Second Blog: Strengths, Limitations and Issues of Distance Education
Wednesday: Week 4- Collaboration Interaction
The element of online collaboration has evolved by way of an extension of online communication. From first sending emails back and forth, to teleconferencing to webinars, to instant messaging, to the wiki and Skype, online communication has led to online collaboration. Siemens (n.d.) tells us that getting a certain comfort level will allow these kinds of collaborative technologies to proliferate. The wiki is a great example which allows online collaboration by allowing editing of group work. This element allows individual and group creativity with discussion. Victoria Davis(2009) gives eleven essential tools for global collaboration in her blog. Using these elements classroom teachers can guide their classes to collaborate using online tools that will allow great collaboration. She gives tips for using these tools as well. While her list is extensive, it is by no means the only available tools, just some she has used in the course of her own teaching. http://russwiki.wikispaces.com/ is an example of a Chicago Public School teacher’s wiki that comes complete with the CPS Acceptable Use Policy. I liked the rules Russ gave the students for using the wiki in and out of school. Having taken one on his technology classes during the summer of 2008, I can appreciate his work with children.
The online tools that will allow collaboration through email are regular email accounts as well as the free Hotmail.com, gmail.com, etc. Email can get to be as slow as snail mail if it’s not checked regularly. Instant messaging is only as fast as one can type and the collaborators need to be online at the same time. Skype allows video and messaging as well as voice and again the collaborators need to be online at the same time. The wiki allows collaboration without the collaborators being online at the same time. Each can check in when they find it convenient leave messages and even edit each other’s work. Notification can be given and received by way of a feed and one can keep up with the collaboration. Learners using these tools will gain tremendous knowledge using the technology as well as learning the content of the subject matter.
Simonson, M. (n.d.). Distance education: Higher education, K12, and the corporate world. Retrieved September 28, 2009 from the EDUC-7102-2/EDUC-8842-2 Principles of Distance Education Web site: http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=3649021&Survey=1&47=5797856&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1
Davis, V.[Victoria A] Cool Cat Teacher Bloghttp://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2009/09/11-essential-tools-for-global.html
http://russwiki.wikispaces.com/
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The Next Generation of Distance Education
First Blog Posting: The Next Generation of Distance Education
The equivalency theory espoused by Simonson, (Simonson,2000) is what gives distance learning credibility with face to face instruction. Students must have equivalent experiences in order to feel that distance learning can compete with face to face learning. In our fast paced society, more universities are offering online classes as a response to the needs of their student bodies and some are offering hybrids of distance education with varying combinations of both face to face and distance learning. Some universities are offering distance learning because of budgetary concerns. (Moller, Foshay, Huett, 2008. May). Some are making those offering to appeal to the student who is already in the workforce and cannot matriculate on campus. The isolation some students feel may limit the distant learning experience and cause some losses. However, the more credible distance learning becomes, the more schools and responding students will help with the evolution of the course designs and the more they will more to the next level.
Simonson, M. (2000,Winter) Making decisions: the use of electronic technology in online classrooms. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. Retrieved September 17, 2009 from Academic Search Premier Database;
Moller,L. Forshay W. &Huett,J. (2008.May) The evolution of distance education: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning 52 (3) 70-75. Retrieved September 17,2009. Doi:10.1007/s11528-008-1058-5.
The equivalency theory espoused by Simonson, (Simonson,2000) is what gives distance learning credibility with face to face instruction. Students must have equivalent experiences in order to feel that distance learning can compete with face to face learning. In our fast paced society, more universities are offering online classes as a response to the needs of their student bodies and some are offering hybrids of distance education with varying combinations of both face to face and distance learning. Some universities are offering distance learning because of budgetary concerns. (Moller, Foshay, Huett, 2008. May). Some are making those offering to appeal to the student who is already in the workforce and cannot matriculate on campus. The isolation some students feel may limit the distant learning experience and cause some losses. However, the more credible distance learning becomes, the more schools and responding students will help with the evolution of the course designs and the more they will more to the next level.
Simonson, M. (2000,Winter) Making decisions: the use of electronic technology in online classrooms. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. Retrieved September 17, 2009 from Academic Search Premier Database;
Moller,L. Forshay W. &Huett,J. (2008.May) The evolution of distance education: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning 52 (3) 70-75. Retrieved September 17,2009. Doi:10.1007/s11528-008-1058-5.
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