Distance Learning

Distance Learning

When I was young distance learning was what was advertised on match books, Parade magazine every Sunday, and various other similar locations.  As a senior in high school I was bored with school, I had all the required courses to graduate, my family had moved to a little town in northwest Missouri with 60 graduates from Mesa, Arizona with over 300 graduates.  When I asked my parents, who were generally very open minded about taking one of these courses to get a jump on college, I was admonished.  These mail in classes were meaningless, all you had to do was send them money and you got a diploma which no reputable college or prospective employer would accept.  Then, as a secretary I did not have any shorthand skills and I needed them, my employer lent me an audio tape and a workbook that I could learn shorthand on my own time, they gave me a month to learn. Finally, as a transitioning to middle age adult I decided that I needed to get a master’s degree in order to advance in my teaching career.  I had no desire to sit in a classroom or to take time off of work, so I started looking into on-line learning.  I had heard that the degree would not be recognized or accepted for state certification.  I checked on this and most universities were approved.  That is the history of my experience with distance learning.

Distance learning has come from being disreputable to a respected form of getting an education.  Until 2002 the area that I lived had limited Internet service and the reservation is impoverished, access to a computer was also difficult for most.  I had not kept up on technology until starting this degree program.  Six years ago I started taking on-line classes from another reputable university; my definition of good distance learning is influenced by all these experiences.

My current thinking, as I learn and technology continues to grow, it is not stagnant but ever changing.  Distance Learning is learning that takes place out side a traditional classroom under the management of a respected college or university; the instructor and students may live in different parts of the United States and the World.  All forms of communication are used with a website being the classroom and primary source of communication.

I enjoy learning and find change exciting and necessary.  With the introduction of each new form or expansion of technology I am in awe, so my vision for the future of distance learning will probably fall short of what it will be.  I feel that the area of the most change will be in K – 12 distance learning.  In the future there will be guidelines to follow in order to be certified and have a license or approval to include distance learning for K-12.  The distance learning programs will be of high quality with teachers trained in distance learning.  Instructional Design professionals will ensure that distance learning initiatives are meeting the needs by promoting distance learning practices based on research and theory. (Huett, Moller, Foshay, & Coleman, 2008)

“The effectiveness of distance education has more to do with who is teaching, who is learning, and how that learning is accomplished and less to do with the medium.” (Huett et al., 2008)    My vision for the future of education in general is that all students will be treated individually. If a student prefers to not use the computer, while they need to be taught the basics they also need to have their choice respected and a different medium be used.  Some students may need a mixture of distance learning and in a traditional school classroom. And some students may do best when taught almost entirely by distance learning.  I feel that the traditional classroom will not disappear but will be restructured to meet the needs of the students. 

My vision is that all students of all ages will be taught by caring competent teachers, using the most effective method of instruction for each student assuring that they are exposed and given the opportunity to learn in a variety of mediums. 

References:

Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W.R., & Coleman, C. (2008).  The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web. Tech Trends, 52(5), 63-67.