Where is Distance Learning Headed?

What do you think the perceptions of distance learning will be in the future (in 5–10 years; 10–20 years)?

In five to ten years the perception of D.L. will continue to rise. People will still choose the traditional route, but I believe older students will choose online learning to meet their lifestyles. We must look at where technology will be in the near future and then we can see where education is heading. According to Dr. Siemens, distance education will be impacted by new communication technologies, contribution by experts around the world, and increased use of multimedia, games, and simulations.

In ten to twenty years, distance learning will be succeeding. Distance learning will impact universities, but also the K-12 settings. Many corporate companies provide employees with the opportunity to go back to school with little to no tuition. In the future, companies will be looking for employees that have postsecondary education. Imagine companies providing their employees an hour a day to take an online course. Employees will be knowledgeable and equipped with the necessary skills to get the job done. In the K-12 setting, more online home schooling will be available across the country. Students in 9th -12th will be provided with more online courses to take outside of the traditional classes.

How can you as an instructional designer be a proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning?

As an instructional designer I can be a proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning by providing learners with the opportunity to the currency of instructional content and effective delivery of material. As an I.D., I will have the knowledge and skills of a broad variety of technologies. I will provide learners with the opportunity to take charge of their learning with my assistance and guidance. I will continue to research the value of education, new technologies, and instructional opportunities that will allow me to improve developmental skills for an online environment.

How will you be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education?

I will be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education because I will utilize the skills and knowledge I have acquired at Walden. I will be an advocate for online instructors in the field of distance education. I will seek guidance from professionals that provide quality-learning experiences and continuously improve my skills.

Reference: Laureate Education Inc. (2009). The Future of Distance Education [video]. George Siemens.

Converting to a Distance Learning Format

As our classroom are being transformed by technology, so is the way we teach. Imagine taking a traditional classroom or training workshop and converting all online. Where would you start? The following is a manual to give anyone simple steps and tips to consider when switching practices from a traditional setting to a modern setting.

Converting to Distance Learning Manual

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The Impact of Open Source

Before this week, I never heard of Open Course offerings. This is a great way for people who want to acquire new skills or knowledge but don't have the funds to get it! I have wanted to take some college level math courses to refresh my skills and knowledge, mostly because I have taught primary grades for the past six years. I don't want the credits, I just need some refreshers.

As I was skimming through all of the resources, I chose openculture.com. There is a plethora of options available for a wide range of subjects. I was excited just looking at the choices. This is even great for homeschooled children especially if he or she is advanced in an area. This site offers free courses, as well as, free audio books, movies, textbooks, and language lessons.

Does the course appear to be carefully pre-planned and designed for a distance-learning environment? How so?

I chose an open course on World War II History: An Open Harvard Course. This course was carefully planned and designed for traditional learning then made into an online learning experience. The learner has the option of watching videos or listening to an audio. Once the video popped up a list of Table of Contents were presented, as well as, a document of the course description.

Does the course follow the recommendations for online instruction as listed in your course textbook? This course followed recommendations to an extent for online instruction because the professor reads his objectives, goals, and requirements for this course. The student has the opportunity to move at his or her own pace and access available resources. But there were many elements missing for an effective online course. Compared to my courses at Walden, this course would be more effective in the traditional classroom it was set-up as. Basically, the class was videotaped and posted for review by others for free.

Did the course designer implement course activities that maximize active learning for the students?

The course designer did a great job providing videos and audio of the lecture to maximize student learning. The designer provided visuals of maps and images on a side panel view that was accessible during the video. The course was user friendly, which allowed student learning. However, my concern would be when does the interaction occur. What about discussions and questions, who will give those responses? There would be no feedback, so how would it work in a math class, as well?

Scenario

This week in Distance Learning, I had to pick a scenario and choose which technology to use in order to provide the best learning experience for learners. As an instructional designer, I would be in charge of helping educators create and modify lessons that incorporate distant learning technologies.

Scenario 2: Interactive Tours 
A high school history teacher, located on the west coast of the United States, wants to showcase to her students new exhibits being held at two prominent New York City museums. The teacher wants her students to take a "tour" of the museums and be able to interact with the museum curators, as well as see the artwork on display. Afterward, the teacher would like to choose two pieces of artwork from each exhibit and have the students participate in a group critique of the individual work of art. As a novice of distance learning and distance learning technologies, the teacher turned to the school district's instructional designer for assistance. In the role of the instructional designer, what distance learning technologies would you suggest the teacher use to provide the best learning experience for her students?

I would suggest that the teacher use two resources: one a podcast that allows students to take a virtual tour of each museum, two a blog. Each resource will allow collaboration between students and teacher. Since students are still attending traditional classrooms, a blog is good for a blended learning environment.

Why a Podcast? According to Laureate Education (2012) podcasts allow instructors to create files with images (audio or non-audio), and videos. Research shows that use of visual and verbal modes of learning together significantly increase learning. What a great way for the instructor to present information and hold students accountable for their own learning.

A major benefit of Podcasts is that they enable you to listen to what you want, when you want. Podcasts have many benefits such as building relationships with listeners, highlighting your authority, response to student feedback, and reaching a new audience.

Why a blog? According to Laureate Education (2012), blogs or web blogs are online journals sites where individuals, called bloggers, post their entries to express their views. The intent of a blog is to build an online community of interest around a blogger's writings. Since blogs can include images, audio, videos, and other web page this would be perfect to attach pictures of artwork for students to view, reflect, and comment onto the blog.

Blogger is a site that allows you to create a blog for free. Instructors can setup and design the layout of the blog. The instructor has the choice of monitoring how students respond and post to the blog. Students can collaborate together and comment on one another's posts. Edmodo.com is a great site for setting up a blog.

Laureate Education (2012). The Technology of Distance Education. [video]

"What are the benefits of podcasting?" (2008) Retrieved March 22, 2012, from http://socialmediatrader.com/what-are-the-benefits-of-podcasting/

Evolution of Distance Learning

Distance learning is when learning occurs outside of the traditional classroom. Virtual classrooms, eLearning, and online courses have all evolved with distance learning.

According to the California Distance Learning Project (2011),
distance learning traditionally has provided access to instructional programs for students who are separated by time and/or physical location from an instructor. Distance learning has been thought of as prepackaged text, audio, and/or video courses taken by an isolated learner with limited interaction with an instructor or other students. This perspective is changing. Today information technologies and the Internet can allow rich interactive distance learning experiences that may surpass the interactivity of a traditional classroom.

According to the Distance Learning Timeline in 1975, videotapes were used to distribute learning material. After 1979, computer technology was used to deliver online course material. In 1982, satellite TV was used to deliver content. This trend continued as technology evolved. By 1989, more than two-thirds of the U.S. offered distance learning courses.

Distance learning has also impacted the corporate world. Many job training tutorials are offered through interactive modules. The K-12 educational setting has been impacted by distance learning, too. There are free public K-12 online schools throughout the United States.

The change in learning has to do with the evolution of technology in our society. Many people have knowledge of basic technology skills. From the corporate sector to a kindergarten classroom, the presence of technology continues to impact everyone. These changes in our society have to do with the demands on our economy. Many companies find it economically cheaper to have online material available rather than pay someone from the outside to train their employees.

Since the rise of distance learning in public education, I have completed many professional development courses online that were mandatory by the district. Credits are given to the participants once the course is completed and mastery above 80% is achieved. Many of my coworkers (veteran teachers) have minimum experience using this kind of technology and found it difficult at first to navigate the course materials. So as distance learning continues to evolve, everyone must also do the same.

Distance learning is convenient. The instructor and student are both responsible for the learning process. My experience at Walden has allowed me the convenience of working and learning from home. I don't have to sit in a lecture for hours. I have the opportunity to access my course material at any time of the day.

In the future I see distance learning providing people in more remote locations the opportunity to receive the needed training and education to earn a decent living. The internet has provided people the chance to interact and socialize from almost anywhere in the world. So I see the opportunity to provide children in remote and impoverished locations the chance to receive the basic education for survival.

California Distance Learning Project (2011). What is Distance Learning? Sacramento County Office of Education. Retreived on Septemeber 7, 2012 from http://www.cdlponline.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=whatis

Distance Learning clip art. Retrieved on September 9, 2012 from http://www-onlineeducation.blogspot.com

Multimedia Program: "Distance Learning Timeline Continuum"
This multimedia, interactive timeline chronicles the evolution of distance learning from 1833-2006.

Distance Learning

This blog is for the eight course in Instructional Design and Technology at Walden University. I will post information pertaining to Distance Learning. I look forward to digging deeper within this content.