EDUC7102 Elements of Distance Education Diffusion

George Siemens discussed the growing acceptance of distance education in today’s corporate and educational spheres, including three possible elements of distance education that are creating more effective learning experiences and giving distance education an identity of its own distinct from F2F courses: (a) global diversity, (b) communication, and (c) collaborative interaction. Do you agree or disagree with his view?
Select one of these three elements for your reflection in this module and respond to the following in your blog:

• How has this element evolved?
• What online tools are available today to facilitate these interactions among learners?

I think all three elements are very important in distance education and they all build upon each other. The one that stands out to me the most is communication. In F2F classrooms, the communication is not as diverse as in a distance education program. In a classroom there are only those class members and one instructor. In distance education you can communicate with other instructors and other people all over the world. Other areas will have different views and opinion than ones in your immediate area.

The element of communication has most certainly evolved through many outlets. First, we had email. Next, came instant messaging. Later, came texting and most recently Skype. I am sure I missed a few phases but you get the point. I think the most useful of these innovations would be Skype. You can communicate with people all over the world live and see their face and watch their expressions. Many times facial expressions say something different than just words in print.

Reference

Laureate Education, Inc. (2008). Principles of Distance Education. Baltimore: Author.