If someone had asked me to define distance learning before taking this course, I might have described it as “learning that takes place with little or no face-to-face contact between the learner and the teacher”. I have now learned misses a few important aspects of common definitions, and doesn’t really mention where the teacher and student(s) are located.
Through my readings this week, I have learned that distance learning is typically thought to involve several other criteria including; being delivered by a formal educational institute, using various forms of telecommunication, connecting learners to resources, and the creation of learning communities.
The readings this week have described how the definition of distance learning has changed over time, largely to account for changes in technology which have allowed this form of learning to grow and adapt to the needs of more and more learners. While early courses delivered via post allowed slow communication between an instructor and their students individually, current technology allows instant communication between both teacher and learner, but also between all learners in the community (Simonson, Smaldino & Zvacek, 2015, p. 36-39).
My updated definition of Distance Learning would be “The creation of a learning community by a formal institution, through which, learners can use various forms of telecommunications to connect with instructors and other students, allowing them to overcome barriers imposed by separation in space and time.”
Technology is evolving at an accelerating pace, so it is hard to predict how distance learning may look ten or twenty years from now, let alone fifty or one hundred. My main assumption would be that within a few decades most people will cease to think about distance education at all. As our communication technologies become ever more capable and ubiquitous, they will be taken more and more for granted. Things like flipped classrooms (“Flipped Classroom.’ n.d.) and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), will mean an increasing blend of on and off-site learning. Improved virtual reality and other digital tools will expand the number of more physical subjects that can be taught at a distance (Ally & Tsinakos, 2014, p. 224-225). People are likely to think less about the “distance” aspect, and think more about the overall flexibility of various learning modes (Srivastava & Reddy, 2003, p.9).
Through my readings this week, I have learned that distance learning is typically thought to involve several other criteria including; being delivered by a formal educational institute, using various forms of telecommunication, connecting learners to resources, and the creation of learning communities.
The readings this week have described how the definition of distance learning has changed over time, largely to account for changes in technology which have allowed this form of learning to grow and adapt to the needs of more and more learners. While early courses delivered via post allowed slow communication between an instructor and their students individually, current technology allows instant communication between both teacher and learner, but also between all learners in the community (Simonson, Smaldino & Zvacek, 2015, p. 36-39).
My updated definition of Distance Learning would be “The creation of a learning community by a formal institution, through which, learners can use various forms of telecommunications to connect with instructors and other students, allowing them to overcome barriers imposed by separation in space and time.”
Technology is evolving at an accelerating pace, so it is hard to predict how distance learning may look ten or twenty years from now, let alone fifty or one hundred. My main assumption would be that within a few decades most people will cease to think about distance education at all. As our communication technologies become ever more capable and ubiquitous, they will be taken more and more for granted. Things like flipped classrooms (“Flipped Classroom.’ n.d.) and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), will mean an increasing blend of on and off-site learning. Improved virtual reality and other digital tools will expand the number of more physical subjects that can be taught at a distance (Ally & Tsinakos, 2014, p. 224-225). People are likely to think less about the “distance” aspect, and think more about the overall flexibility of various learning modes (Srivastava & Reddy, 2003, p.9).
Robin
References:
Ally, M., & Tsinakos, A. (2014). Increasing access through mobile learning. Commonwealth of Learning (COL); Retrieved from http://dspace.col.org/handle/11599/558 Flipped Classroom. ( n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flipped_classroom Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., & Zvacek, S. (2015). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (6th ed.) Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. Srivastava, M., & Reddy, V.V. (2003). ICT and the future of distance education. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education 4(4).
Ally, M., & Tsinakos, A. (2014). Increasing access through mobile learning. Commonwealth of Learning (COL); Retrieved from http://dspace.col.org/handle/11599/558 Flipped Classroom. ( n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flipped_classroom Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., & Zvacek, S. (2015). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (6th ed.) Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. Srivastava, M., & Reddy, V.V. (2003). ICT and the future of distance education. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education 4(4).
