Converting to a Distance Learning Format

           Converting from a face-to-face traditional classroom to a distance learning (blended) environment

 can be hard but it is possible. "Distance education and face-to-face education should have the same 

learning outcomes and provide equivalent learning experiences to meet those outcomes" (Laureate 

Education, Inc., n.d.). Regardless of the environment, all learning experiences should be met and every 

person should be able to flourish in the distance learning (blended) environment. "A blended or hybrid 

course combines online and face-to-face delivery; thus, 30% to 79% of the course's content is delivered 

online" (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2012, p. 5). When using a distance learning (blended) 

environment to teach, it gives way of using new technologies. Technologies that students are not able to

 use unless in a distance learning environment. Within this, the training manager will better understand 

what are some pre-planning strategies before converting his program, how to use original ideas and 

convert them to distance learning format, ideas for what the facilitator's new role will be and what he 

should do to help the students to better communicate.



Click here to view my Application: Converting to a Distance Learning Format





References

         Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). Introduction to scholarly writing: Purpose, audience, and 

evidence [DVD].Theory and Distance learning. Baltimore, MD: Author

        Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a 

distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson

Open Yale

Open Source http://oyc.yale.edu/

            What is open source (or Open Course)? “Open source software is intended to be freely shared and can be improved upon and redistributed to others” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2012, p. 141). Before my researching today, I had never heard of this idea. “Open Course websites is class materials such as syllabi, reading lists, lecture notes, and other documents that were once used in an actual classroom and are now available to the public for free” (Littlefield, 2013). I never knew schools offered these types of programs. While researching all the different types of open source software listed in our resources, I realized how important this could be for students. “In our resources for the week, I noticed many different kinds of open sources, and all of them looked very interesting. The open source that I decided to pick and share is Open Yale because that was the most one that caught my attention the most.

            “Open Yale Courses (OYC) provides lectures and other materials from selected Yale College courses to the public free of charge via the Internet” (Open Yale Courses, 2013). I think this is a great idea, and more people should be aware that these courses are available. Like I stated before, I never knew these classes existed and I am glad that I know about these now. I could use these classes when I need to know more information about a certain topic. While looking through Open Yale courses, I realized everything is arranged so anything can be easily accessible. Open Yale makes it very easy to identify where to go and what to choose because everything is laid out so neatly.

            The layout on Open Yale makes it easy to find everything you need. While looking through all the different classes, I realized they offer many programs. When you choose a certain program, it gives you a “about the course” and “course structure” and then, it also gives you course materials that you can download. Lastly, at the bottom of is the “view class sessions” and it takes you to all the different chapters/lessons. When you pick a section, you want to learn about, it gives you the video of the professor teaching about that chapter/lesson. This site was carefully planned because every class is set up like this. Open Yale is designed for a distance learning environment, because it gives the students a chance to learn about a certain topic or idea without being constrained with a certain time or place, like distance learning. In addition, Open Yale would be a good distance-learning environment because this could be “applied to a tremendous variety of programs serving numerous audiences via a wide variety of media” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2012, p. 9). Open Yale course are for more independence, and allowing learners to teach themselves the ideas they want to learn more about.

            Open Yale does not follow the recommendations for online instruction as listed in the textbook “Teaching and Learning at a Distance”. Open Yale does select technologies for online instruction (videos) to explain about the notes/class. However, Open Yale does not “Determine the Learning Outcomes” because there are not learning outcomes. These Open Yale courses are to be used if you want to learn more about a certain idea. Also, it does not fit into “Identify Learning Experiences and Match Each to the Most Appropriate Available Technology”. Once again, there are not any ways to identify learning experiences because Open Yale courses are only for independent use. Students, who want to take these courses, are not connected to other students or professors.

            Within the Open Yale courses, there not activities, but some classes have problem sets that they have to answer after reading the notes or watching/listening to the lecture. These would be good for needing to see how much was obtained from the reading or watching/listen of the certain topic. However, when it comes to course activities that maximize active learning, Open Yale does not offer this. I think it might be very difficult to do this, especially not having instructor or classmates to discuss with. Maybe, in other classes and/or sections, they offer activities, but in the few different classes I selected and researched through, they only offer videos, lecture notes, and problem sets to complete.

            Overall, I feel Open Yale is a great program for someone who wants to know a little bit more about a certain idea or topic. It could be used as a distance-learning environment; the only difference is there is no instructor or students to communicate with.  The next time I find myself wondering about a certain topic or idea, I might have to travel to Open Yale and watch a few sessions or read a few notes, and I might be able to find my answers from these classes.

References

          Littlefield, J. (2013). Open courses. Retrieved from http://distancelearn.about.com/od/isitforyou/a/opencourseware.htm

            Open Yale (2013). Open Yale courses. Retrieved from http://oyc.yale.edu/

            Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a    

    distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Selecting Distance Learning Technologies

Scenario 1:

            “A new automated staff information system was recently purchased by a major corporation and needs to be implemented in six regional offices. Unfortunately, the staff is located throughout all the different offices and cannot meet at the same time or in the same location. As an Instructional Designer for the corporation, you have been charged with implementing a training workshop for these offices. As part of the training, you were advised how imperative it is that the staff members share information, in the form of screen captures and documents, and participate in ongoing collaboration.”

            Technology has changed the way people view the world. Technology especially has helped to change learning. Learning can be done in a face-to-face classroom, a hybrid/blended classroom, and even a web-facilitated classroom. The face-to-face classroom learning is still going strong for my students, but the blended/hybrid and web-facilitated numbers have been rising due to more students wanting to participate in distance learning environments. “Distance education is institution-based, formal education where the learning group is separated, and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources, and instructors” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2012, p. 7). Distance learning (education) gives the students endless possibilities for learning if they cannot participate in the face-to-face environments. Even recent corporations have started using distance learning to provide the employees proper training in certain areas.

Wikis

            Within this scenario, the staff is not centrally located in one section, which means they are located throughout many different offices, which may make it hard to meet. So for these people, they would have an asynchronous distance learning environment. This type of environment is where “learners choose when and where to learn and when and where to access instructional materials” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2012, p. 10). For this situation, I would choose the staff to use a Wiki to communicate and share thoughts among one another. According to Simonson, Smaldino, Albright and Zvacek (2012), “a wiki is usually thought to be a space designed to be created and edited by groups of persons” and “a wiki can be an excellent tool for collaborative online writing assignments and group activities compiling information in a single online resource (p. 129).

            “A natural tool for distance education, wikis enable instructors to create interactive activities for their students, and to present course information such as resources, external links, project information, and frequently asked questions” (Schwartz, Clark, Cossarin & Rudolph, 2004). The wikis will be used so the staff members can collaborate with one another about the information they found. According to Schwartz, Clark, Cossarin and Rudolph (2004), wikis are a growing trend, and they provide efficient, flexible, user friendly and cost-effective interface for collaboration, knowledge creation and archiving, and student interaction. This resource shows after viewing 24 universities that were using wikis for distance education, it was a positive environment. “It appears that the full Distance Education potential of wikis remains to be realized” because Wikis have only just started becoming a bigger deal (Schwartz, Clark, Cossarin & Rudolph, 2004).
According to Piotr Konieczny (2007), wikis represent far more than just new shiny gadgets for students to play with, they are new tools with potential to help teaching and learning, a continuation of the Internet revolution which happened barely over a decade ago that gave us new tools. This gives us new opportunities for educating, face-to-face or in distance learning. In the article, Wikis and Wikipedia as a Teaching Tool, they used Wikis to help students collaborate on ideas and how Wikis can be used for learning. “Studies on collaborative and cooperative learning suggest that interaction is the most important part of the virtual classroom; the interaction with others tudents” (Konieczny, 2007). If the staff is located in different office buildings, then a Wiki would be a perfect example of how they can communicate about the information. Konieczy (2007) stated although much technology needs yet to be developed before the concept of virtual universities becomes truly functional, Wikis offer an intriguing way for students to collaborate on real assignments in cyberspace. As you can see, there are many reasons that Wikis work for distance learning.Resources

Konieczny, P. (2007, January). Wikis and wikipedia as a teaching tool. Retrieved from http://www.itdl.org/journal/jan_07/article02.htm

Schwartz, L., Clark, S., Cossarin, M., & Rudolph, J. (2004). Technical evaluation report 27.educational wikis: features and selection criteria. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 5(1), Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/163/244

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Distance Learning

               

              My personal definition of distance learning before storing classes at Walden University, was receiving an education by going into a classroom or library to do school work (classroom) and not having a teacher in the room. Doing all your work online and submitting work via the internet. In my high school, we had a distance learning lab and it was the newest thing to the school. No other schools around us had anything like this, and students from other schools would come to our school just to use it. Everyone wanted to be a part of this classroom, but only a select group of students were able to do this. Later on, I realized it was a college level class where high school students were able to receive college level classes. In the room, it had a huge projector and once a week their professor would Skype with them on it and they were able to converse with their instructor. Also, at the school I teach at now, we have a virtual learning lab. In this lab, students are able to use school computers to attend their distance learning classes. Students in high school have the option to opt out of traditional classes and they can participate in the distance learning one. I have had many experiences with distance learning, but I did not realize how big it was until I started working at my school and starting classes at Walden University.

                After one week of reading resources about distance learning, I realized my definition has changed a bit from my earlier thoughts. My new definition of distance learning is a program that allows students to get an education without having to learn in a traditional classroom. With distance learning, students have a little bit more control on their own learning than in a traditional classroom. Traditional classrooms is teacher lead and oriented, but in a distance learning class students have more control of when they have time to get things done. My earlier definition of distance learning and my current definition seem to match up a bit, but I did leave out a few important details.

                I also came to my conclusion on distance learning after starting classes at Walden University. Never before, did I realize how nice it could be by learning and gaining an education online vs. traditional classrooms. According to Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, (2012), distance education is defined as institution based, formal education where the learning group is separated, and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources, and instructors (pg. 32). I feel through my online classes, I am learning through distance learning. I am receiving a formal education, and every person connects to the online class through telecommunications systems and they help to connect us to other students; all resources needed for classes, students, and instructors. It is nice having people who live all over the world as classmates because you learn many things from each individual classmates and it is nice to hear difference experiences.

                The future of distance learning is something that will constantly be changing. The future could be 5 years, 10 years, or even 20 years down the road and I cannot even begin to imagine in 20 years what distance learning will be like. In the future, I see distance learning becoming more and more popular. People always say you can do everything online, and now you can get a high school education, a college degree, and eve a masters degree without ever having to step in a classroom. Distance learning's definition will keep changing and I believe it will start getting more detailed. According to Moller, Foshay and Huett (2008), the growth of online distance learning is explosive in almost all sectors and in many developed and developing countries (pg. 66). I feel in the future, almost every country will have the capabilities for distance learning. Within the higher education section, I see all majors becoming a possibility through distance learning (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, 2008). Also, I see many more students participating in distance learning because it lets the students do the work on their own time and many higher education students have jobs or families that makes it nearly impossible to go to college classes all day. "Learning through virtual schooling is one of the fastest growing areas for K-12 schools" (Huett, Moller, Foshay & Coleman, 2008, pg. 63). In the future, I see many students opting out of traditional classroom settings and they will be participating in distance learning. With each new generation of kids, they will each be more advanced with technology and want to use it in the best way they can.

                The definition of distance learning is always changing because of the growth of technology. With technology growing more and more each year, the definition of distance learning will keep getting more specific. I feel distance learning will always be affected by how much technical knowledge a person has on a program or software. An example of how technology keeps growing is with the computer. A few years ago (5 or 10 years), no one could have predicted how the definition of a computer would have changed so much because of the new technologies we have today. When the computer first started out, we could play games and used very little. Today, almost every person has a computer/laptop and it is daily. Within the category of distance learning, it could be the same as the computer, it started off very little with only so many people participating in it, but in the future, it may be the only way to get an education. 

                                       

References

          Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Coleman, C. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63-67.

           Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52 (4), 66-70.

           Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Distance Learning

I am currently starting my 7th online class through Walden University in a field of Instructional Design and Technology. I am excited to start the Distance Learning class.

Welcome to my blog :)

Reflection on Learning Theories and Instruction

       The most surprising thing I learned during this class was about all the different types of learning theories. I never realized how many there were and how detailed they were. After completing the matrix on the different learning theories, how important each theory was. I had heard of behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism from my undergraduate psychology classes. I always thought I would never need to know these theories, and I always had a hard time paying attention. Now I realized after this class, that I use one or many of the theories many times a day and I never noticed it before. Another thing I learned is there are three other learning theories, Connectivism, Adult Learning, and Social Learning Theory. I have learned about many of the theorists that were described in all six theories, but I never remembered their theories, I guess. It is funny, out of all the theories we reviewed I think the most interesting theories for me was Adult Learning and Connectivism.  Adult Learning is known as Andragogy, and this is the art and sciences of helping adults learn (Conlan, Grabowski & Smith, 2003). I think I find this one the most interesting because I can relate to many things that Conlan, Grabowski & Smith discuss. I thought many of the problems I was having with balancing my other responsibilities were just me, here I find out that many people have the same problems. Being an adult learner, I realize why I am sometimes struggling to read topics, it is because adults are more interested in learning about subjects that have immediate relevance to their job or personal life (Conlan, Grabowski & Smith, 2003). I also found Connectivism very interesting because this is learning theory that integrates technology, social networks, and information (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). I am the type of person that loves to stay connected via the internet with emails or Facebook, and I like to surf the internet to learn new information. 

                 After this class, I have learned a lot of information about learning processes.  Before this class, I just knew I was visual and kinesthetic. Now after learning all the information about learning processes, I understand why I learn the way I learn.  "People learn in many different ways and may even have distinctive styles for learning and processing new information" (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). This sentence sticks out to me because I have to always remember, being a teacher, not every student will learn the same way. This class helped me to have a better understand of how some of my students learn.

                I have learned that learning theories, learning styles, educational technology, and motivation are all connected because it helps a student learn. Learning theories help students or teachers to understand what approach, or theorist, they can relate to and why they learn the way they learn. Then, this feeds into learning styles. The three different types of learning styles are Visual, Auditory, or Kinesthetic. Each individual student has a specific learning style that may be different from every other student. Educational technology is connected to learning styles because some students may learn better by seeing things on a computer, or just by learning from the technology on the computer. There are many educational topics to do on the computer, and students seem to learn better, when they are on the computer. Lastly, motivation is very important to students learning. Without motivation, the students will not learn the necessary topics needed to move forward in life. With motivation, students are able to understand and take with them the topics that they are being taught. Doing different types of activities, visual, auditory, or kinesthetic, may motivate more students to want to learn. For example, Science classes should not take notes all the time, you should be doing labs which would change the notes (visual or auditory)to labs (kinesthetic) because they are up moving and creating their own learning by what they are doing. We need to get students more motivated, and many times using the educational technology can help achieve this goal. Many of my students are more motivated to work when I tell them we will be using a computer. Something to always remember, the motivation of your learners is important factor that can affect the learning environment and the overall effectiveness of the learning experience (Laureate Education Inc., 2009).

                To be a successful Instructional Designer, you need to realize what types of technology are better for learning, and which would hinder the learner. After this class, I know I need to create appropriate learning environments that include different types of learning styles. I also, if it is an adult learning situation, I need to try to incorporate ways for the information to relate to their work or personal life. I have to be able to motivate the students to make them want to learn. In doing this, I need to plan lessons/activities that are more directed towards the students. This may increase motivation, and they will want to learn more.

 

 

 

 

References

Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult_Learning

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Introduction to scholarly writing: Purpose, audience, and evidence [DVD].Connectivism. Baltimore, MD: Author. George Siemens

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Introduction to scholarly writing: Purpose, audience, and evidence [DVD].Learning Styles and Strategies. Baltimore, MD: Author. Dr. Jeanne Ormrod

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Introduction to scholarly writing: Purpose, audience, and evidence [DVD].Motivation in Learning. Baltimore, MD: Author. Dr. Jeanne Ormrod

 

Learning Theories and Learning Styles

After learning about the different learning theories and learning styles, I have to say I am not sure about my learning theories but I do not think my learning styles have changed. I still feel I can relate more to the Cognitive Theory than the Behavioral Theory because I am always thinking, "how are my students going to learn this?".  Although, in the Behavioral Theory, I do feel positive and negative rewards and punishments are important. I feel more confident in the Cognitive Theory, but I can also relate to the Behavioral Theory now that I have learned so much information about it.  My learning styles I feel have not changed since I was in high school. Even after learning about the learning styles, I still feel strongly about being a visual and kinesthetic learner. Sometimes I wish I was an auditory learner because I think it would help with being a teacher, but I cannot seem to change this.

                After researching all the interesting learning theories and learning styles, I think the best learning theory that sticks out that explains my own personal learning would be Adult Learners. I am the type of person who gets bored if I am not reading about subjects that I find interesting, or relates to my job. According to Conlan, Grabowski & Smith (2003), Adult Learners need to be involved in the planning of their instructions, adults are most interested in learning about subjects that have immediate relevance to their job or personal life, and learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented.  This explains why I cannot get into some of the readings, because as Conlan, Grabowski & Smith said, the articles have nothing to do with my work or personal life. A negative against myself is I waited a little too long to start my masters, I should have started right after a year or two of receiving my job, instead I waited until almost six years. I know that does not seem like a long time, and to many people it is not, but to me, it is. I have been away from the college experience, writing papers, reading, and studying for many years, and it is hard to get back into the habit. "Most common reasons for adults to place themselves in learning environment is a life changing event, but once in the environment there are many factors that affect the learning experience: life experiences, work experiences, positive/negative previous adult learning experiences, time between learning interactions, and aging factors " (Conlan, Grabowski & Smith, 2003). Personally, I find the articles on Adult Learners the most interesting to read.

                Technology plays a huge role in my work and personal life.  At work, when given a break I am always on my laptop. I like to look up new games for the students, find new lessons/activities to help the students learn, or find articles to read to help myself become a better teacher. Even without the internet, I am always using Microsoft word to type up student information, to make up worksheets or accommodations of tests/quizzes, or to create organizers for myself for keeping the kids work organized.  At home, I am using the computer to look up information for my graduate papers, reading discussions online, and sometimes reading articles online. I am always searching for information when at home, because I am the type of person who enjoys getting on the internet and looking up information.  Technology is a big part of my life now because if I have a question or a concern I check the internet, I do not need to look any further.

 

Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning,                                                                       teaching, and technology. Retrieved from      http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult_Learning