The Journey of Integrating Technology


Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Module 2: Distance Education Diffusion

In the growing acceptance of distance education, the ways in which students participate in collaborative interactions has evolved. Dr. George Siemens (Laureate Education Inc., 2008) explains the benefit of growing a comfort with online discourse, explaining the Triple Helix Model of Education. This is explained as where, “we have universities, we have government, and we have business. And the three of them together form a strand of interaction to provide and to equip students for this online environment” (Laureate Education Inc., 2008). As collaborative interactions have evolved, all aspects of society are working together to use distance education and collaboration tools for interacting and completing tasks synchronously and asynchronously.
To facilitate such interactions, online tools such as wiki pages and blogs can be used by students for working in groups and collaborating on ideas. Virtual worlds also give students the opportunity to collaborate globally online and gain practical experience with new hardware and software tools.

http://minerclass.edublogs.org/2010/12/31/collaborative-interaction-in-distance-education…/
In supporting all of the aspects of collaboration in distance education, Micah Miner (2010) posted in a blog that, “wikis can promote collaboration in group assignments, encourage negotiation, and make students comfortable with new generation of technology tools” (2010). This refers to the same growing comfort with online discourse explained by Dr. Siemens, allowing students to feel as though their contributions are recognized as a part of the group.

http://k12-virtual-worlds.com/2011/01/25/bringing-the-classroom-into-the-21st-century/
In this blog by K-12 Virtual Worlds (2011), a teacher explains the reasons supporting educational virtual worlds, stating that, “Avatar Storytellers allows you to engage your K-12 students in virtual worlds for learning, while teaching them valuable 21st Century computer and technology skills.” Not only has the level of technology increased, but the evolution of collaborative interactions between individuals and groups has motivated students to engage in more distance learning and communications.

http://blog.pbworks.com/
This blog by PBworks introduces an improved tool for collaboration called LiveBar. It is an innovative tool that would be useful and worth diffusing for businesses. Its capabilities continue to evolve as it adds on new features.
Tiffany Harrell

References

K-12 Virtual Worlds. (2011). Bringing the classroom into the 21st century. Retrieved from http://k12-virtual-worlds.com/2011/01/25/bringing-the-classroom-into-the-21st-century/

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). The future of distance education. [Video webcast]. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5701360&Survey=1&47=9580570&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Miner, Micah. (2010). Collaborative interaction in distance education. Retrieved from http://minerclass.edublogs.org/2010/12/31/collaborative-interaction-in-distance-education…/

5 comments:

  1. Like you, I focused on collaborative interaction. I believe collaborative interaction and communication to depend one upon the other so a lot of the information of my post spoke of these two elements of distance education. As you’ve stated, because of various technologies, communication and collaborative interactions amongst individuals has greatly advanced and enhanced. We see this in our personal lives, as well as our academic and professional lives. The experiences and skills that we develop are often transferrable, as the communication tools that we use in our personal lives are usually the same ones that can be used in educational and business settings.

    We highlighted some of the same online tools that are used to assist and enhance student’s collaborative interactions in distance education. However, I didn’t consider virtual worlds, as I’ve never experimented with this tool. Overall, I think that today’s technologies make the ideas of communication and collaboration easier and better in educational institutions and businesses. I enjoyed reading your post.

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  2. Tiffany,
    I concur with the aspect of progress towards business applications if management will see the inherent value of their resources for this venue of both training and communication; while many products exist such as Adobe Connect, much more can be more effectively accomplished if they venture outside the proverbial BOX.
    Best
    David Miller

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  3. I, Jessica Green, am the Anonymous writer from above. I switched browsers (from Internet Explorer to Firefox) and now I am able to post properly.

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  4. Hi Tiffany,
    I have always wondered about virtual worlds. Have you ever experimented with virtual worlds? The school districts where I work have an island through SecondLife called SLEEC Island. I was invited to join but I can not seem to find the time to join.

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  5. Brigit,
    Through my Master's work in Walden I have researched and learned about virutal worlds such as Second Life, but I have not had any direct experience using them for communication and learning. Although, from what I have read and heard from others, they demonstrate the evolution that has taken place in online learning environments and are useful to create classroom settings. Since you have accessibility to Second Life, I suggest looking into it more and giving it a try! Let me know what you think.

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