I had a very difficult time deciding which of the three elements of distance education to discuss in this post. After a great deal of thought, I decided to choose communication. I feel that communication has changed in distance education in response to growth in the technology and methods used. As we moved past the years when dial-up was the only connection to the Internet and only one browser existed, the ability to communicate with others online became easier, which translated into a greater ease of communication in distance education. Now, emailing others in your class is not the only way to communicate with them. Skype is a tool being used now by many distance education teachers and students to add to the experience; it provides students with the ability to see and hear those that they might never have visual and auditory contact with otherwise. A tool that I just became aware of that looks to provide a more school district-friendly Facebook experience is Edmodo, which I hope to have the opportunity to try this year in my classroom.
The first blog I have provided a link to is part of Edutopia. I linked to a specific post--the one that mentioned Edmodo--because it discussed sites that might provide students with opportunities to communicate with one another online. These sites would give distance education students and teachers alternate ways to communicate and submit assignments no matter the amount of time they actually spend learning online.
Instead of posting a link to one other blog, I have chosen to provide links to a few other educational technology blogs that I have found useful in getting ideas for my classroom, especially ideas about tools to use to improve online communication with the students in my classroom. I may not teach distance education courses, but I am very interested in bringing some of the elements of distance education into my brick-and-mortar classroom.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
The Next Generation of Distance Education
Distance education opportunities are becoming a reality for all age groups from elementary to college level and beyond. As educators, we need to recognize the part that distance education will play in the future of education and prepare ourselves and our students accordingly.
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.
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