Web 2.0 is the second generation of the world wide web; its technology enables people to collaborate and share information online. Web 2.0 emphasizes open communication with a focus on Web-based communities of users, and more open sharing of information. Blogs, wikis and other media sharing tools are all seen as components of Web 2.0 (Webopedia).
Web 2.0 technology and tools are not limited to education. Web 2.0 applications “exist primarily outside the education sphere” (Simonson, Smaldino, et.al., 2009, p.244). But why all the fuss about web 2.0? Well…much of the power of our current world wide web is seen through web 2.0 tools (Simonson, Smaldino, et.al.) To illustrate, take the following case:
A new automated staff information system was recently purchased by a major corporation and needs to be implemented in six regional offices. Unfortunately, the staff is located throughout all the different offices and cannot meet at the same time or in the same location. As an instructional designer for the corporation, you have been charged with implementing a training workshop for these offices. As part of the training, you were advised how imperative it is that the staff members share information, in the form of screen captures and documents, and participate in ongoing collaboration. (Walden University)
This scenario was made for Web 2.0! Since staff in all six regional offices needs to be trained in their respective locations, and at different times, I would first design an asynchronous training module which would be housed within and hosted by an online course management system such as edu2.0. Next, I would set up a wiki for staff members to use to share information, documents, photos, files and other media, and create content together. Wikis are “online writing spaces designed to be created and edited by groups of persons” (p.245). Wikis are excellent tools “for collaborative online writing assignments and group activities compiling information in a single online resource” (p.245). In addition, wikis, because of their capacity to foster group collaboration, greatly help learners feel involved in the learning process (Huang, 2010). Moreover, wikis foster a sense of community and connectedness for participants.
Jerry Kane, an assistant professor at Boston College has created an online community of student wiki users. Throughout the school year, Kane’s students research pertinent topics and post suggested exam questions on the wiki. Students also help each out and answer one another’s questions that are posted. Kane believes that he has used some 80 to 90 percent of the questions posted on the wiki on actual exams. His instructional strategy of using a wiki in class works because his students are engaged in his class. Kane has proven “that a group of 50 amateurs can learn more from each other than they can when one expert tells them everything" (Villano, 2008).
Deakin University in Victoria, Australia has used wikis for a different purpose. The School of Information Technology experienced a high attrition rate for online courses and believed the attrition could be due to students’ lack of connectedness to each other and the instructor. Professors created a wiki and asked students to contribute daily during the first 2 weeks of the semester. The wiki served as an ice-breaker for the class with instructors posing questions about student life and student’s answering questions, posing their own questions, and posting photos. One primary goal of the icebreaker exercise was to have students return several times to the wiki to read the new posts from their group members, thus getting to know them in the process. Overall, the exercise was deemed successful due to the high rate (over 90%) of student participation. It is unknown whether the attrition rate will decline, but officials are hopeful.
With the appropriate use of web 2.0 tools such as wikis, learning can become more active, social, and learner centered. And when learning is active, social, and learner-centered, knowledge is the result – constructed knowledge.
Click here for a short tutorial on wikis.
References
Augar, N., Raitman, R., Zhou, W. Teaching and Learning Online with Wikis. Deakin University, School of Information Technology. Retrieved September 25, 2010 from: http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/perth04/procs/augar.html
Bajcsy, R. Technologies and Learning. Visions 2020. Transforming Education and Training Through Advanced Technologies. Retrieved September 25, 2010 from: http://webharvest.gov/peth04/20041016081056/http://www.technology.gov/reports/TechPolicy/2020Visions.pdf
Huang, W. (2010) A Case Study of Wiki’s Effects on Online Transactional Interactions. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching Vol. 6, No. 1, March 2010
Oblinger, D.G., Oblinger, J.L. Educating the Net Generation. Retrieved September 25, 2010 from: www.educause.edu/educatingthenetgen/
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Villano, M. (2008) Campus Technology. Wikis, Blogs, and More, Oh My! Retrieved September 25, 2010 from: http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2008/04/Wikis-Blogs--More-Oh-My.aspx?Page=2
Webopedia. What is Web 2.0? Retrieved September 25, 2010 from: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/W/Web_2_point_0.html
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
What Exactly is Distance Education?
Could it be something as straightforward as learning a subject at a distance? Not too long ago that was my definition of distance education. Simple? Well…yes. But it was my definition none-the-less. I thought that distance education meant self-study. And I thought it was indelibly linked to correspondence classes.
I have learned that distance education encompasses quite a bit more than I initially thought. It comprises a number of different components including learners, instructors, media, resources, and technology. Distance education is not merely self-study at a distance, which learners can do without instructors, technology, resources or an institutional affiliation.
I found a quick and easy definition of distance education, which I liked. In an uncomplicated way it suggests that distance education “is the bringing of learners and the content of instruction together no matter where each is located” (Simonson, Smaldino et aI, 2009). However, I prefer another definition offered by Dr. Simonson which states that distance education is, “formal education that is institutionally-based in which the learning group (teachers, students, resources) is separated by geography and sometimes by time, and where instruction technologies are used to link the instructor, the resources, and the learner.” This broader, yet more detailed, definition is far more encompassing of the various components of distance education than my initial definition. I would like, however, to add one other important aspect to this definition: in distance education learners take responsibility for their own progress, and have flexibility to study and learn at their convenience (Wedemeyer, 1981). And that one small aspect is huge.
The fact that distant learners have the flexibility to learn when it is convenient for them may indeed be the primary reason why e-learning is growing rapidly. One study conducted by The Sloan Consortium indicated that “given an option, students will enroll in online courses” (Simonson et al, 2009, p. 15). The world in which we live is very fast-paced; it seems that everyone is busy…and getting busier all the time. E-learning’s flexibility and convenience are unmatched by any other mode or method of learning. Yes, the future is very bright for distance learning across all learning groups – those in K-12, higher education, corporate arenas, as well as those in the military and in government service. Anyone with access to a computer (and really, who doesn’t have access these days?) can become a distant learner which the potential to earn certifications, GEDs, high-school diplomas, bachelor and master degrees and even doctorate degrees online.
My vision for the future of distance education includes the belief that e-learning will continue to grow rapidly because it supports, encourages and fosters life-long learning. The outlook for e-learning in corporate America is especially promising. According to the US Distance Learning Association, more than 50 million Americans will need retraining. “Corporate America is using distance learning, both internally and externally, for all aspects of training. Many major corporations save millions of dollars each year using distance learning to train employees more effectively and more efficiently than with conventional methods” (USDLA). Instructional designers to the rescue!
References
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and Learning at a Distance Foundations of Distance Education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
Wedemeyer, C. (1981). Learning at the Back Door. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press.
U.S. Distance Learning Association Website. Facts and Figures. Retrieved September 11, 2010 from: http://www.usdla.org/index.php?cid=109
I have learned that distance education encompasses quite a bit more than I initially thought. It comprises a number of different components including learners, instructors, media, resources, and technology. Distance education is not merely self-study at a distance, which learners can do without instructors, technology, resources or an institutional affiliation.
I found a quick and easy definition of distance education, which I liked. In an uncomplicated way it suggests that distance education “is the bringing of learners and the content of instruction together no matter where each is located” (Simonson, Smaldino et aI, 2009). However, I prefer another definition offered by Dr. Simonson which states that distance education is, “formal education that is institutionally-based in which the learning group (teachers, students, resources) is separated by geography and sometimes by time, and where instruction technologies are used to link the instructor, the resources, and the learner.” This broader, yet more detailed, definition is far more encompassing of the various components of distance education than my initial definition. I would like, however, to add one other important aspect to this definition: in distance education learners take responsibility for their own progress, and have flexibility to study and learn at their convenience (Wedemeyer, 1981). And that one small aspect is huge.
The fact that distant learners have the flexibility to learn when it is convenient for them may indeed be the primary reason why e-learning is growing rapidly. One study conducted by The Sloan Consortium indicated that “given an option, students will enroll in online courses” (Simonson et al, 2009, p. 15). The world in which we live is very fast-paced; it seems that everyone is busy…and getting busier all the time. E-learning’s flexibility and convenience are unmatched by any other mode or method of learning. Yes, the future is very bright for distance learning across all learning groups – those in K-12, higher education, corporate arenas, as well as those in the military and in government service. Anyone with access to a computer (and really, who doesn’t have access these days?) can become a distant learner which the potential to earn certifications, GEDs, high-school diplomas, bachelor and master degrees and even doctorate degrees online.
My vision for the future of distance education includes the belief that e-learning will continue to grow rapidly because it supports, encourages and fosters life-long learning. The outlook for e-learning in corporate America is especially promising. According to the US Distance Learning Association, more than 50 million Americans will need retraining. “Corporate America is using distance learning, both internally and externally, for all aspects of training. Many major corporations save millions of dollars each year using distance learning to train employees more effectively and more efficiently than with conventional methods” (USDLA). Instructional designers to the rescue!
References
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and Learning at a Distance Foundations of Distance Education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
Wedemeyer, C. (1981). Learning at the Back Door. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press.
U.S. Distance Learning Association Website. Facts and Figures. Retrieved September 11, 2010 from: http://www.usdla.org/index.php?cid=109
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)