Distance Education: Using Technology to Redefine the Classroom

1. Distance Education: Using Technology to Redefine the Classroom Teaching and Learning with Technology Chapter 11 Allyn and Bacon 2002

2. Distance Education • The delivery of instruction to students who are separated from their teacher by time and/or location • The teacher may be at one site and students at other sites • Or all may be on the same site but at different times • Technology bridges the time/location gap Allyn and Bacon 2002

3. Distance Education • DE was originally developed to deliver instruction to remote, rural locations • Today DE is used to deliver instruction at places and times most convenient to learners • DE impacts teachers by • Offering flexible licensing renewal and/or professional development opportunities even if not institution is nearby • Changing the parameters of instruction – it is no longer bounded by classroom walls Allyn and Bacon 2002

4. Distance Education • DE has impacted education by • Changing course offerings in higher education • Encouraging the creation of virtual high schools in many states • Supporting district-wide courses in virtual classrooms • Providing instruction to homebound students Allyn and Bacon 2002

5. Distance Education • Started as correspondence courses • Readings and assignments were sent via mail • Tests were proctored locally • Leaning was independent and isolated • Radio and television, when invented, were added to enrich DE instruction • Telephones added interaction between instructor and students Allyn and Bacon 2002

6. Distance Education • Phone bridges added student-to-student interaction as well • The PC and the Internet have advanced DE instruction by • Adding interaction through email, conferences, and chats • Offering live and recorded streaming audio and video to courses • Including multimedia presentations to courses Allyn and Bacon 2002

7. Alternative Delivery • The same methods and technology that made DE possible can be adapted to more traditional classrooms • Alternative delivery of instruction enhances classroom instruction by • Allowing master teachers or guest speakers to join classes via DE technologies • Facilitating team teaching and cooperative learning across a district or beyond Allyn and Bacon 2002

8. Designing Instruction • DE and alternative delivery of traditional instruction requires special design considerations • Design adjustments include • A strategic instructional design that fully articulates the course components and required technologies • A well articulated lesson plan that anticipates and responds to contingencies Allyn and Bacon 2002

9. Designing Instruction • Design adjustments include • Extended preparation of students for participating in a distance environment • Well planned and articulated feedback systems • Contingency plans for curriculum and technical problems • Alternative, well defined and tested evaluation processes Allyn and Bacon 2002

10. Support Technologies Synchronous Support Technologies • Technologies that support instruction that occurs at the same time • May be at different locations Asynchronous Support Technologies • Technologies that support time-shifted instruction • May be at the same or different locations Allyn and Bacon 2002

11. Support Technologies Synchronous Support Technologies • Telephone Technologies • Speakerphones and audio conferencing equipment let a small group in one location communicate with others via phone • Conference Calls allow people in multiple locations communicate • Phone bridges let large groups communicate by calling into a single number Allyn and Bacon 2002

12. Support Technologies Synchronous Support Technologies • Video Conferencing • Compressed video conferencing equipment can let rooms of people interact via broadband phone lines • PC compressed video conferencing equipment and software allows individuals to participate • District-wide systems connect students in schools in interactive video classrooms Allyn and Bacon 2002

13. Support Technologies Synchronous Support Technologies • Internet Chat • Private chat rooms can be created in which invited students can interact with each other • Chats may be text only or may include audio, visual, and video components • Chats offer the potential to involve everyone in high quality, thoughtful interaction Allyn and Bacon 2002

14. Support Technologies Synchronous Support Technologies • Internet Classroom • Internet meeting software can be used to create a virtual Internet classroom • Classes engage in discussion, materials exchange, presentations, and testing • Development time for creating an Internet class is significant but outcomes in terms of flexibility and innovation are worth the time Allyn and Bacon 2002

15. Support Technologies Asynchronous Support Technologies • Telephone Technologies • Voicemail provides time-shifted communication • Fax allows hard copy transmission of materials • Email • Allows for teacher-student, student-student communication Allyn and Bacon 2002

16. Support Technologies Asynchronous Support Technologies • Email • Provides method for materials exchange through attachments • Offer opportunity for thoughtful exchange by all participants • Mailing Lists • Provides for automatic transfer of course information and updates Allyn and Bacon 2002

17. Support Technologies Asynchronous Support Technologies • Electronic Conferencing • Virtual bulletin boards that provide one-to-many communication support discussion • Threads can be started by the teacher as an assignment or can be generated by students in a virtual study group • Social learning and idea exchange is supported by this technology Allyn and Bacon 2002

18. Support Technologies Asynchronous Support Technologies • Class Web Sites • Offer distance students a single virtual location for all course information, tools, and materials • Also an alternative delivery enhancement to traditional courses • Makes the course accessible at a time and place convenient to students Allyn and Bacon 2002

19. DE Tools and Technologies Enhance traditional education by • Helping individualize instruction • Promoting interaction by and among all students in a class • Enhancing and reinforcing independent learning • Promoting student responsibility Allyn and Bacon 2002

20. DE and Alternative Learning Issues • Teachers and/or students may not be ready for • New roles and responsibilities • New technologies • New methods and materials • Time demands related to planning and classroom management are increased • Technical support is necessary but often not sufficiently anticipated or funded Allyn and Bacon 2002

21. DE and Alternative Learning Issues • Instructional support typical of a traditional setting may be less or absent • Still, DE has and is changing education by • Answering new demands on schools for variety of courses • Effectively teaching and learning outside defined physical spaces • Reinventing the idea of a classroom Allyn and Bacon 2002