3 D.E. Facts

1. Distance education comes in a varieity of forms
I don't think I would have mentioned Sesame Street if you had asked for examples of distance education. I tended to lean to the more narrow definition of distance education thinking o0f it as unique classes with objectives. When I step back and think of an episode of Sesame Street they most certainly have objectives. I knew that distance education in wrtiiten form had existed for many years but I knew little about the use of radio in early distance education programs. In modrn times even though there is more technology we tend to have a much more narrow view on what defines technology and therefore what we might consider distance education.

2. Knowledge is a comodity
This is the generation of knowing it NOW. Sadly what you can learn instantly is usually not all that educational. In a global society companies need to be on top of the latest technology. Workers need to have the most current skills. As we have see in the most recent job market, finding a job is often based on what you know how to do. People with traditional job skills are having a very hard time in this economy. I wa suprised to learn how companies have restructured because information can be diseminated much easier to a wider audience.

3. There's a covert curriculum.
One of the biggest complaints I have about my students is that they don't know how to think. That's because they are not being taught how to think. They know how to follow directions and take tests because that's what they've been doing that for years. Today's worker need to problem solve. When so much information is seconds away why are students still memorizing dates or the color of litmus paper? Look it up. The key is judging the quality of that information. using that information in a practical application. I think this why distance learning still has not taken full advantage of all the new technologies. Education institutions are still adjusting to the new society our students are entering. Until the covert curriculum changes distance learning will continue to be very similar to traditional education.

Jennifer