Media Ecology is defined as the study of the types of media used in a certain environment. Surprisingly, I think that the media ecology of UGA, in my experience so far, is less diverse in the classroom than that of my high school. In high school we used interactive forms of learning through games like Kahoot, class Quizlet groups, and class discussion posts in which we had to answer a critical thinking question online and respond to our peer’s answers.
At UGA, I actually have a class where the Professor does not allow the use of our laptops in class. She prefers the “old-fashioned” method of taking notes with a pencil and paper over the use of technology. In my classes, we haven’t really used many forms of technology (aside from this FYOS class). All my professors have used are PowerPoints for lectures. Some of my friends do use WebAssign, a tool that we also used at my high school, but that’s pretty much it. My math class is my only course that requires the use of ELC, a platform that is very similar to itsLearning, the program used by all teachers at my high school to post important documents.
Although we use less technology in class, students at UGA still use the some of the same forms of media as in my high school. For some classes, we still use GroupMe to keep in touch with classmates and for group projects (setting meeting times and delegating responsibilities). Social Media usage has also changed slightly. The first few weeks of college especially, I found myself not having time to check my phone as frequently. While in high school, it was easy to zone out in class and scroll through Instagram, college classes are much more rigorous. When not in class, there are also so many things to do that cell phones have become much less of a priority (Although, they are still a big one).
At my high school, we used to Kahoot as a form of studying for tests a lot. I used Quizlet a lot on my own to help me study. I also used some form of discussion thing for my English class but I can’t remember the name of it. I do use GroupMe as well as a way of communicating with other students here at UGA.
So it sounds as if your high school used a lot of diverse media & apps… whereas UGA professors and classes have a diverse approach to media (some embrace electronic media, while others are more “old school”). So it’s almost as if each UGA class becomes its own mini-media-ecology, with expectations that don’t translate into the class you’re heading to next.