1- The history of Distance Learning: I had never considered when, how or why DL was established, but I was surprised to realize that characteristics of DL have been around since the 1700's. I was also unaware that the focus of correspondence education and educational radio was to support the farming community and eventually was supported by the U.S. Dept of Agriculture. We have all seen movies or pictures of families from the 1920s-1940s sitting around the radio intently focused on the content, but prior to reading this article, I had associated this activity with entertainment like sporting events, news coverage, or perhaps a weekly radio sitcom. I had not considered the potential learning outcomes or the widespread audience that radio could reach.
2- ETV:I had no idea that the CPB and PBS were created in response to the Civil Rights movement and other social developments to provide inner city youth with educational programming. As a child, I remember watching Sesame Street and other shows on PBS and can recall some of the songs, lessons, and guest hosts. While these types of shows were definitely entertaining, I was not aware of any proof of educational value. This article provided that proof. Children that watched shows like Sesame Street had a clear advantage in learning elementary reading, writing, math, and social skills than their peers who were not exposed to this programming.
3- A common theme that I recognized in this article was the comparison of DL (whether it be ETV, eLearning, or other on-line varieties) to traditional face-to-face classroom learning. I was surprised to see the study conducted by Chu and Schramm at Stanford University. They examined 207 studies involving 421 separate comparisons of ETV and conventional classroom instruction. They found no statistically significant difference in learning achievement in 73% of these studies.
If there is so much data in support of these DL methods, why has it taken so long for this instructional/educational medium to gain legitimacy in the public eye? I have experienced this perception when describing my COMET experience to friends and family. Once they hear that the COMET program is entirely on-line, many of them roll their eyes in disdain or question the learning potential. It is their unfamiliarity with this delivery platform and the less than reputable history of DL that creates this perception. Prior to the COMET program, my education only occurred in the traditional classroom setting. As I near the end of the program, I can confidently say that I prefer this type of instruction/learning. I particularly appreciate the collaborative nature the COMET classes provide and the control I have over my own learning that is not possible in the classroom.
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