Teaching and Learning with Technology Distance Education Chapter 12 This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; any rental, lease, or lending of the program.
Distance Education (DE) 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 May all be on the same site but at different times
Distance Education Technology the key to bridge time/location Originally developed to deliver instruction to remote, rural locations Today, DE delivers instruction at places and times convenient to learners
Distance Education Distance Education: Any time, any place instruction Allyn and Bacon 2010
Distance Education DE affects teachers by: Offering flexible licensing renewal and/or professional development Causing rethinking of the nature of instruction Providing environment where teaching and learning no longer bound by traditional classroom walls
Distance Education DE has affected education by: Changing courses available in higher education Encouraging creation of statewide virtual high school programs Supporting district-wide courses in virtual classrooms Enabling courses to be offered that might not due to low enrollments Providing instruction to homebound students
Distance Education Started as Correspondence Courses Readings and assignments sent and returned via mail Tests proctored locally Learning independent and isolated
Distance Education Radio and later television added to enrich delivery of instruction Telephones added interaction between instructor and students Phone bridges (telephone conferencing) added student-to-student interaction
Distance Education
Distance Education The PC and the Internet advanced DE instruction by: Adding interaction via email, conferences, chats Offering live and recorded streaming audio and video Including multimedia presentations
Distance Education Alternative Delivery Adaptation of distance education methods and technology for use in traditional classrooms Enhances classroom instruction by: Allowing master teachers or guests to join classes via DE Facilitating team teaching and cooperative learning across a district
Designing DE Instruction Steps of DID process apply, but design adjustments needed for DE: Strategic instructional design that fully articulates the course components and required technologies Well-articulated lesson plan that anticipates and responds to contingencies
Designing DE Instruction Preparing Students Screening students can determine if students’ learning styles compatible with DE Orientating students for working independently will improve their effectiveness
Designing DE Instruction Planning for Murphy’s Law Anticipate possible curriculum and technical problems and make contingency plans Have contingency plans and backup systems Not all problems are technical, plan for both
Designing DE Instruction Providing Feedback to Students Technology often determines feedback formats available, e.g., speakerphone Continual feedback as valuable in DE as in traditional instruction
Designing DE Instruction Evaluating Progress Calls for Creative and Flexible Approaches Assessment can be used in addition to testing Combination of assessment and testing can be as effective as in traditional instructional environment
DE Support Technologies Synchronous Support Technologies Support instruction that all occurs at the same time May be at different locations Asynchronous Support Technologies Support time-shifted instruction May be at same or different locations
DE Support Technologies Synchronous Asynchronous Synchronous and Asynchronous Technologies
Synchronous Technologies Telephone Technologies Speakerphones and audio conferencing let a small group in one location communicate with others Conference calls allow people in multiple locations to communicate Phone bridges let large groups communicate by calling into a single number
Synchronous Technologies Video Conferencing Compressed video conferencing lets people interact via broadband phone lines Creates a virtual space where students and teachers can interact virtually face-to-face Districtwide systems connect students in schools in interactive video classrooms
Synchronous Technologies Internet Chats Offer the opportunity to invited students for high-quality interaction May be text only or may include audio, visual, and video components Can be more comfortable for shy students Give time to reflect on input before sending
Synchronous Technologies Internet Classroom Internet meeting software creates synchronous or asynchronous virtual classrooms Sites offer authoring tools for teachers to create site-based lessons Development time can be significant Compare and analyze different sites before selecting can enhance final results
Asynchronous Technologies Phone Technologies Voicemail provides time-shifted communication Fax transmission of materials with text and graphics can also support asynchronous communications
Asynchronous Technologies Email Most significant DE asynchronous technology Enables teacher-student and student-student communication Provides materials exchange via attachments Offers opportunity for thoughtful exchange to one-on-one or one-to-many
Asynchronous Technologies Electronic Discussions / Electronic Forums Virtual bulletin boards provide one-to-many communication support discussion Threads: Can be started by the teacher as question or assignment Can be generated by students in virtual study groups Supports social learning and idea exchange
Asynchronous Technologies Online Classrooms A class web site can combine asynchronous and synchronous technologies Students can access the tools and resources at any time from any place Even when students meet synchronously via compressed video, a supporting class web site can be an important resource
Issues in Distance Education Learning Management Systems (LMS) Alternative to traditional class web sites Resource tool schools purchase to create full integrated online classroom Enables school to obtain consistent look and feel across district Offers tools for teachers for grading and assessment
Issues in Distance Education Teacher and Student Readiness Teachers and/or students need to accept: New roles and responsibilities New technologies and how to use them Students need to be less passive, more responsible learners
Issues in Distance Education Preparation and Classroom Management Time Teachers often surprised by amount of time required to: Learn required techniques, to prepare and plan Respond to increased volume of student interactions Districts need to provide and funding support for alternative instruction programs
Issues in Distance Education Technical Support, critical to have: Technical support in place Backup plans, systems, and clear direction on how to proceed when failures occur is vital Instructional Support, students need access to: Teachers for clarifications and questions Resources to help them meet course objectives
Issues in Distance Education Copyright critical issue for teachers TEACH (Technology Education and Copyright Harmonization) Act clarifies guidelines of fair use for DE Rules complex and often more restrictive than for face-to-face classrooms TEACH Act is important and necessary first step in copyright clarification for DE
Future of Distance Education Reinventing the Classroom: The Future of Distance and Alternative Delivery: Answering new demands on schools from technology and changing society Teachers need to be familiar with technology and its application to DE