Elements of Distance Education Diffusion

Element: Communication
Communication in the work place and in education has evolved in a vast amount of ways. Face-to- face communication is not the only way anymore. Today people can communicate through email, instant messaging, Skype, cell phones—and smart phones, world wide web, video and other multimedia technology as well. Some specific online tools that help to facilitate the evolving of communication are blogging, Skype, and video like found on YouTube.
The website IT Knowledge Exchange, has a section for educators to blog about educational technology. This is an example of communication evolving. Teachers can share experiences of technology with other teachers online.
In the section entitled: Our Latest Discovery, there is a blog entitled Open educational resources (OER): Creating an online education commons worldwide, posted by: Alexander Howard. He informs the reader of “globally accessible commons for educational materials.” (Howard, 2007) He shares different sites that teachers can visit to acquire free material. This kind of exchange is usually done in the teacher’s lounge or at a conference. The blogging makes it happen online.
Another form of communication evolving is through YouTube. On YouTube, patrons can create videos and share them online. In the blog entitled: Stick to Omnisio: Imagining the Next Generation YouTube Presentation Service
Posted by: William Peterson , he shares ways to expand video communication online. With Google’s purchase of Omniso, a small California-based startup that’s focused on making online video more useful and collaborative, more exciting ways of communication can be created. (Peterson, 2008)
One final example of communication was found in a blog by: Shamus McGillicuddy, entitled: VoiceCon keynote: Kraft Foods UC vision includes Avaya and the iPhone. This blog is very interesting! A manager in Kraft Foods, Tom Behnke, spoke of a pilot project that his office is a part of. To show how communication of the future will look like, “… he engaged AT&T to come in and build an in-building cellular system so that he could deploy iPhones to every employee.” (McGillicuddy, 2009) This innovation would be very exciting in a classroom! Maybe one day!


Howard, A. (2007, May 29). Our Latest Discovery. Retrieved June 17, 2009, from IT Knowledge Exchange: Get Answers from Your Peers: http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/whatis/open-educational-resources-oer-creating-an-online-education-commons-worldwide/>

McGillicuddy, S. (2009, April 1). VoiceCon keynote: Kraft Foods UC vision includes Avaya and the iPhone. Retrieved June 17, 2009, from IT Knowledge Exchange: http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/unified-communications/voicecon-keynote-kraft-foods-uc-vision-includes-avaya-and-the-iphone/

Peterson, W. (2008, August 13). Stick to Omnisio: Imagining the Next Generation YouTube Presentation Service. Retrieved June 17, 2009, from YouTube: http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/business-presentation/stick-to-omnisio-imagining-the-next-generation-youtube-presentation-service/

The Next Generation of Distance Education:

After reading the articles and viewing the videos it is clear to me that the general sentiment is that there is a need to evolve distance education to the next generation. The main similarity of the given perspectives is that educators need to understand that distance education is not what Moller et al., (2008) refer to as a “craft approach” to instruction. “The craft approach, an individual teacher fully designs and develops the course and the related materials based on what has worked for him or her in the traditional classroom and puts it on the web (Moore & Kearsley, 1996). However, models of classroom instructional delivery and models of online delivery systems are vastly different; they should not be seen as one and the same. Taking what one is familiar with and/or using what works in one environment and simply duplicating it in a new environment can lead to limited positive results.” (Moller et al., 2008, p.67)

Distance Education (asynchronous) is a completely different method of instruction than traditional synchronous (in class) instruction. Simonson’s equivalency theory emphatically explains that these two entities are separate but equal, and should be treated in this manner. “Thus, the goal of instructional planning is to make the sum of experiences for each learner equivalent and to select instructional technologies that store and deliver the learning experiences effectively.” (p. 30 Simonson) In my opinion, this is the basis of why there is a need for changes. Another factor that was pointed out in the Moller et al readings is that the current traditional style of instruction is not totally effective. (Moller et al., 2008, p.67) Given this reasoning, distance education (online) is an alternative to traditional education. Thus the style of instruction and learning must be different to successfully reach the student who perhaps is looking for a different way to thrive. This also is the foundation for how the changes should occur. Simonson’s approach did not go in the direction of the failures of the traditional systems outcomes, but more of how there is a definite need to make online learning student centered.

In Simonson’s video, “Distance Education: The Next Generation”, he gives his definition of distance education: “Distance education is defined at least by Mike Simonson as formal education that is institutionally based where the learning group, the teacher, the students, and the resources possibly are separated not only by geography but sometimes by time, sometimes by intellect. And where technologies, instructional media and communication technologies are used to link the resources, the teacher, and the learner.” With different views of what distance education is, and how it should be implemented, this further proves that distance education must evolve.

References

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 1: Training and development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70-75. Use the Academic Search Premier database, and search using the article's Accession Number: 33281719.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66-70. Use the Academic Search Premier database, and search using the article's Accession Number: 33991516.

Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Coleman, C. (2008, September/October). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5). 63-67.

Simonson, M. (2000). Making decisions: The use of electronic technology in online classes. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 84, 29-34.

Simonson, M., Speaker “Distance Education: The Next Generation”. Laureate Education, Inc.

Simonson, M., Speaker, “Equivalency Theory”. Laureate Education, Inc.