Module Two Blog

Three elements that create a more effective learning environment in distance education are global diversity, communication, and collaborative interaction.  Together, these elements work together to enhance the learning environment.  Global diversity is the one element that I would choose to be the most important of the three.

Global diversity in education can be viewed in relationship to globalization in business and government.  As more business expect students to enter the business world with global skills, more schools and programs are faced with designing programs to meet the needs to global learners and learning.  According to Gibson, Rimmington & Landwehr-Brown (2006). Global learning must center on “global-learning activities in order to maximize improvement of critical thinking, inter-cultural communication competence, collaboration, teamwork, reflective practice, and dispositions and values” (p. 12).  What is being taught, learned and practiced must reflect the real world skills students will be expected to have.  More importantly, students must step out of the roles of analogue or face-to-face learners and embrace the definition of a global learner.  The global learner is “able to read, write, speak, calculate, and analyze effectively,” while also being “flexible, aware, curious, trustworthy, and self-directed” (Frost, 2009, p. 39-41).  Note that language skills are not mentioned.  While knowing a foreign language and having computer skills is important, the global learner must embody critical thinking to help him or her to navigate the ever-changing landscape of the new global world.

For the past year, I have thought about global learning, literacies, and the concept of the global student.  In August 2010, I co presented a paper at KU Village (an online conference sponsored by Kaplan University).  The paper, Global Communication: Using Flat World Communication Strategies to Connect, Communicate and Collaborate, focused on using connections, communication and collaboration in classrooms (online and face to face).  What I learned as a result of the research used in the paper, the presentation itself, the commentary from participants and my own reflections has reinforced my belief that to truly prepare students for a global world, we must offer them not only skills to survive in that global world but also an education that allows them to practice and hone those skills.  While communication and collaboration are certainly elements that not only enhance distance education but also set distance education apart from face to face education, it is the global diversity element that truly makes distance education different and unique from face to face education.

I feel that global diversity is more evident and more expected in distance education.  I teach six courses a term online.  I expect that at least one student in each course will be in a foreign country.  I expect to have to meet the needs of learners in at least six time zones.  I expect that have students who speak more than one language.  When I teach on ground, I teach to a homogeneous group, generally from the same neighborhood or area of town.  The global diversity that I experience not only as a teacher in distance education but also as a student has enriched my education more than my time as a student on a ground campus. Ten or even five years ago, this global diversity was emerging, like online education.  Today, I believe that global diversity is one of the benefits students seek when choosing distance programs.

There are a number of tools to enhance global diversity in distance education.  One is the Flat Classroom Project (http://flatclassroomproject.wikispaces.com/).  This project connects K-12 classrooms.  The project has a blog and a wiki; both of which simulate real world applications.  Another is the vast variety of Web 2.0 tools.  Skype, Facebook, LinkedIn, wikis and blogs all offer students a chance to share the learning experiences with other students, anywhere, anytime.  Skype allows students to communicate (for free) with anyone with a Skype account.  Google, ooVoo, and Microsoft also offer similar services.  Wikis and blogs are becoming tools that are used more often in distance and face-to-face education.  My Google Reader gives me ten new blog possibilities every day that reflect education, writing, and technology.  One of my favorite blogs is the Innovations Lab ().  This blog is sponsored by Kaplan University and offers tips on technology, pedagogy, and other interests to both distance and face to face educators.

My blog is very long this week!  Global diversity in distance education is a great interest of mine.  I honestly believe I could go on for weeks about global diversity and the tools that can be used to create that diversity in the classroom.  For now, I will close and see what my peers have to say!

Erica

References

Frost, M.  (2009).  The New Global Student: Skip the SAT, Save Thousands on Tuition, and Get a Truly International Education. New York: Three Rivers Press.

Gibson, K., Rimmington, G., & Landwehr-Brown, M. (2008). Developing global awareness and responsible world citizenship with global learning. Roeper Review, 30(1), 11-23. doi:10.1080/02783190701836270

Module One Blog

The articles by Moller, Huett, Foshay, and Colman divided distance education by the industry approach, the higher education approach, and the K-12 approach.  My current (and I hope my future focus) is in higher education.  To that end, I only focused on the second article the related specifically to higher education.

Moller, Foshay, and Huett (2008) noted that higher education could increase distance education significantly.  They also noted that as higher education programs looked to increase growth while decreasing expenditures, distance education programs would grow.  I agree with this conjecture.  Two and a half years after this article, I can honestly say as an online instructor and a student at an online program, higher education has indeed met the call to increase services to a new brand of student – the working student, the mid-career change student, the full time caregiver student.  Distance education, especially online education is convenient.

There is a caveat to the ideas presented by Moller, Foshay, and Huett.  Traditionally, distance education has been met by instructors using a craft approach.  By 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” (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, 2008, p. 67).  This is problematic.  What works face to face will not always work online.  The nuances of tone and body language are not available online.  Even in video teleconferenced courses, tone and body language are not as accurate as in face-to-face situations.  As Moller, Foshay, and Huett (2008) concluded, 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 (p. 67).

Simonson offers direction on how to integrate technology in what seems to be a “new” frontier in education – distance education or more specifically online education.  Simonson (2000) wrote, “The key to success in a distance learning classroom is not which technologies are used but how they are used and what information is communicated using the technologies” (p. 29).  Given the fact that there is a multitude of free and paid technologies available, instructors and designers alike must choose wisely.  What will work best with the delivery platform?  What will work best with the subject?  What will work best with the student population?  The careful consideration of technologies will allow students to benefit from the instructor’s knowledge as well as the use of the technology.  Simonson (2000) theorized “A more appropriate strategy is to provide different but equivalent learning experiences to each learner. In other words, it is important to employ a variety of technologies to help students achieve learning outcomes. Equivalency is the foundation for this” (p. 29 – 30).  Simonson (2000) concluded that equivalency must include assessing available technologies, determining learning outcomes, identifying learning experiences and matching them to available technologies, and preparing the learning experience for online delivery.  Instead of haphazard weaving of technologies, considering possibilities and integrating best strategies will be more beneficial.  Inevitably, it will also be more cost efficient. 

Erica’s opinion?  As an instructor and student of distance education, I agree with Simonson that technologies must be judiciously chosen and implemented.  I also think that Moller, Foshay and Huett are right that distance education will expand because higher education wants cost effective growth plans.  Because the articles are a little dated, I think that my disagreement with them stems from my own practical experience.  Yes, distance education has increased exponentially over the last two years.  Yes, it is important to implement workable technologies.  Yes, it is important to review programs at least yearly.  The reality (in my opinion) is that there are instructors that will not change their method of delivering education be it online or face to face.  The reality is that there are also instructors that are techno phobic and will not try technologies because they fear the learning curve. 

Distance education is the wave of the future.  In order to be innovative, education should integrate new technologies and knowledge.  Distance education should be current and should be the most innovative option.  Because distance education meets the needs of a variety of students, it must be innovative, fresh, and engaging.  I think that Simonson has the correct ideas on education.  As educators, we need to know what technologies are available and well as knowing what are students need and expect from their courses.  It would then reason that equivalency is the best option.

References

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, July/August). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 2: Higher Education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66–70.

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