My Definition of Distance Learning

My Personal Definition
My definition of distance learning was rather simple. When I thought about distance learning or was asked to define distance education, I would just say going to school online. I would think of distance education as a way for colleges and universities to make additional money from students that weren’t really interested in going to school on campus. It was a way for them to get more adult learners to go back to school that did not necessarily want to neither be a part of campus life nor be around the younger pupils. I took some distance education classes when I first arrived in Arizona and it was great. No teacher to lecture and bore me to death, assignments due once a week and finally, no time limits for being on the computer or chatting with a class. My definition would not hold water according to the readings.
My Revised Definition
My revised definition would be that of Dr. Simonson. My new definition would state, “Distance learning is defined as, “Formal Education, that is institutionally based, in which the learning group (teacher, student, resources) are separated by geography and sometimes by time. (Simonson, 2012). Also, after being challenged by Dr. Paige, I found myself looking deeper into the meaning of distance education. There are several meanings for distance education. There is a distance education program called blended or hybrid education. Hybrid instruction, or hybrid courses, refers to classes where there is a carefully planned blend of both traditional classroom instruction and online learning activities. In other words, hybrid classes combine the best of both styles of instruction. (Fanter, 2012). I even discovered that learners that are in a different country are not only separated by time and space (maybe an ocean) they could also be separated by the use of internet and streaming video information. I have a lot to learn about distance education.
My Old Definition Combined with the New Definition
My new definition, combined with my old definition would have to include the thought that Colleges and Universities have taken an entrepreneurial approach to distance education. They attract older learners who are busy in life and can sometimes only accomplish that Master’s Degree by attending online classes, in the evening, when they have the time and can focus without distraction. Forshay, Huett and Moller state that Colleges and Universities, therefore, see distance education as a way of sustaining growth and also competition. (Forshay, Huett and Moller, 2008). Universities make money from distance education and as mentioned in the article on Implications for Instructional Designers on the Potential of the Web it can mean the difference between budgetary surplus and loss. My new definition would encompass a broader approach to distance education and to teaching and delivery methods.
Future for Instructional Designers
“It is not only possible, but likely, that users of e-learning have never encountered a product built according to sound Instructional Designer Principles.” (Forshay, Huett and Moller, 2008). What does that say about the future of Instructional Design? We should not only be offended that we are not important enough, in the field, to control this type of statement but we should relish the fact that we must get out there and show the e-learning, distance education world what we are capable of doing when given the opportunity. We have the tools and we are the Subject Matter Experts. We can revolutionize the potential of the web for education. According to Forshay, Huett and Moller, “ID practitioners are inclined to underestimate the importance of this demanding trend” we do not even realize our own potential and worth to the education world or web education.
I see the future of Instructional Design as so bright we will need shades. We hold the keys to sound learning principles and practices. The Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) calls distance education a “mainstream” educational delivery method and predict a 300% increase in students served in the next five years (DETC, 2004). Instructional Designers should be leading the way in designing cost effective courses that are user friendly for students and faculty. We should be evaluating and revising courses that are meaningful to learners create a connection and drive students to significant developments in the distance education classrooms.

References:
Simonson, M. Distance Education, the Next Generation, Laureate Education (2012)
http://www.technical-vocational-schools.com/online_classroom_learning.aspx Retrieved 03/04/2012.

Fanter, Amy. Teaching And Learning Center (http://courses.durhamtech.edu/tlc/www/html/Special_Feature/hybridclasses.htm)
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66–70.

Sonya’s
Reflection

What did you find surprising or striking as you furthered
your knowledge about how people learn?

What I found the
most striking was the fact that Gardner stated in his article that we should
not label our students with multiple intelligence tags (Gardner,
H. 2003).  Those students have to realize
their style on their own and so as not to pigeon hole them and make them feel
trapped in that learning style.  You must
let them explore and sometimes they find they
can learn in several different ways.  I became
more knowledgeable as I learned about how others learn that I teach the way I
learn and I must differentiate my instruction more in order to develop more pupils.  I must allow for more scientific inquiry time.  I must examine their learning style through
the learning theories that I have discussed and scrutinize during this
class.

How has this course deepened your understanding of your
personal learning process?

I have developed
a deeper understanding of how learning theories help change and evolve you in
your professional life.  Learning how
others learn gives you an insight on how to enhance your instruction for each
learner.  It taught me how I learned and gave me the know-how by what method to improve my strategies on how to teach myself and motivate myself to do better in this online program.  As Dr. Ormrod stated there are numerous
strategies I can employ to make learning easier for me and others.  These strategies help you recall to memory
and transfer knowledge to a skill.

What have you learned regarding the connection between
learning theories, learning styles, educational technology, and motivation?

I learned that
learning theories, learning styles, educational theory and motivation go
hand-in-hand.  Each one is a foundation
for the next and increases the effectiveness of learning.  Technology allows instructors to learn in
real time and apply several different approaches.  Technology adds the motivation factor because
all students look forward to using technology; it is just how they like to
experiment.

How will your learning in this course help you as you
further your career in the field of instructional design?

This class will
help me in the field of Instructional Design by enhancing my teaching tools and
adding to my toolbox of tactics to boost my learner’s knowledge of how they
learn.  It has also given me some useful
technology tools like creating a blog and keeping it going.  I have created a blog already for my upcoming
school year.

 

Fitting the Pieces Together

According to Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence’s, I am a
linguistic and bodily kinesthetic learner.
As an instructional designer we have been tasked with, “translating
principles of learning and instruction into specifications for instructional
materials and activities” (Smith and Ragan, 1993). What does that look like for
Instructional Designers? Dr. Jeanne Ormrod mentions that we must look inside
the mind. We must understand the processes of the human mind in order to design
effective instruction (Dr. Ormrod, 2011). This means catering to each learner
to assist them in understanding the complex processes we hope they will learn.
As a change leader if I am tasked with going into an organization and
implementing major changes, having a variety of strategies is critical when
selecting an effective prescription for overcoming a given instructional
problem (Ertmer & Newby, 1993).

What I learned over the past few weeks was that the Cognitive
Theory is how I learn and is the theory by which I learn. I use mental activity
that entails internal coding and structuring to retain knowledge and form new
concepts. I conceptualize of knowledge where I arrive at a concept as a result
of things seen, experienced or believed. I love hands-on activities while I
listen and that really helps knowledge stick.
Technology plays a huge role in the way I learn.  I love to create narrated power points and voice
threads with video to engage my students in learning and it helps me to refresh
and form new connections and acquire new knowledge.  I use wikis and e-libraries and Eric to
research information.  It is usually very
helpful and gets right to the point.  I
record information in my laptop or my smart phone for easy access.

References:

Smith, P.L. & Ragan, T. J. 1993. Instructional Design. New York: Macmillan.

Ormrod, J. Introduction to Learning. 2011

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, and
constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design
perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50–71.

Connectivism

George Siemens states that the social dimensions of connectivism
is influenced by the social principles of learning as discussed by Bruner and Bandura
and by Vygotsky social and cultural dimensions of learning and the situated
nature of learning or communities of practice by Vanger.  This being complex and complicated,
connectivism is then broken down into a smaller,   more digestible piece of knowledge.  Information is abundant and we must find a
network in order to unload our cognitive capacity.  We are also network rich through the
internet, cell phones and other social media outlets so information explodes
out to our contacts and acquaintances.
As Instructional Designers we must learn to adapt and stay relative in
the technological arena in in order to keep up in our field of study.

Then digital tools I find myself using the most are the
social media outlets like wiki’s, Facebook, Google reader for blogs on
instructional design or other sites.
Since beginning this program I have been introduced to all kinds of
learning outlets.  I had no idea blogs were
so informative and I could get them right into my inbox with Google reader
every time someone post an update.
Information now is literally at my fingertips.  When I have questions on something in this
class, I either go to my blogs or I go to my special source.  I have a friend named Melanie Smith who is an
ID.  She works with the NC State School
of Law.  I never knew she was an ID,
until I touched base with her on the first class project in my first class at
Walden.  She was a tremendous help with
the technology part of my class.  This
was a whole new ballgame for me but now I find myself loving it.  With this being said the way I learn
certainly supports connectivism.

Connectivism states that there are processes to how we
acquire knowledge and share our knowledge with a variety of people in our
network and we use it to acquire new knowledge as well.

Our focus is now changing to emotional intelligence which
articulates such as self-awareness and empathy (Part II, Core Knowledge and
Skills, pg. 55).  My friend Melanie was
just mentioning that to me when she was out here last month for training on emotional
intelligence and she stated to me that it fixated on everyday work situations
and how to cope, learn and grow from those experiences.   I
found it fascinating and went to one of my social media outlets to find out
more.

References:

Seimens, G.
Connectivism.  Laureate 2011.

Foley, G. (Ed.). (2004). Dimensions of adult learning: Adult
education and training in a global era. McGraw-Hill Education.

Connectivism

Instructional Designer Blogs

 

Instructional Design Overview

The first blog spot was called Instructional Design and Development and Daniel Stanford spoke on combining online and classroom to produce higher grades and more learning for students.  The link for the website is www.iddblog.org.  Daniel Stanford talked about how Professor T. Warren Hardy from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County stated that his students performed significantly higher on the final exam when he transformed his classroom into a hybrid class.  What this meant was that he placed materials online where the students had to interact and take self-assessments online.  Daniel then did some questioning on why there might be some mistake.  He questioned the validity of the final, the teacher and the students and came up empty.  He came to the conclusion that it was the blend of online and face-to-face collaboration. 

The second blog spot was called, “What does an Instructional designer do?” It had several blogs about what an instructional Designer needs to know and do.  Christy Tucker spoke of being an ID with classroom teachers and how they can transform classrooms into the best possible place for students to learn.    The author of this blog was Christy Tucker and her blog spot is christytucker.wordpress.com.   Christy also spoke of what software you need to be familiar with in order before you get into the schools and while your engaged in the profession.  She several other blogs on what an Instructional designer does.  This was a very informative post and I will revisit this later to read the entire blog and to see what else she blogs about. 

The third blog spot was theelearningcoach.com written by Cammy Bean.  Cammy has been doing a survey as to whether or not an Instructional Designer has a degree or needs a degree.  She also compiled a list of the top ten qualities of an Instructional designer and responders have added at least 35 more qualities of an ID.  60% of ID’s do not have a degree in Instructional Design, while 38% have a graduate degree and 1% has a degree but the level is not specified.   The topic of debate here is whether or not you need a degree to be an effective ID.  And the debate goes on in the US today.  Some of the qualities for an ID are conceptually and intuitively understand how people learn, brainstorm creative treatments and innovative instructional strategies and understanding related fields—usability and experience design, information design, communications and new technologies.  This too will be a helpful blog for me because I can interact with someone in the field and learn from them.