The article argues that the ongoing usage of audio visual media is falling behind in terms of educational quality compared to prior achievements in the history of distance education. After reviewing some important steps and experiences of audio visual digital media development, we analyse predominant presentation formats on the Web. Special focus is put on recent development of new ways to generate graphics and to create animation sequences, as well as on the video presentation formats used in MOOCs. We conclude that the "new" features are in no way disruptive innovations in distance education and that the potential of video has not been sufficiently exploited. Adequate incentives to use these media for collaborative learning have not been provided and student-generated video content is at present just starting to be considered useful in instructional design.

The main purpose of this article is to investigate the selection patterns and uses made of the web tools and social media in both formal and non-formal education of students. The possibility of using networks to provide a multitude of stimuli that can be used for facilitating the learning, which offer a wide range of possibilities. The authors found that in many cases, the students use the devices and applications as a ‘simple remote control' discarding all the available possibilities for learning. The criteria for selecting the respective application in many cases are arbitrary or just a response to advertising or the usage of their friends. The web tools and social media provide ample opportunities, often for free, for incorporation into learning activities. To benefit from the use of them for learning purposes, it is important to know student preferences and the way in which they handle the media, in their private and academic environments. Also, the perception of the sense of spatial, social and temporal distance, which gives shape to our relationships and daily exchanges of information is essential for teachers. It is important for universities that the usage of technologies is not drifting too far away from those which students use outside the walls of the campus.

The main purpose was to investigate the selection patterns and uses made of the web tools in both formal and non-formal education by the students. The authors found that many of them use devices and applications as ‘simple remote control' - discarding all the available possibilities for learning. The criteria for selecting the respective application in many cases are arbitrary, or just a response to advertising or the usage made by their friends. The applications of Web 2.0, in turn, provide ample opportunities (often for free) for being successfully incorporated into learning activities. To benefit from the use of social media for learning purposes, it is important to know students' preferences and the way in which they handle the media used in their private as well as in their academic environment. It is important for the university that the usage of technologies is not drifting too far away from those which students use outside the walls of the campus.