same local network link, such as a local area network (LAN) or a dial-up connection. The model, also known as TCP/IP, is designed to be independent of the underlying hardware which the model therefore does not concern itself with in any detail. Other models have been developed, such as the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, but they are not compatible in the details of description, nor implementation, but many similarities exist and the TCP/IP protocols are usually included in the discussion of OSI networking.
The most prominent component of the Internet model is the Internet Protocol (IP) which provides addressing systems (IP addresses) for computers on the Internet. IP enables internetworking and essentially establishes the Internet itself. IP Version 4 (IPv4) is the initial version used on the first generation of the today's Internet and is still in dominant use. It was designed to address up to ~4.3 billion (109) Internet hosts. However, the explosive growth of the Internet has led to IPv4 address exhaustion which is estimated to enter its final stage in approximately 2011.[10] A new protocol version, IPv6, was developed in the mid 1990s which provides vastly larger addressing capabilities and more efficient routing of Internet traffic. IPv6 is currently in commercial deployment phase around the world and Internet address registries (RIRs) have begun to urge all resource managers to plan rapid adoption and conversion.
IPv6 is not interoperable with IPv4. It essentially establishes a "parallel" version of the Internet not directly accessible with IPv4 software. This means software upgrades or translator facilities are necessary for every networking device that needs to communicate on the IPv6 Internet. Most modern computer operating systems are already converted to operate with both versions of the Internet Protocol. Network infrastructures, however, are still lagging in this development. Aside from the complex physical connections that make up its infrastructure, the Internet is facilitated by bi- or multi-lateral commercial contracts (e.g., peering agreements), and by technical specifications or protocols that describe how to exchange data over the network. Indeed, the Internet is defined by its interconnections and routing policies.

Communication

E-mail is an important communications service available on the Internet. The concept of sending electronic text messages between parties in a way analogous to mailing letters or memos predates the creation of the Internet. Today it can be important to distinguish between internet and internal e-mail systems. Internet e-mail may travel and be stored unencrypted on many other networks and machines out of both the sender's and the recipient's control. During this time it is quite possible for the content to be read and even tampered with by third parties, if anyone considers it important enough. Purely internal or intranet mail systems, where the information never leaves the corporate or organization's network, are much more secure, although in any organization there will be IT and other personnel whose job may involve monitoring, and occasionally accessing, the e-mail of other employees not addressed to them. Pictures, documents and other files can be sent as e-mail attachments. E-mails can be cc-ed to multiple e-mail addresses.
Internet telephony is another common communications service made possible by the creation of the Internet. VoIP stands for Voice-over-Internet Protocol, referring to the protocol that underlies all Internet communication. The idea began in the early 1990s with walkie-talkie-like voice applications for personal computers. In recent years many VoIP systems have become as easy to use and as convenient as a normal telephone. The benefit is that, as the Internet carries the voice traffic, VoIP can be free or cost much less than a traditional telephone call, especially over long distances and especially for those with always-on Internet connections such as cable or ADSL. VoIP is maturing into a competitive alternative to traditional telephone service. Interoperability between different providers has improved and the ability to call or receive a call from a traditional telephone is available. Simple, inexpensive VoIP network adapters are available that eliminate the need for a personal computer.
Voice quality can still vary from call to call but is often equal to and can even exceed that of traditional calls. Remaining problems for VoIP include emergency telephone number dialling and reliability. Currently, a few VoIP providers provide an emergency service, but it is not universally available. Traditional phones are line-powered and operate during a power failure; VoIP does not do so without a backup power source for the phone equipment and the Internet access devices. VoIP has also become increasingly popular for gaming applications, as a form of communication between players. Popular VoIP clients for gaming include Ventriloand Teamspeak. Wii, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 also offer VoIP chat features.

Data transfer

File sharing is an example of transferring large amounts of data across the Internet. A computer file can be e-mailed to customers, colleagues and friends as an attachment. It can be uploaded to a website or FTPserver for easy download by others. It can be put into a "shared location" or onto a file server for instant use by colleagues. The load of bulk downloads to many users can be eased by the use of "mirror" servers orpeer-to-peer networks. In any of these cases, access to the file may be controlled by user authentication, the transit of the file over the Internet may be obscured by encryption, and money may change hands for access to the file. The price can be paid by the remote charging of funds from, for example, a credit card whose details are also passed—usually fully encrypted—across the Internet. The origin and authenticity of the file received may be checked by digital signatures or by MD5 or other message digests. These simple features of the Internet, over a worldwide basis, are changing the production, sale, and distribution of anything that can be reduced to a computer file for transmission. This includes all manner of print publications, software products, news, music, film, video, photography, graphics and the other arts. This in turn has caused seismic shifts in each of the existing industries that previously controlled the production and distribution of these products.
Streaming media refers to the act that many existing radio and television broadcasters promote Internet "feeds" of their live audio and video streams (for example, the BBC). They may also allow time-shift viewing or listening such as Preview, Classic Clips and Listen Again features. These providers have been joined by a range of pure Internet "broadcasters" who never had on-air licenses. This means that an Internet-connected device, such as a computer or something more specific, can be used to access on-line media in much the same way as was previously possible only with a television or radio receiver. The range of available types of content is much wider, from specialized technical webcasts to on-demand popular multimedia services. Podcasting is a variation on this theme, where—usually audio—material is downloaded and played back on a computer or shifted to a portable media player to be listened to on the move. These techniques using simple equipment allow anybody, with little censorship or licensing control, to broadcast audio-visual material worldwide.
Webcams can be seen as an even lower-budget extension of this phenomenon. While some webcams can give full-frame-rate video, the picture is usually either small or updates slowly. Internet users can watch animals around an African waterhole, ships in the Panama Canal, traffic at a local roundabout or monitor their own premises, live and in real time. Video chat rooms and video conferencing are also popular with many uses being found for personal webcams, with and without two-way sound. YouTube was founded on 15 February 2005 and is now the leading website for free streaming video with a vast number of users. It uses a flash-based web player to stream and show video files. Registered users may upload an unlimited amount of video and build their own personal profile. YouTube claims that its users watch hundreds of millions, and upload hundreds of thousands of videos daily.