There was so much I hadn’t considered about Distance Education before reading this article .
Concept 1-Rich History
To begin, I had never made the connection between Distance Education and all the programs, media and technologies that have led us to this point in its development. I suppose I foolishly thought it sprang fully armed from Bill Gate’s head (or Steve Job’s head for some of you.) I remember looking rather condescendingly at fellow classmates taking correspondence courses which were not held in high-regard at the time, and I envisioned stenographer’s notepads being mailed to and fro. Little did I know where this path was leading. I recall the launch of Telstar and the pop-song created for it by the Tornados, again oblivious to the role that it was to play in communication and education. What a legacy behind distance education and the attempts to bring education to all corners of the earth, all income levels! I am reminded of Jimmy Wales’ dream to "Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge.”
Concept 2-Distance definition
Nor have I pondered, until now, just what “distance” means in education, and that distance education places different (greater?) responsibilities on the learner. The distance more than just physical; it’s also social. Transactional distance better describes the complex relationship between the learner and the instructor’s course design. (Unfortunately in brick and mortar classes students can feel quite distanced from the instructor, as well.) “Confounding variables” is a term new to me though it could just as easily describe a situation with any learner in any classroom- many learning styles, many media attributes.
Concept 3- Educational Cultures
I had never considered the description of cultures found within higher education-
• the pre-modern faculty,
• the modern culture of the administration
• the post-modern culture of distance educators
I would have thought all instructors and administrators would be on the “same page,” but now that it has been described in this way, it is very accurate. I believe similar divisions also exist in varying levels in K-12 institutions, possibly with the students representing the post modern cultures.
As I examined this article, I found myself making comparisons to my own education, my children’s education and my teaching profession. What are my responsibilities as a distance learner and technology educator to my staff, my students and my own children? How do I take what I am learning and practicing and make it applicable and meaningful for others? Whatever the answers, I believe that distance education is playing a major role in bringing education into the 21st century.
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