Module 2

Elements of Distance Education Diffusion

One of the aspects mentioned by Dr. Siemens was the collaborative interaction of Distance Education. Collaboration is one of the most interesting factors of educational technology. When I was at Seton Hall for my MBA my professor mentioned the concept of synergy. "Synergy is where two or more things applied together have a greater or significantly different effect than the sum of effects of the things applied separate" (Synergy, 2010). The ability to get more when people work together than if they worked separately is an intriguing concept. The human genome project effectively used this concept as well to map the human DNA in a short period of time. This demonstrated that although competition is good, collaboration might have a more beneficial effect.

Collaboration is becoming bigger and bigger today. Some people might not even know that this is what is occurring but with more people connected digitally to each other, and resources being available to do so, it is inevitable that collaboration will take place. However, it is the job of educators to ensure that these people know how to do this effectively and know what tools are the best for what tasks. Social Networking and Web 2.0 are the resources that will help these individuals collaborate effectively. Some of the social networking sites like "facebook" allow people to collaborate as simple as sending emails to each other, to creating groups where people with similar likes and/or dislikes can communicate. The connection of these individuals all on the same network could keep a conversation going, even if the individuals are doing this asynchronously. Another resource that takes this a littler further is a Wiki. A Wiki makes users not only able to communicate, but build a product on a website. As Dr. Siemens explained, Web 2.0 or Wikis, multiple people could utilize these resources create a common product together without ever having to physically be together. Web 1.0 only allows for an author to create a resource, publish it, and edit it his or her self. The synergistic effect of social networking and Web 2.0 applications are creating a whole new environment for eLearning.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). The future of distance education featuring Dr. George Siemens. United States: Walden University. Podcast retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4199707&Survey=1&47=4862829&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Synergy. (2010, June 22). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 28, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Synergy&oldid=369478876

Module 1

Is there a need to evolve distance education to the next generation?

From my personal view, I have thought of distance education as a resource that is available to those who want to take a class but are limited by geographical, financial, or time barriers. I viewed it as an alternative to standard education and that standard education was the best. However, as I have participated in these classes, I have seen the added value that come from the online make up.

Dr. Simonson, Professor of Instructional Technology and Distance Education at Nova Southeastern University, defines distance education at “formal education which the learning group (teachers, students, resources) are separated by geography and sometimes time.” In Dr. Simonson’s article, Making Decisions: The use of Electronic Technology in Online Classrooms, he states that “Online students and those in face-to-face classes learn in fundamentally different environments.” Because of this, what is done in the classroom cannot be accomplished exactly the same way online, and vice versa. “A more appropriate strategy is to provide different but equivalent learning experience to each learner.” (Simonson, 2000). This “equivalent” strategy is known as “Equivalency Theory” and demonstrates that although we cannot do exactly the same things in these different environments, we can still successfully accomplish goals.

Equivalency theory has a tendency to focus on what was formally done in the classroom and making it electronic. With the fast pace evolution of the electronic world, we are becoming more able to do things electronically, making the physical classroom less and less mandatory. In the three part article, The Evolution of Distance Education: Implications for Instructional Design on the Potential of the Web, Dr. Moller, Mr. Foshay, and Dr. Huett, break down the evolution into Part 1 – Training and Development, Part 2 – Higher Education, and Part 3 – K-12. The general idea from these articles is that we are just at the beginning of the evolution. We are only now obtaining access to technology that could truly make online learning. Resources such as Skype, for video conferencing, Wikis, for collaborative work, and many other resources are now available (mostly for free) for the average person, closing the gap between educational theory and practice to educational resources.

References:

Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Coleman, C. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 52(5), 63-67. doi:10.1007/s11528-008-0199-9.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Distance education: The next generation featuring Dr. Michael Simonson. United States: Walden University. Podcast retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4199707&Survey=1&47=4862829&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Equivalency theory featuring Dr. Michael Simonson. United States: Walden University. Podcast retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4199707&Survey=1&47=4862829&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Moller, L., Forshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 52(3), 70-75. doi:10.1007/s11528-008-0158-5.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 52(4), 66-70. doi:10.1007/s11528-008-0179-0.

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Wikispace test

Wikispace Test

http://rbwasser.wikispaces.com/

Module 1 - Discussion...

This week we have been focusing on the various ways to create online instruction. The various theories of "Behaviorist," "Cognitivist," "Constructivist," and "Connectivist."

The main concept that I see with the various theories and types of instruction are out there and no one is the answer. The answer is for the educator to know all about all of them and provide an opportunity for all educators to learn regardless of the delivery, assessment, etc.

Hello!

To all my fellow Walden Classmates,

Hello!. I am very interested and excited to see what this class has to offer. I think I will enjoy the use of a blog to communicate on top of the discussion posts. I think it will be a great resource in the future as we won't lose access to this information as we would through Walden.

Look forward to future communication.

Rich