In evolving distance education Michael Simonson believes that sound instructional design lies heavily with creating a variety of learning experiences using appropriate technology which includes having the instructor involved with the structure and design. Thus making equivalent learning experiences for all learners.
While Moller, Huett, Foshey and Coleman all agree in an evolution of sound I.D. , they speak and give emphasis t0 the quality of the education by providing training to the instructor as well as providing them with a support system.
Simonson is creating a whole new process while the others are looking at each part of the process and discussing how to improve upon them. While the end result will be to evolve the field this is their only comparison.
I agree with Michael Simonson, I believe that in order for something to evolve it needs a fresh new approach and this is exactly what Simonson is referring to in his Equivalency Theory. Trying to improve on things that don't work usually lead to other issues in the process.
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Hi Jeannine,
ReplyDeleteNice post! I agree that Simonson (2000)proposes using sound instructional design to create equivalent learning experiences for all learners. However, I find it interesting that Huett, Moller, Forshay, and Coleman (2008) stated that younger students may not be as successful as older learners in the online environment. The authors describe psychological and personal characteristics such as "autonomy, metacognition, self-regulatory skills, positive self-efficacy, motivation, and internal locus of control" that younger learners may not possess (p. 64). More research is needed in this area. It may be difficult to create equivalent learning experiences for the younger ones. Any thoughts?
Thanks, Neena
Reference:
Huett, J., Moller, L., Forshay, W. & Coleman, C., (2008, September/October). the evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 3:K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63-67.
Simonson, M. (2000). Making decisions: The use of electronic technology in online classes. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 84, 29-34.
Hi Jeannine:
ReplyDeleteVery nice job on your post. I have tried this for the first time and still have some confusion for blogging. Which bring me to the point, during our reading this week, we have noted a few different key elements for integrating technology into the classrooms. It is evident where our next generation of students are going to be moving towards, according to Simonson, Huett, Moller, Forshay and Coleman. The research has predicted in increase in on-line courses and student interactive software. Do you agree,younger learners may not be as successfull as older adolescence? Thanks for your post, Amy Ward
I enjoyed reading your post. I agree that a variety of learning experiences must be available as a part of online learning and that the instructor should have as much involvement as possible in the creation of these experiences. Having a variety of opportunities for learning as a part of the online course will not only make learning more equivalent for all students, but is also crucial to optimizing the level of social presence felt by online students.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Monica
Neena and Amy,
ReplyDeleteHonestly,I agree with Huett, Moller, Forshay, and Coleman. I believe adolescents, especially middle schoolers do not have the full capacity to handle the responsibilities of online learning. I do think they would engage in technologies within the classroom such as blogs, wikis etc.
Jeannine: Do you think having the capacity to handle the responsibilities of online learning is a developmental process or a learned behavior. I teach in the university setting and even at 17 or 18 many of our students are not ready for that responsibility. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteHi Jeannine,
ReplyDeleteI agree that communication is the vital key to distance education. We have to consider that not all online learners are adults even though typically "mature learners" have the most potential for online learning. Mature learners entails being responsible and having some control and self-direction(Conrad, 2008). If that is the accepted definition, then not all adults are matute either. BTW, Good post!
Reference:
Conrad, D. (2008). Situating Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) in an Online Learning Environment. In T. Anderson (Ed.), The theory and practice of online learning (2nd ed., pp. 75-90). Edmonton, AB: Athabasca University Press.
Neena, Jeannine and everyone:
ReplyDeleteYes, communication is important - but the mode of communication is different in the online environment. There is no non-verbal, inflection, tone or pace of voice to convey what the "speaker" is feeling or the potential mismatch between what one is "saying" and what one is "feeling". Another issue is the use of the written vs the spoken word. In South Florida, for many students english is a second language. Thus the reading and writing demands of online learning is an additional challenge.