Collaborative interaction is the most
essential element associated with distance education. George Siemens
(2008) is accurate in his depiction of the growing acceptance of distance
education in today’s corporate and educational spheres. Collaboration requires
two or more students to work as a team and take on specific roles towards an
objective. Kanuka examines the
contrasting views of opponents and proponents of E-learning and highlights the
importance of philosophies on learning (Kanuka, 2008). Collaborative
interaction builds on constructivist thinking and principles of connectivity.
The element of collaborative interaction has
evolved with the growth of Web 2.0 technologies. According to George
Siemens, global diversity and communication are also elements of distance
education that are creating more effective learning experiences (Siemens,
2008). These elements are important because distance learning brings
together diverse populations and allows them to communicate towards
collaboration. Dr. Michael Simonson explores the possible
advantages of distance education as compared to face-to-face education and
suggests hybrid or blended models as ideal (Simonson, 2000). In both F2F and online education
increasing engagement by student interaction has a large impact on learning.
Today, online tools are available to help
facilitate interactions among learners. RSS feeds, Blogging, and Social
networking are examples of web content used to engage learners. Web 2.0
websites allow users to both retrieve information and share through exciting
user interface. Parker explores the importance of instructional designers
taking advantage of the various technological tools available on the Internet
for engaging learners (Parker, 2008).
Advances in technology provide unique opportunities for teachers and
students when applied appropriately to the learning experience.
Kanuka, H.
(2008). Understanding e-learning technologies-in-practice through
philosophies-in-practice. In T. Anderson (Ed.), The theory and practice of online learning (2nd ed., pp. 91-118).
Edmonton, AB: Athabasca University Press.
Parker, M.
K. (2008). The quality dilemma in online education revisited. In T. Anderson
(Ed.), The theory and practice of online
learning (2nd ed., pp. 305-340). Edmonton, AB: Athabasca University Press.
Siemens, G.
(2008, January). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators
and designers. ITForum. Retrieved
from http://itforum.coe.uga.edu/Paper105/Siemens.pdf
Simonson, M. (2000). Making decisions: The use of electronic
technology in online classes. New
Directions for Teaching and Learning, 84, 29-34.
Hi Jasmine.
ReplyDeleteNice blog entry. It's so true that online tools help to foster interactions among learners. I teach a finance course to high school students and am considering having them create a blog about financial literacy where they will explore a different topic each week. Have you had any experience in using an online tool such as a blog in your classroom. Any feedback about your experience would be interesting to hear.
Jeanna
Hi Jasmine,
ReplyDeleteYes, distance education does have many advantages in comparison to face-to-face education, for example, time and space as barriers to learning are eliminated. Cultural, age and gender barriers to learning are mitigated as well in distance education. Dr. Simonson in his video spoke about time and space and how schools can benefit financially by engaging in distance education (Laureate Education, 2008). Dr. Simonson also warned about forcing teachers to engage in distance learning by issuing mandates, instead, he said the change process should be gradual, and one way of doing this is through hybrid or blended learning (Laureate Education, 2008). The idea is to ease resistant individual into becoming adopters of distance learning. Fascinatingly, some of these resistant teachers to online education already possess most of the skills to successfully work online without knowing it. For instance, most of these individuals already have FaceBook accounts and do know how to collaborate and navigate online. What are your thoughts on collaborative interaction in regards to transitioning from social networking sites to distance educational environments?
Reference
Laureate Education, Inc. (2008). Distance Education: Higher education, k12, and the corporate world [Video]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Hello Jasmine!
ReplyDeleteOver the past few years, I've learned a lot about different Web 2.0 tools that can be utilized in the classroom, what are some of the Web 2.0 tools you've used and would recommend (I would like to share some of these tools with my fellow teachers)?
Jennifer Piner
Jasmine
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you about collaborative interaction being the most essential element in distance education. I have found from personal experience that the collaborative interaction has really helped me grow professionally through distance education. Social networking is a new tool for me and this is the first time that I have actually heard it mentioned in distance education. Blogging is familiar to me but I really haven't worked much with it. If you had to choose which would be a better tool for you to use in distance education?