I have really enjoyed keeping a blog about different technologies being used in
Distance Education. I may just continue this process throughout the DE program
because it gives me an outlet to focus on specific technologies that I have
learned and read about in the course.
I tried to focus my writing on specific technologies and how they affected the
pedagogy of Distance Teachers and Learners. There are so many ways that new
technologies can be used to communicate and share ideas with classmates around
the world. The technologies used in Distance Education create a collaborative
environment and make instructors and learners feel as though they are part of a
community and not separate entities completing random assignments to earn a
piece of paper from a college.
Distance Education has been a part of our civilization for a long time because the thirst for knowledge and information has always been part of human nature. The
technology and innovations in just the last decade are making all the difference
in creating a global classroom. We can connect to anyone, anywhere, anytime, as
long as we have the means to do so. Years ago, distance learners had to wait
for their lessons and assignments to come in the mail and today we have that
information instantaneously.
I wonder what my grandfather would think. He dropped out of school in the
5th grade, as did many others of his generations. I bet if the opportunities and technologies of today were available then, many more people would have completed their education.
So much has happened in recent years to advance technology use in education, I
really can’t wait to see what the next decade holds. As educators, we need to be
constantly evolving to learn and expand, so that we can keep up and provide the
best experiences for our students.
In distance education, students and teachers need to overcome the physical
separation between them in order to create a constructive learning environment.
Socialization is important in our society as we need to learn how to work together to complete tasks even under the most adverse circumstances. Many careers require people to work as a team to solve problems, so they need to learn to practice throughout their educational experience.
To enhance the distance education model, many instructors are utilizing social
media to give students the opportunity to share ideas and solve problems. The
interactive capabilities of Web 2.0 have carved out a place for blogs, wikis, and social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Students can share ideas and interact with these tools to lessen the distance between them.
Terry Anderson (2009) blogged about this topic and identified the three functions of
social networking as “Socializing, sharing and sojourning.” He recognizes socializing as the “Student/student” connection that allows class participants to feel as if they are part of a group and this gives them the opportunity to communicate and work together. The next aspect is sharing, in which students can collect information, collaborate and share their findings in order to complete a task or project. “Sojourning” refers to the act of working together by scheduling synchronous text or voice chats, planning projects, and completing tasks as a group. (http://terrya.edublogs.org)
We tend to underestimate the power of working in groups until we are in a situation
when we are alone in front of a computer answering questions that were asked by
someone on another continent. A few years ago my husband took some Spanish
classes through UMUC. The instructor did a great job of incorporating different
types of media into helping the students hear and speak the language. However,
when I recently read Wang, Calandra and Yi’s (2010) article about how Second
Life is being used to help Chinese students learn English, I realized how powerful Web 2.0 tools can be. Second Life (if you don’t already know) is a completely immersive site in which each member has an Avatar and can fully engage in a virtual world. These Chinese students are using their Avatars to ask and answer questions with English speaking students. We all know that the best way to learn a language is through immersion, so this allows students to immerse themselves in a place where they have to speak the foreign language that they are trying to learn.
This is just one of the many ways that instructors are giving distance education
students the opportunity to socialize. It is a new world and the possibilities are endless for communicating around the globe. I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Anderson, T. (2009) Social Networking in Education. A draft paper to STRIDE handbook for The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). Retrieved: April 27, 2009, from http://terrya.edublogs.org/2009/04/28/social-networking-chapter/
Wang, Charles Xiaoxue; Calandra, Brendan; & Yi, Youngjoo. (2010). Technical,
pedagogical, and cultural considerations for language learning in MUVEs. In
Veletsianos, G. (Ed.), Emerging Technologies in Distance Education. Retrieved
March 11, 2012, from http://www.aupress.ca/books/120177/ebook/15_Veletsianos_2010-Emerging_Technologies_in_Distance_Education.pdf
Many of us are familiar with the term “wiki” most likely because of Wikipedia. For those of you who aren’t familiar, a wiki is “a software tool that allows individuals to not only add content, but also edit and delete their own or another's content” (Campbell & Ellingson, 2010, p.83). This tool is accessed on the web and the owner of the wiki site can permit access to specific people or make it open to anyone to make edits and editions.
I mentioned Wikipedia because that is probably the most famous Wiki. If you search
any subject in a web browser, Wikipedia is typically one of the top search results. Its reliability is often questioned by critics (even Wikipedia recognizes that there are errors and mis-information), but it has easily become one of the most accessed online encyclopedias. Chesney (2006) explains that “members of the general public can add their own personal knowledge…then [it] evolves over time into a comprehensive knowledge base on all things.” Over the past ten years, Wikipedia has grown to a worldwide collaborative tool in multiple languages with almost 4 million articles in English alone (Wikipedia.org). The editors of the site work to maintain the trustworthiness of the information, but it is difficult when people from all over the world
contribute information.
Does this type of collaboration have a place in distance education? Most
definitely!!!!
Wiki creation websites, such as Wikispaces, are often used by instructors and students as a collaboration tool to complete group projects and tasks. In order for a wiki collaboration to be successful, all members of a group need to complete their
phase of the project. Contributors to the wiki have rights to add or edit the
work of their classmates, which creates a sense of teamwork and accountability.
Moore and Kearsley (2005) state that “collaborative learning enables development of
learning communities in the short term and potential communities of practice in
the longer term.” In a traditional face to face learning environment, socialization within a team is a common practice as students will need to eventually partner with co-workers to effectively complete projects. In distance education, working in a group setting is equally as important to create these eventual “communities of practice”, but it is challenging because students are often spread across regions, countries or even the world.
Web-based tools are often the solution to this problem as they can be accessed from
anywhere. The use of a wiki will allow students to create, add and edit a document at anytime from anywhere. They may use it to write a narrative, a research project, collect resources, add graphics, create a glossary of terms, etc., etc., etc…..
The effectiveness of wikis and other collaborative tools are the key to a successful
distance education experience, to create these “learning communities.”
Chesney, T. (2006). An empirical examination of Wikipedia?s credibility. First Monday 11 (6). Retrieved March 11, 2012, from http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1413/1331D. Ellingson & K. Campbell (2010). Cooperative learning at a distance: An
experiment with wikis. American Journal of Business Education 3(4).
Retrieved March 10, 2012 from ERIC.
Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (2005). Distance education: A systems view of
online learning. USA: Wadsworth-Cengage Learning
The
Wikipedia Foundation (2012). About Wikipedia. Retrieved March 12, 2012
from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:About
Open access to educational content has been a hot topic for many years. In taking a
brief look for articles on this subject in UMUC’s library database, the search
revealed over 44,000 resources, some of which dated back to the 1800’s. Even
Thomas Jefferson’s thoughts on this subject ring true today as he stated, “He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.”
If we cannot lose our own knowledge by sharing it with others, why shouldn’t we
share what we know? Are we making information easy to access?
Technologies like the internet, television, and digital audio and video files are openly
available to anyone with the means to view them. Right now anyone can post
videos to YouTube on any subject or create podcasts that are freely available
through iTunes. For as long as I can remember, there has been a cable station
for the local community college that broadcasts lectures on a wide array of
subjects. If I want to I could go to a book store or download books (including
textbooks) on any subject area.
The ability to access this knowledge is there, but as I stated above, it is
available if you have the means. Cable television and the internet are great
resources for accessing information, but there is a cost associated with this.
Open content advocates, like David Wiley (2010), also note that many universities restrict access with the use of passwords and subscription requirements. There have to be some restrictions, because after all there is a cost associated with creating the content and making it accessible. College professors can’t and shouldn’t be working for free and neither should internet providers and cable companies.
Higher Education institutions offer education and knowledge, as well as the opportunity to earn a degree. This degree is what employers are looking for when they
consider hiring you for a position. I may read every medical book ever written,
but that does not make me a doctor. I need the guidance and training provided by
other doctors in order to truly master that medical knowledge. I can only get that by attending a medical school and earning a degree that will in turn have a substantial cost.
What is the harm in making Open Educational Resources available if in the end a
formal degree is still needed? Access to the works of others can only advance
our understanding and enhance our learning experience if we have access to it as
we embark on our own educational journey. If a college professor in England has
extensively researched a cutting edge Distance Education topic that could benefit students at UMUC and around the world, I hope that he would want to share that information and make it easily accessible. Reading about his research, can only enhance my overall understanding and educational experience.
Wiley, D. (2010). Open Education and the future. (15 min video presentation) Retrieved March 8, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?=Rb0syrgsH6M&feature=player_embedded#!
Jefferson, T (1813). Thomas Jefferson on Patents and Freedom of Ideas from
Unbounded Freedom. Retreived March 7, 2012 from http://movingtofreedom.org/2006/10/06/thomas-jefferson-on-patents-and-freedom-of-ideas/
A year ago I took a graduate course in distance education that required the
purchase of a textbook. I spent my $80, used it that semester and held onto the
book after the course. I am not sure why I always hold onto textbooks, I think I
will use them and never do. (Maybe I am a hoarder :-)) Well, here we are a year later and I am taking another course that requires the same book; however the requirement is for the next edition. Should I spend another $80? I don’t think so... I am sticking with what I have and so far haven’t really noticed a difference. Would a digital textbook be the solution to this problem?
No more heavy books to lug, digital updates and revisions, easily searchable texts,
reduced costs…..this has to be the answer. Many students are thrilled about the
benefits of digital text books when they are available, but if it is the perfect
solution, why are so many students still using traditional texts? What is the
downside?
I will defer to the research of Heider, Laverick and Bennett (2009, p. 109)…
From looking at this list, accessibility seems to be a big problem.
Possible solutions… If Apple worked with publishers to increase textbook availability on iTunes… if students use iPads and electronic readers like the Kindle for
portability (many textbooks cost as much or more than a Kindle)… just a couple
suggestions.
Not sure if the technology will ever beat the real thing for some people, sometimes
it is a great feeling just to hold a book in your hands. Maybe that is why I don’t get rid of them.
Heider, K., Laverick, D. & Bennett, B. (2009). Digital textbooks: The next paradigm
shift in higher education? AACE Journal. 17 (2), pp. 103-112. Chesapeake, VA: AACE. Retrieved March 4, 2012 from http://www.editlib.org/p/27054
Before the turn of the millennium, personal computing relied heavily on the interaction between a user and his/her hardware and software. The web was massive reference section in our living rooms, the "information superhighway" where we could find all kinds of information that would have previously required a trip to the library. We then started to see a glimmer of its interactive potential through chat rooms, email, and mp3 downloads and multi-player online role-playing games. The shift to Web 2.0 happened gradually, I can't mark the date, but the change has shaped are world. The internet is the source of social, educational and business interaction. We are no longer dependent on hardware or purchasing software at the local computer store because anything we need can be downloaded to are PC's or our phones.
This is the essence of Web 2.0... this new web allows us to use the internet to interact by tweeting, blogging, IM-ing, downloading apps, music and games, sharing pictures, etc, etc, etc..... this list is never ending.
So, how does this help us in education...? According to college professors Barry Sponder and Gila Kurtz (2009), “[Web 2.0] will help elicit learner participation beyond the standard textual expectations and engage them more as active learners." Instructors ask students to share information by creating and maintaining blogs and using Twitter instead of just reading and answering questions. Its benefits in the world of distance education create a greater sense of community and collaboration amongst students. If the students in a class are spread all over the world, but they are all joined by the Web, it makes the distance seem not as great and enhances the communication between the members of the class.
As the technologies advance it will be interesting to see where Web 2.0 takes the world of education. Will there be a Web 3.0? What more is there to do?
Kurtz, G. & Sponder, B. (2010). SoTL in online education: Strategies and practices for using new media for teaching and learning online. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 4(1). Retrieved February 23. 2012 from http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/ijsotl/v4n1/invited_essays/PDFs/Invited_Essay_KurtzSponder.pdf
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