Distance
Education…I Root for You!
Reflection
Because of the evolution in communication
and technology, distance education has morphed into one of the world’s most
effective modes of learning. The urge
for learners to seek information outside of the traditional classroom has prompted
the creation and implementation of numerous resources that allows the learner
to have information instantaneously.
Even though the typical virtual classroom is not modeled after the
traditional norm, learning is just as effective as being face to face with
instructors and peers.
In
“Emerging Technologies in Distance Education”, Terry Anderson describes
distance education as “the fastest-growing mode of formal and informal
teaching, training and learning”(2010). As
tools and trends in communication become more advanced, distance learning will
have no choice but to evolve with it. It’s
difficult for me to determine what the “buzz” words and technology will be used
in the future of distance education because everything I have learned thus far
such as blogs, wikis, learning management system, class management
systems, simulations, etc., seems so new
to me in regards to their use in education—although they have been around for
years. The technology used right now
seems perfect for use in multiple educational environments. The 2012 Horizon
Report does include forms of technology that will become more prominent in
the distance learning environment. Some
of the technology mentioned are the use of cloud computing, mobile apps, social
reading, and tablet computing —just to name a few (NMC, 2012).
Distance education can and will continue
to morph with models moving more to a student-centered classroom and more
technological advances. My perception on distance education has changed
throughout this course, but for those who don’t study distance learning, they
may have a constricted perception of the term.
Many may view distance education as a traditional course simply placed
into an online format where older, nontraditional students go get a degree because
they don’t have time to sit in traditional classes. However as distance learning with various
technologies become more prevalent in the workplace, many will recognize that
the majority of us are involved in the phenomenon. I believe in the near future, synchronous
learning opportunities will be second to asynchronous—especially in colleges,
universities and K-12 education.
Asynchronous tools better equip professors, teachers, and trainers to
become efficient facilitators.
As an instructional designer, I will
assist others in education to see the benefits of implementing both synchronous
and asynchronous learning strategies and technologies. My job would be to show those who are
unfamiliar with or have a skewed perception of distance education that with
proper planning, implementation, and evaluation distance education courses can
be both effective and economical (Simonson et al., 2012). I plan on staying up
to date on distance learning tools that allow for a better learning experience
for learners. With a saturated market in
the field (Simonson et al., 2012), many entities may be too eager to implement
tools and strategies that are new and “cool” in distance learning, but may not
be necessary or lucrative. My job is to
push them towards tools that are useful and efficient for their goals.
Anderson, T. (2010). Issues in distance education. In G.
Veletsianos (Ed.), Emerging Technologies in Distance EducationRetrieved
from http://www.icde.org/filestore/News/2004-2010/2010/G.Veletsianose-bookEmergingTechnologies.pdf
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M.,
& Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance
education (5th ed.) Boston , MA
The New Media Consortium (NMC). (2012). Nmc horizon report > 2012 higher
education edition. Retrieved from http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2012-horizon-HE-shortlist.pdf
