Blog #2
Elements of Distance Education Diffusion
Of the three elements i.e. 1)Global Diversity 2) Communication, and 3) Collaborative Interaction that Siemens as cited in Laureate Education, Inc., 2008,
Podcast) discussed in The Future of Distance Education podcast, I opted to review the topic Collaborative Interaction in online learning.
Collaborative interaction in online
learning has evolved from simple online email and instant messaging to in-depth
social communication (Palloff & Pratt, 2005). In other words, online learners benefit from
social communication like structured discussion forum, group shared documents
like Wikispace and Google Docs, and blogs. These web 2.0 tools enable
learner-to-learner interaction (Palloff & Pratt, 2005), time to reflect on ideas,
and further research on specific topics i.e. depth learning to name a few. As a
matter of fact, learners experience a more gratifying learning environment when
clear and precise expectation from the instructor is conveyed at the start of
class. This minimizes confusion and frustration from learners and allows
learners to focus on subject matters (Durrington, Berryhill, and Swafford,
2006). Overall, online learners are engaging in in-depth style collaborative
interaction through use of web 2.0 technologies versus the less active email.
Sample Video of Web 2.0 Tool: Google Wave
References
Durrington,V.A., Berryhill, A.,
& Swafford, J. (2006). Strategies for enhancing student interactivity in an
online environment. College Teaching, 54(1), 190-193.
Palloff, R. M. & Pratt, K. (2005).
Online Learning Communities Revisited. 21st Annual Conference on
Distance Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/
Lynda Marshall
Lynda,
ReplyDeleteAs you noted, the way we collaborate has changed because of the internet and constantly evolving technology. Already today schools are implementing new ways of collaboration with wikis, skype, and google docs - just to name a few. Could you envision something new, or do you believe we will simply see the current technology continue to evolve?
~Christine
Christine,
DeleteThe emergent of technologies into the educational world open doors for educators and learners alike whom have struggle of creativity and innovation in education. However, because the technology is available does not mean that it is a “plug-n-play” system. What this means is that technology is beneficial only when users are knowledgeable of its capabilities and are able apply it to the discourse of online learning. Saettler (2004) argues that the evolution of educational technology is dependent on the views and values of current educators. More so, he stresses the importance of teachers being trained and adverse with the use of the technology if learners are to reap the benefits of the Web 2.0 learning tool.
Reference
Saettler, P. (2004). The Evolution of American Educational Technology. Greenwich, Connecticut: Information Age Publication Inc.
Lynda Marshall
Lynda,
ReplyDeleteHow can we encourage brick and mortar institutions to buy into using web 2.0 tools?
Simone
Simone,
DeleteYour question is one that does not offer a definitive answer. Rather, it is one that requires reflection and more importantly, left up to the interpretation of the reader. With that said, I would approach this subject matter with recognition from research like Garrison, Anderson, and Archer (as cited in Anderson, 2008) on Community of Inquiry model and Vygotsky's (1978) on Social Constructivism Theory. After noting some grounded research on social learning, I would connect the philosophies with Web 2.0 tools to make that much needed connection on how learning with Web 2.0 tools help enhance students ability to hold on to new information in long-term memory where learning resides. Thus, to encourage traditionalists to try new teaching approach, you need validation as to why this has been proven to work.
References
Anderson, T. (2008). Teaching in an online learning context. In Anderson, T. (Ed.), The theory and practice of online learning (2nd ed.) (p. 343 – 365). Edmonton, AB: Athabasca University Press.
Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. In M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner, & E. Souberman (Eds.). [Adobe PDF]. pp. 1-91. Retrieved from http://generative.edb.utexas.edu/classes/knl2008sum2/eweekly/vygotsky1978.pd
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Lynda,
ReplyDeleteDo you think this type of new interaction/collaboration may create a society with fewer personal etiquette and social skills? I mean the movie Wall-E continues to come to mind and how all of the individuals on the spaceship only interacted through video screens.
Jan
Jan,
ReplyDeleteTechnology is one of man’s greatest innovation however, like the Wall-Es and people who text all the time society can easily get loss into the world of technology if there is lack of control over usage. We can all easily be ‘zombies” to the power of technology or we can choose to control our usage and limit it to certain number of usage. As for etiquette, I see evidence of generational students lacking social f2f conversation. They are at lost of words when talking in front of another person but are at ease texting their conversation. Lastly, if this is not scary enough, I am currently working on a Grant program at my college that requires our training center to offer “Soft Skills” training to our students to help prepare them for the real world job market.
Lynda Marshall