CHRISTINA M. COMBS
July 10, 2013
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Writing the blog was challenging but a great task. I enjoyed reading blogs written by other classmates. In a distance learning course, I find it hard to get a grasp of classmates’ personalities through discussions. With this blogging exercise I was able to see that our class is humorous and very knowledgeable about teaching and distance education.
Distance Learning for Homeschoolers
July 5, 2013
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Parents make the choice to homeschool their children for a number of reasons. I often hear parents stating that they wish they could homeschool their children but they have to work full-time. I truly believe that parents should look to distance learning as a viable option.
I work full-time during the day, making it impossible for me to teach my teenaged son during the day. However, there are so many online learning tools available that I have been able to effectively teach him from a distance. Because of his learning challenges, he has trouble following fast-paced instruction. There are online distance learning programs that allow the student to work at his/her own pace until they are able to master concepts. For example, check out the Well’s Fargo Hands on Banking® program. This free online finance program is an excellent resource that parents can add to their child’s distance education curriculum.
Parents should also know that they do not have to purchase expensive online curriculum. There are free open source programs that include free online access, instructional guides, and student booklets that can all be accessed for free. Parents should also contact local companies and government agencies to inquire about learning programs. For example, the National Institutes for Health has an excellent Science Curriculum Supplement Seriesavailable online for free. They will also send printed materials to teachers (including homeschooling parents) free of charge!
For parents out there who are worried that they are not subject experts, let Dr. Khan be the teacher by linking to some great free instructional videos at Khan Academy.
Blogger’s Block
July 3, 2013
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Over the past week, I have been struggling with what to blog about for class. I have several personal blogs that I enjoy writing but for some reason I am stuck. What I have determined is that it is much harder to blog when it is a class assignment as opposed to blogging spontaneously, when something strikes a chord in me. After using social media for socializing and fun, I am trying hard to transition into using social media for education.
Where is the Panic Button?
June 21, 2013
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As a long-time distance education student, I, like so many of us, am accustomed to working alone and at my own pace. Therefore, being assigned to a group Wiki project has taken me out of my comfort zone.
My group began communicating by email and then there was an abrupt silence. After several days had gone by, I sent out one email and then another a few days later. No responses. This sent me into a mental frenzy. I wondered if my group members received my emails. I wondered if they had dropped the course. I checked the group wiki several times to make sure I was reaching out to the right group. I scrolled through my hundreds of emails several times a day to make sure I did not miss an email. So just when I began to franticly search for the online classroom panic button I received a response. What a relief!
This brief rush of fear led me to wonder why distance education teachers do not implement any standards for group collaboration. I would assume that it is because we are all adults and they would rather not manage our schedules or group interaction. However, I do believe that DE institutions should implement group collaboration standards to assist students working on group projects. Group work skills extend well beyond academics into our professional careers.
How interesting that although we had a group wiki page set up, we were still communicating by email. Last week I wrote a paper on the advantages and disadvantages of using wikis as a tool for group collaboration in distance education. One of the advantageous points I made was that there could be a delay in response when using email to communicate. In the paper, I wrote, “the feeling of cohesiveness, if it exists, can quickly dissolve if there are gaps in communication”. Fortunately, we are now working from the wiki page and I do feel that we are starting to function effectively as a group.
Studying the Technology of Distance Education via Distance Education
June 16, 2013
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As I pursue a master’s degree in distance education and e-learning, I find myself asking the same questions as I did when I began my undergraduate studies. Will employers respect a degree from a distance education program as much as they would from a traditional university? Will hiring managers think that I took the ‘easy way out’ by taking classes online?
The truth of the matter is that the use of technology does not make distance education course content inferior to any other curriculum. Technology does not comprehend information for students, nor does it produce critical thoughts for students. But technology does enhance distance education by implementing tools that allow disadvantaged individuals access to higher education.
For most of us millennials, digital technology is simply the way of life. We live in the age where just about everything can be done online. Businesses in most industries rely on some type of computer technology, from computer operated machinery to offices equipped with desktop computers, laptops and high-speed Internet. If employees can produce quality services and products with the use of the Internet, then it is comparable to say the same for online distance education programs. Higher education institutions offering distance education degree programs online can indeed produce quality students equipped with knowledge and skills that are transferable to the workplace.
“It has been estimated that in the school year 2007-2008, more than one million K-12 students took one or more courses online, and 70 percent of public schools in 2008 had one or more students enrolled in a fully online course.” (Moore & Kearsley, 2005).
I would think that this number has definitely increased by now, five years later. Based on this reality, I hope that more companies are changing their attitudes toward online education, understanding that the Internet’s primary role in education, especially higher education, is accessibility.
Source: Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (2005). Distance education: A systems view. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. (Second Edition)
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