Weeks 1 & 2 Reflection
On the Discussions page you can see my definition of Distance Education "pre- MDE." In the first two weeks of being a student at UMUC, my idea of what DE is all about changed drastically. Previously, when I thought of DE, I really thought of "online learning." I had totally forgotten the concepts of correspondence education that dates back to the 19th century and the evolution or the "generations" of Distance Education as it is described by Moore and Kearsley in Distance Education: A Systems View of Online Learning (pp. 24). My understanding of DE has changed greatly in the short amount of time that I've been in the program. I love the conversations with my classmates because most of them have much more experience than I do. As this course continues, my hope is that I will learn more about the characteristics of DE.
As an online learner, I have a lot to learn simply about...learning! I have realized how organized I need to be and how involved I should be in the learning process. In the classroom, participating is as simple as raising your hand; in the online classroom, participating takes more effort and more involvement. I have to get used to getting online multiple times a day and participating regularly. My view of MDE has changed in that it's going to take a lot more effort and involvement to be successful. I have some friends that move through their Master's programs with little effort and much ease, and receive degrees without having to learn much. I'm excited to be a part of a program that I will actually take something from!
...On to week 3...
Kearsley, G. & Moore, M.G. (2005). Distance Education: A systems view of online learning. Belmont, Ca: Wadsworth"
As an online learner, I have a lot to learn simply about...learning! I have realized how organized I need to be and how involved I should be in the learning process. In the classroom, participating is as simple as raising your hand; in the online classroom, participating takes more effort and more involvement. I have to get used to getting online multiple times a day and participating regularly. My view of MDE has changed in that it's going to take a lot more effort and involvement to be successful. I have some friends that move through their Master's programs with little effort and much ease, and receive degrees without having to learn much. I'm excited to be a part of a program that I will actually take something from!
...On to week 3...
Kearsley, G. & Moore, M.G. (2005). Distance Education: A systems view of online learning. Belmont, Ca: Wadsworth"
Week 3&4 Reflection
Since week 2 ended, my definition of DE has evolved in such a way that I know we must include other demensions to differentiate it from traditional learning. I the beginning, I was more concerned about simplicity for the sake of my understanding, but now I know that it is nessecary to include more faccets. Referring back to the definition I used in my discussion for weeks 1&2, I have come to understand the importance of a few more terms. "Distance Education is teaching and planned learning in which teaching normally occurs in a different place from learning, requiring communication through technologies as well as special instituional organization." (Kearsley, pg. 2) I have come to understand, as Kearsley explains in his book, that the learning must be "planned" and that there needs to be a separate structure set up within an institution that is specifically designed for DE.
There's a West African Adinkra symbol know as Sankofa, which depicts a bird walking forward, but looking back. Sankofa means "return and get it" and it is the symbol that represents learning from the past. I believe that it is truly important to look back on the past and where DE started so that we can have an idea of where we are going. We need to learn and understand what the founders of DE stood for so that we can carry the torch. In addition, we need to be aware so that we can pass the information to our future students, peers, etc. We are in the midst of a (r)evolution and we have to continue in the right direction.
This week we started creating a grid that shows the flow of the history of the development of DE. When the grid is compete, I will post it in the Artifacts page of this site. We worked in small groups to start on a document that we could share. Whenever you're placed into a group with people you don't know, it's hard to determine who will lead, where you will start, and how you will complete the task. It seemed that no one person wanted to seem bossy or pushy and we all wanted to respect each others' schedules. Sometimes it just takes one person to take the initiative and step out of their box to get things going. Creating the grid did much more than help me understand the development of DE, but it is also teaching me how to work in a group over great distances and time zones. I am learning valuable skills that will help me to hlep my future students.
There's a West African Adinkra symbol know as Sankofa, which depicts a bird walking forward, but looking back. Sankofa means "return and get it" and it is the symbol that represents learning from the past. I believe that it is truly important to look back on the past and where DE started so that we can have an idea of where we are going. We need to learn and understand what the founders of DE stood for so that we can carry the torch. In addition, we need to be aware so that we can pass the information to our future students, peers, etc. We are in the midst of a (r)evolution and we have to continue in the right direction.
This week we started creating a grid that shows the flow of the history of the development of DE. When the grid is compete, I will post it in the Artifacts page of this site. We worked in small groups to start on a document that we could share. Whenever you're placed into a group with people you don't know, it's hard to determine who will lead, where you will start, and how you will complete the task. It seemed that no one person wanted to seem bossy or pushy and we all wanted to respect each others' schedules. Sometimes it just takes one person to take the initiative and step out of their box to get things going. Creating the grid did much more than help me understand the development of DE, but it is also teaching me how to work in a group over great distances and time zones. I am learning valuable skills that will help me to hlep my future students.
Wave 1 Reflection
As I stated in my last reflection, the evolution, or revolution is Distance Education has been broken up into "waves." This week we finished doing the first wave. With the first wave of DE, quite honestly, "schooled" me in where DE really came from. Continuing with the theme of Sankofa, it really brought back the idea of knowing where you come from so that you can know where you're going. The most interesting part of the first Wave was learning about how the postal system made it possible to distribute educational materials to more rural parts of the country. The development of the Rural Delivery System is what made DE boom! In addition, it was interesting to learn who was participating in DE. I do not see myself as much of a DE scholar, but I certainly hopw to be a DE practioner. I think studying DE will build me up as a DE practitioner because it will help me to understand the foundations of Distance Education, how to properly use the tools and technologies available to me, and how to best educate my students. Learning collaboratively over a distance is extremely difficult! Each member of the group is in a different time zone, which makes it very difficult to have synchronous communication. When I send an email, it usually takes a day to get a response (longer, if the email is stuck in my spam box). On top of that, when a decision needs to be made, it is very hard to wait for everyones' opinions before acting. I'm sure things will get better.
Wave 2
I worked on Wave 2 with my group and the grid was coming along quite nicely. Each group member gave their input with great detail and even included sources. I was able to learn a lot from what they shared with the group. The most interesting thing that I learned was that the 2nd wave occured after the return of the soldiers from WWII and that they were the main source of DE students. It was also interesting that working professionals started to seek out an actual education through DE. I can't imagine being taught by a teacher without even one degree! Most of my teachers have had at least a Masters! The least interesting part of Wave two was the slow advancement of tecnology. While TV and radio and telephone came into play during Wave 2, it seemed to me that students and teachers weren't exactly sure how to incorporate that in the learning process. Radio even failed as a learning technology and became used strictly to entertainment.
The "aha! moment" occured when we discussed the development of Open Universities, which prior to this course, I did not really know existed. Actually, it's not that I didn't know they existed, but moreso that I didn't know that the institutions were called "open universities." My encounter with this term brought it all to life and started to bridge the gap from past to present because many of those instutions that were formed during the second wave are still in existence today!
As Wave 2 comes to a close, I struggle with my own personal issues and fight to keep up in class. I share this because this, I suppose, is the life of a DE student. As this is my first semester of online courses (besides one that I took in undergrad), I have to learn to balance and adapt. I can't let lifes changes stand in the way of me getting my education, but I tell you...it's getting harder and harder to sit down and focus on my studies with all that's going on around me. But being a DE student, again, is all about balance and discipline.... SIGH
The "aha! moment" occured when we discussed the development of Open Universities, which prior to this course, I did not really know existed. Actually, it's not that I didn't know they existed, but moreso that I didn't know that the institutions were called "open universities." My encounter with this term brought it all to life and started to bridge the gap from past to present because many of those instutions that were formed during the second wave are still in existence today!
As Wave 2 comes to a close, I struggle with my own personal issues and fight to keep up in class. I share this because this, I suppose, is the life of a DE student. As this is my first semester of online courses (besides one that I took in undergrad), I have to learn to balance and adapt. I can't let lifes changes stand in the way of me getting my education, but I tell you...it's getting harder and harder to sit down and focus on my studies with all that's going on around me. But being a DE student, again, is all about balance and discipline.... SIGH
Wave 3 Reflection
Just like in any class, especially online, students have dropped, and I have been moved to a different group. I'm glad that I wasn't one of them, because I know I can do this! My group, after Wave 2 was done, was reduced to just 2 people. Experiencing this has, in a way, brought to life what we've talked about in class with Dr. Otto Peters- dropout rates. Although DE is the most convenient form of education, some students can not balance too many classes with their work and home life schedules. I suppose that's what happened to my classmates.
So far in class, I think I'm learning A LOT more skills than I give myself credit for! Looking back at the course objectives, I believe that we are slowly (but surely) meeting everyone one of them. My favorite part, even though I complain about the work, is visiting different sites and making use of the technologies that will be available to use as a DE practitioner. I am definitely learning to use tools and media to make the most of my future students' learning experience.
Now on to the 3rd Wave....I will have to be brutally honest here. The move from my previous group to this one was one that I wish did not happen. My last group was thorough in thier research and contributions to the grid...almost too thorough. This group contributes way less and way less actively. I was able to transfer some information from my last grid to the new one, but I certainly did not want to copy or steal ideas that were not mine so I couldn't do too much. I'm not saying that my new group's work is not good enough, but I was able to learn more from my last. A big part of education, I believe, is learning from your peers and I enjoy that part the most.
With that being said, I was not able to learn as much from actually participating in the group activity as I was able to from participating in the discussions. The 3rd Wave, which is decribed by "web-based and internet communication" started around the late 1990's. At this point, many of the modes of communication we use today were starting to be used, making learnign and teaching a more smooth occurence when conducted over a distance. But of course, with all the techonology that was available, the students and teachers were both expected to do more. After all, if we can now participate in synchronous communication via the internet, I would expect you to be available for me to talk to. During the 3rd wave, I believe, the greatest change was the level of interactivity between students and teachers, students and students, and students and the media (Anderson and Garrisons 3 modes of interaction).
The 1990's is what I remember as being "back in the day" and so during the 3rd wave, I really started to connect and understand. It all makes sense now ;)
So far in class, I think I'm learning A LOT more skills than I give myself credit for! Looking back at the course objectives, I believe that we are slowly (but surely) meeting everyone one of them. My favorite part, even though I complain about the work, is visiting different sites and making use of the technologies that will be available to use as a DE practitioner. I am definitely learning to use tools and media to make the most of my future students' learning experience.
Now on to the 3rd Wave....I will have to be brutally honest here. The move from my previous group to this one was one that I wish did not happen. My last group was thorough in thier research and contributions to the grid...almost too thorough. This group contributes way less and way less actively. I was able to transfer some information from my last grid to the new one, but I certainly did not want to copy or steal ideas that were not mine so I couldn't do too much. I'm not saying that my new group's work is not good enough, but I was able to learn more from my last. A big part of education, I believe, is learning from your peers and I enjoy that part the most.
With that being said, I was not able to learn as much from actually participating in the group activity as I was able to from participating in the discussions. The 3rd Wave, which is decribed by "web-based and internet communication" started around the late 1990's. At this point, many of the modes of communication we use today were starting to be used, making learnign and teaching a more smooth occurence when conducted over a distance. But of course, with all the techonology that was available, the students and teachers were both expected to do more. After all, if we can now participate in synchronous communication via the internet, I would expect you to be available for me to talk to. During the 3rd wave, I believe, the greatest change was the level of interactivity between students and teachers, students and students, and students and the media (Anderson and Garrisons 3 modes of interaction).
The 1990's is what I remember as being "back in the day" and so during the 3rd wave, I really started to connect and understand. It all makes sense now ;)
End of the Course!
I don't mean to sound too excited...BUT I AM! This is my first semester of graduate school and I have finished (hopefully passing.lol).
One of the greatest challenges that I have faced this semester is writing on the graduate level. I am not pleased with my grades so far on my writing assignments and I will be working very hard to progress and improve my writing skills. The greatest thing I accomplished is taking my first step into DE. Coming into this program, I wasn't exactly sure of what to expect or even of what I was going to learn. I chose this program because I knew it would help me further my goal of becoming an instructor and DE would be perfect since I have to pick up and move so often (life of the military wife).
I was able to develop my own definition of DE, which brings together what I've learned in this course. To me, Distance Education is the teaching and learning of materials over physical distance, using media and technology which are strategically chosen as a part of a planned cirriculum by an institution or organization.
Yup. That about sums it up! I have completed the course, and have registered for the Summer semester. I await it with great anticipation!
One of the greatest challenges that I have faced this semester is writing on the graduate level. I am not pleased with my grades so far on my writing assignments and I will be working very hard to progress and improve my writing skills. The greatest thing I accomplished is taking my first step into DE. Coming into this program, I wasn't exactly sure of what to expect or even of what I was going to learn. I chose this program because I knew it would help me further my goal of becoming an instructor and DE would be perfect since I have to pick up and move so often (life of the military wife).
I was able to develop my own definition of DE, which brings together what I've learned in this course. To me, Distance Education is the teaching and learning of materials over physical distance, using media and technology which are strategically chosen as a part of a planned cirriculum by an institution or organization.
Yup. That about sums it up! I have completed the course, and have registered for the Summer semester. I await it with great anticipation!