Breaking Barriers: An Intersection of the Institution and the Information Superhighway
What it is all about
Distance education. What is it? Barry Birnbaum has cited a feasible definition for it in his book, Foundations and Practices in the Use of Distance Education. The definition is according to a study done by Moore and Kearsley in 1996. Birnbaum quotes, “distance education is defined as planned learning that normally occurs in a different place and requires a well-defined system of delivery that includes modified teaching techniques, alternative modes for communication (i.e. computers), as well as alternative administrative and organizational components.” (Birnbaum, 2001, p. 1)[1]
Then, again in 1996, another researcher by the name of Keegan assigned 5 criteria in his definition of distance education. These 5 criteria are: “a.) Separation of teacher and learner throughout the learning process, b.) The influence of the organization in the planning and preparation of learning materials, c.) The use of technical media to unite teacher and learner, d.) The role of two-way communication, and e.) The separation of the learning group during the process.” (Birnbaum, 2001, p. 2)[2]
Bearing these two definitions in mind, let us proceed.
I. How it was all started
A man named Isaac Pitman started the whole concept of distance education in England around 1840.(Birnbaum, 2001, p. 10)[3] He wanted to create an opportunity for people to learn shorthand that would otherwise, not be able to do so due to work constraints or other everyday obligations.
According to Birnbaum, since this period of time, the primary utilization of distance education has been in the field of foreign language. However, other institutions opt to employ distance education as well. For example, the armed services have found that technical training can be provided to a large number of military personnel in a cost-effective manner through distance education course delivery modules. (Birnbaum, 2001, p. 11)[4] Large corporations such as Best Buy also use e -learning in order to deliver quick, effective training to their employees in lieu of having an actual time reserved for training the employees.
A son who kills his own father, marries his own mother, and is both the father and brother of his mother’s children. Oedipus, meaning “swollen foot”, grows up with adopted parents and a brooding prophecy on his heels. The frightful tale of Oedipus and his indescribable fate play out in the Greek theatrical production of Oedipus Rex. The horrible destiny for Oedipus is inevitable due to the unfavorable traits given to him by the author, Sophocles. Throughout Oedipus Rex, Sophocles masterfully weaves Oedipus’ fatal traits of naiveté, arrogance, and curiosity into the intriguing plot.
Learning How to Perform the Splits Some people are just more naturally flexible than others. I believe
The whole world is connected by technology. Over time, technology has advanced from payphones and typewriters to cellphones and computers. The progression from a gray-screened cellular device to an advanced smartphone allows easier accessibility. So the question is whether or not the Internet or online technology is affecting the way we read long texts. In my opinion, I agree with Nicholas Carr, who states that "our hyperactive online habits are damaging the mental faculties we need to process and understand lengthy textual information.”
Gymnasts use physics everyday. As a gymnast I never realized how much physics went into every motion, every back handspring, every mistake on the bars. If gymnasts were physicists (or at least knew more about physics) they would be better equipped to handle the difficult aspects of gymnastics. As a gymnast I learned the motions that were necessary to complete the tricks that I was working on, and as a coach I taught others the same. I never truly understood why a particular angle gave me a better back handspring or why the angle that I hit a springboard at really mattered when completing a vault. We are going to explore some of the different apparatuses in gymnastics and a few of the physics laws that are involved in them. We will not even barely scratch the surface of the different ways that physics can explain gymnastics.
In his article, “Can You Be Education from a Distance?”, James Barszcz effectively weighs the pros and cons of online education compared to the traditional method, while effectively supporting his position with factual information and statistics. While distance education proves to be convenient for students, Barszcz asserts that it eliminates valuable experiences necessary in order to get the most out of the material being learned.
Argues that we must do more to ensure that computers are fully integrated into all our schools. Suggestion that there is no limit to the possibilities of computers; Topic of distance learning; Ways that the Internet can make schools more effective; Call for schools to develop innovative budgeting to acquire the funds for te...
Distance learning, sometimes called e-learning, is a formalized teaching and learning system specifically designed to be carried out remotely by using electronic communication. People could find out distance learning on the internet or searching form the school, sometimes teachers would introduce the best or the most credibility distance learning web. Such as class.com and University of Phoenix, etc. Distance learning is less expensive and is not constrained by geographic considerations; it offers opportunities in situations where traditional education has difficulty operating. Students with scheduling or distance problems can benefit, as can employees, because distance education can be more flexible in terms of time and can be delivered virtually anywhere. Under the unified leadership of the distance learning education, the modern distance learning education work gradual increase the number of school has now reached a certain scale. However, not every school or any distance learning education has clear idea for the modern education. Many people have differences understandings and it formed a big deviation. It can be said, for the purpose of developing the distance learning education and the hopes has not formed a consensus, which leads to very often difficult to form in the actual work force.
Menchaca, Michael P., and Teklu Abate Bekele. "Learner and Instructor Identified Success Factors in Distance Education." Distance Education 29.3 (2008): 231-52. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 25 Apr. 2012.
O'Malley, John, and Harrison McCraw. "Students perceptions of distance learning, online learning and the traditional classroom." Online journal of distance learning administration [Online] 2.4 (1999). Web. 10 Jan. 2014
“The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow.” Bill Gates. The Internet is vast and is just getting bigger. It has its own community that is open to the public. The Internet is becoming a platform all on its own. It is a stepping-stone in a direction that is unknown. The Internet has become so vast that there are now different versions of it. The different versions of the web are Web 1.0, Web 2.0, the main focus of this paper, and Web 3.0. Web 1.0 is all about sharing information. It is very bland and just gets the point across of what was needed. This how the Internet had started. Web 2.0 is sharing information with interaction. To me this means social media in some fashion. The website that was accessed has a way of interacting with the users whether it be through comments or giveaways on the web. Web 3.0 is the server interacting with the individual on a particular website. Amazon is the best example of Web 3.0 because it gives recommendations based on items that have been searched. “Among American adults 87% use the web, 68% connect...
Many people think online education can be more expensive than a traditional school setting. Previous generations did not have the option for online learning experience, so why should we start now? An interesting point about online education is that LeBaron (2010) states, “The largest school in the U.S. is the University of Phoenix Online, with a whopping 380,232 students. That’s over 5x more than the largest public school, Arizona State University, which has 68,064 students” (para. 7). Despite the cost effectiveness, distance education is becoming the educational model of the future.
Today is an era of information explosion. In the past few years, many newly invented technological devices and software are now tightly integrated with our everyday lives. Today, people can look up almost any kind of information, make friends, communicate with others, and express ourselves with the simple touch of a button on a device we usually keep within arm’s reach. “Widespread use of technology is changing the way we work, learn, and communicate – even the way we carry out our regular, daily activities.”(Seifer and Mihalynuk) These devices not only benefit our livelihoods and increase our happiness, but they are also integral in advancing education, technology, development, and, in general, human evolution. The children of today, who have been raised in this era of information explosion, will undoubtedly reap such benefits and, in turn, advance society towards a better generation.
Distance Learning is a system of pondering in which lessons are announced or classes are executed by correspondence or over the internet. Distance learning has become very popular for older adults who wish to go back to school and complete their education or increase their education, but it can be beneficial to many students. Online learning allows flexibility which gives you the opportunity to continue your daily routine or commitments. Many courses can be completed in a shorter amount of time, and you do not have to stay on campus or commute daily with online courses. It is a great way to obtain a higher education.
There have been many critics that strongly advocate against the use of distance learning in elementary schools. With the increased availability and choice of new technology, comes many new concerns about the quality of instruction and the threat it may pose to the already established methods of teaching. Many believe that this new teaching method may replace the existing classroom all together, and won’t give students the adequate face-to-face contact they need. Most critics fear that “ineffective face-to-face teaching methods could be made even worse when they become technology based” (Truell, 2001, p46). The computer and internet have become dominant distance learning technologies, and hold the potential to take away from the human aspect of learning, so students do not learn the proper social skills they need to develop early on. Children need to learn to interact with one another, and function properly in a social setting, they learn this primarily within the classroom, and if these classroom settings are altered by distance learning, then they will no learn how to function in the normal social school setting. Many critics also say that all schools do not have the appropriate technological support and infrastructure to make distance learning programs effective for students. Since all schools do not have the tools and financial means needed to establish and support effective distance learning programs, they would not be able to keep up with the advancing technology in education, and therefore their students would not receive the same advantages as other students in the schools around them (Ravaglia & Sommer, 2000). Greenwood (1998) states that schools using distance learning are just contracting out their educational responsibilities and that such courses result in the elimination of teaching jobs. He feels that by using distance learning to teach students, they are minimizing the teacher’s job of actually teaching the students and designing lesson plans, and therefore slowly eliminating the need for teachers in the classroom at all. It is thought that there is more emphasis being placed on teaching than learning, and as a consequence schools are using distance education as merely a means to extend the classroom walls . While the critics of distance learning feel that this is just a way for schools to educate students, and relieve themselves of their responsibilities, there has been even more substantial evidence that these programs improve the elementary curriculum, rather than replace it altogether.
Online learning, also known as distance learning or online learning, has become a new and successful means of receiving an education in a highly technologically enhanced environment (Regan, Evmenova, Baker, Jerome, Spencer, Lawson, & Werner, 2012). Kaymak and Horzum (2013) defined online learning as using Internet technology to gain knowledge and skills through the use of synchronous and asynchronous learning tools. Allen and Seaman (2013) stated that about 6.7 million students attending colleges and universities across the United States were successfully enrolled in at least one online course in 2011. There is an increased interest in online learning that continues to grow as a result of the amplified demands from the work place and the escalating availability of nontraditional educational options and providers (Allen & Seaman, 2008).