Elements of Distance Education Diffusion

One element of distance education that is creating more effective learning experiences and creating a divide between face-to-face (F2F) and distance learning is the collaborative interaction that is available to classmates enrolled in distance education courses. The concerns with geographical distance has changed because there are so many tools available on-line now to promote collaboration such as Google docs, Skype, and social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). The use of discussion boards, wikis, blogs, and podcasts have also changed the digital learning arena. These asynchronous methods of collaboration provide additional ‘think time’ before learners respond, providing a deeper, richer learning experience (Boulos, M., Maramba, I., & Wheeler, S., 2006).  Students are able to bring their own devices to school that support school learning and the curriculum and travel with information back and forth between school and home without the burden of heavy books (Jen, 2012, June 29).

In the corporate environment, through distance education mediums, professionals find comfort in the ability to collaborate (meet, discuss, make decisions) globally, preventing the need for expensive, time-consuming travel to other parts of the world.  On-line collaborative tools allow corporate executives opportunities to effectively asynchronously and synchronously share information

Families are growing more comfortable utilizing technology to keep in touch with far away loved ones, thus the comfort level of society is improving the overall feel for and acceptance of collaborative distance education.  Now that one can hold a Skype conference via a smartphone, opportunities for collaboration are only a “reach-out” away. If initiated, the benefits of technology and the collaborative opportunities it provides are seemingly limitless.

References:

Boulos, M., Maramba, I., & Wheeler, S. (2006). Wikis, blogs and podcasts: a new generation of Web-based tools for virtual collaborative clinical practice and education. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1564136/

Jenn. (2012, June 29) Re: Are We at the “Tipping Point” in K-12 Education? [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://blog.blackboard.com/company/featured/are-we-at-the-%e2%80%9ctipping-point%e2%80%9d-in-k-12-education/