Simonson (2000) says that success in distance education is not found in which technologies educators use but in how those technologies are used and the information that is conveyed using those technologies. I would have to agree with Simonson. It does not matter which of the many technologies available if the way you use the technology does not benefit the students and their learning.
As a teacher in a school that uses a computer-based credit recovery program, I can identify with Huett, Moller, Foshay, and Coleman (2008) when they mention their fear that distance education will just become a way to deliver instruction that is totally focused on credit recovery. In my experience, the students who most often need content recovery are the students who are not as invested in their educational experience as their peers. I agree with the authors that if distance education is only used with students who are not interested in their education, then the technologies available are not being utilized in a way that will be most beneficial to students.
To best utilize distance education in the immediate and distant future, educators need to examine the types of technology available for use in delivering content. The examination of these technologies definitely needs to include actual practice on the part of the educator because if you have not used the technologies yourself, how can you accurately determine whether it will be beneficial to the students.
Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W. & Coleman, C. (2008, September/October). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63–67.
Simonson, M. (2000). Making decisions: The use of electronic technology in online classes. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 84, 29–34.
To best utilize distance education in the immediate and distant future, educators need to examine the types of technology available for use in delivering content. The examination of these technologies definitely needs to include actual practice on the part of the educator because if you have not used the technologies yourself, how can you accurately determine whether it will be beneficial to the students.
Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W. & Coleman, C. (2008, September/October). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63–67.
Simonson, M. (2000). Making decisions: The use of electronic technology in online classes. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 84, 29–34.
