Module 2 Blog Post: Elements of Distance Education Diffusion

The Internet and Web 2.0 tools have revolutionized how we communicate and collaborate. Siemens (2008) mentions online tools permits global communication. The tools involved in this revolution include older items like e-mail and newer items like Skype and Twitter. All of the online communication tools have made it possible for individuals to communicate at an instant and be able to collaborate on various projects. Richardson comments that we are now equipped to “connect to vast networks” (2009, p. 5) and with this we are forced change how we approach education.

The first blog I found related to Skype gave an idea of how this tool is used and how it impacts its users. Thomas Leverett at http://tomleveretts.blogspot.com/2009/06/skype-me.html discusses the advantages and disadvantages of Skype regarding his ESL students. He states, “Love of family is the driving force that makes it difficult for people to stay abroad, or that drives them home…Skype, I feel, has more than any other force made the world much smaller. And, it's free!” Via Skype individuals can opt to use a video cam as they converse. Leverett’s blog continues as it details disadvantages of this emergent technology. Schools may not have the technology available to support the tools. The limitations could stem from bandwidth and connection. In addition, he mentions that because Skype is free and anybody can use it, predators may try to connect with students. Leverett is not sure of the educational value of Skype, but he does go on to say educational tools need to have the ability to record and save material so that it can be later viewed and evaluated.

I found one more blog that was excellent! Students used Skype to interview authors to complete a class project. I thought this was very creative and the tools gave them a chance to experience emergent technologies in the classroom. The ten minute video imbedded at the blog explained the parameters of the project, how it encouraged higher order thinking skills and nurtured the student-centered environment. The blog can be accessed at http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2009/06/not-education-as-usual-on-skype-blog.html by Karl Fisch, a technology director at Arapahoe High School in Colorado. To quote him “The hard part isn’t the technology, it’s the pedagogy. How do we do this in a way that’s meaningful and relevant and engaging and worth wild for kids…How do we create a valuable experience?”

References:

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Siemans, G. (2008). The future of distance education. Laureate Education, Inc. DVD. Principles of Distance Education. Baltimore: Author.

Module 1 Blog Post: The Next Generation of Distance Education

Distance education is evolving. It has grown from correspondence studies to Internet based education. According to Michael Simonson (2008) the definition for distance education is “formal education in which the learning groups are separated by geography and sometimes time”. Distance education is beneficial to both remote and local learners (Moller, Foshay, and Huett, part 2, 2008).

For this generation distance education must continue to develop because the Internet houses so much information and so many avenues that can increase knowledge. Moller, et. al. (part 1) believe that technology is a vehicle that expands cognition because its use is relative to real world experience and it fosters social interactions that support and reinforce knowledge building. They go on to mention that distance education is needed because our current system is lacking in the types of learners it produces. They state, “Our educational system is producing learners who prefer, or are able only to interact with the content and/or the instructor, but not each other” (p. 74, ¶ 8). In a time where collaboration has been found to be a key to cognitive growth and constructivist theories, we must veer away from this type of learning. Technology allows us to go beyond the walls of the traditional classroom setting.

The integration of technology and distance education also fulfills requirements set forth by the federal government. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 mandates all students are technology literate by eighth grade (U.S. Dept. of Education, 2009). Moreover, the act “requires states to offer alternative schooling options to students attending schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress” (Huett, Moller, Foshay, & Coleman, 2008, p. 63, ¶ 5).

Referencing Mupinga (2005), Huett, et. al suggest that due to “teacher shortages and overcrowded schools” (p. 63, ¶ 5), it is inevitable that distance education will continue to grow. Distance education offers flexibility for learners as well as instructors. As said by Moller, et. al (part 2):

• The inclusion of technology often requires new skill sets, new ways of thinking,
  new time and resource management skills, new ways of communication and new
  communication boundaries.
  
• Flexibility, greater individual student
  participation, and the asynchronous nature of conversations that allow students
  and faculty time to think about and formulate responses and make greater
  connections…allowing for more in-depth. And higher quality
  discussions.
  
• Faculty appreciate the opportunity to advance their technical
  know-how and develop new teaching and presentation skills.

I completely agree with the views of Moller, Huett, Foshay, Coleman, and Simonson. Distance education has become a new platform for learning. The technology behind it is supported by theory. As we move forward I can only foresee distance education becoming an option that all facets of education explore and integrate to build knowledge stores of learners. Per Simonson (2008), “distance education is widely adopted and approaching critical mass in society…if we look at the past patterns in educational technology we can expect exponential growth of distance education to continue”.

References:

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.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 1: Training and development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70-75. Use the Academic Search Premier database, and search using the article's Accession Number: 33281719.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66-70. Use the Academic Search Premier database, and search using the article's Accession Number: 33991516.

Simeon, M. (2008). Distance education: The next generation. Laureate Education, Inc. DVD. Principles of Distance Education. Baltimore: Author.

U. S. Department of Education (May 2009). Evaluation of the enhancing education through technology program: Final report. Available at http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/netts/finalreport.html

The Summer Course is Upon Me

I started this blog during EDUC 8823-1: Computer Technology and Multimedia in Education. The new course calls for me to maintain a blog and to visit other blogs. I am becoming a blogger like it or not. I pray to learn either just as much or even more during this new course.

For my lone follower and those of you that visit secretly, you may have noticed I changed my template. I changed the template to celebrate the new summer quarter. I hope it is pleasing to your eye.