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Jules Verne and me

What one technology or one software product would you include in the trade show component of a DE conference designed to showcase the technologies that will be most important to DE in the future?

Give a strong reason for your recommendation based on something you have read about your technology in the literature: Would your recommended technology be different if you had to organize two shows -- one in New York and one in a city from the third world?


I will first answer to the second questions. My vision for the future is global, it is no longer necessary to produce hardware and software for the West and another set for the third world. My DE conference’ golden child is a one size fits all product . It is an just a hint bigger than an iphone, resembling the netbook but with all the applications of the iphone. The phone is solar powered and connect to the internet through satellite. Inexpensive , multitasking the NETPHONE is connecting the world with such old technology such as Skype, facebook, Ning, Moodle, Twitter but with the newer ones FLIP, MIGG and GOGG*. A very strong filter system has also been invented to protect intellectual property of teachers and institutions (as well as private entities) and password are as important as social security number and are now extremely secured. Your NETPHONE is always with you but does connect to larger screen and keyboards or voice activated sensors.
We are in charge.
It is Downes lengthy articles which sent me into this Jules Vernes like world, my favorite quote from his article is “we stand at the cusp of this new vision, the future will see institutions and traditional forms of education receding gradually, reluctantly, to a tide of self-directing and self-motivated learners.” Downes (2008).

This is way too much fun to think about!

Downes, S. (2008) The Future of Online Learning: Ten Years On. Retrieved December 15, 2008, from http://www.downes.ca/files/future2008.doc

* this new technology is not yet invented

Climbing the mountain

Our class is coming to an end very fast now. While I have not done as much reading this week I found myself learning even more by interacting with other students in our Typology assignment. I have a better idea of what Distance Education is and mostly what it is to me. As a DE learner, I must be aware of my needs and meet those needs through technology. In a F2F class I enjoy the camaraderie during breaks as much as the class itself, because that interaction is immediately positive when we (of course) discuss the course content on an informal plan. The CHAT capability of OMDE 601 offered me that part . I must say I had not started the chat, but I learned that if I want such interaction in the future I must start the conversation. In the past few weeks, I am defining DE as a learner and a teacher within my own set of current attributes. Combining DE and F2F has become clearer for me, and that was my goal.

Role of the Instructor.

This week, I had to think about the role of the instructor in a DE course and below you can find my entry for this topic. What I have learned most this week is that I am not yet used to the DE process. We are more than halfway done with summer courses and I just discover how much I need to learn about APA . I did not give much time to that part of my studies. The readings have been so copious, APA lost in the battle of time. Comments from a professor in another class while useful are coming late in the game and I suddenly realized that in a F2F situation, I would have talked to the professor ahead of time and checked with other students to get some input on what I was writing. How can I shift my thinking and get the same feedback in DE?
The role of the instructor in a Distance Education course is multifaceted and not in isolation. The concept of the instructor being the only expert for the course is deconstructed. The expertise of the instructor works in unison with the expertise of the tech team (Program designer, production specialist, tech support …) An effective interaction between these different members of the “online Team” is essential for a successful course. Daniel and Marqui (1988) challenge the distance educators to “get the mixture right” when discussing the various forms of interactions between the learners and the teacher. Only with a well balance team aiming at getting their mixture right can we hope for a course with strong pedagogy and learner satisfaction.
The lead instructor must have a clear sense of the methodology he/she wants to use to achieve the desired outcome. Once the outcome of the course is defined and the steps outlines, the technology is adapted to it. The technology used must be part of the overall pedagogy. Anderson (2003) states that the main responsibility of distance educators is to “ insure that the modes of interaction that we practice maximize the attainment of all legitimate educational objectives.” Thus both instructor and tech team need to measure and reflect upon the methods used to deliver the content.
The instructor in DE must have much more empathy than the F2F instructor, it is in fact the only way the instructor can motivate students and support their studies. Moore-Kearsley (p136) remind us that DE instructors the “ability to sense their student’s personalities, even when filtered through technologically transmitted communications.”
The lead instructor must also direct and support the other instructors in the management of the course and in the interactions between instructors and students. The supervision of students and groups progress is also an important part of the instructor’s work. In fact the instructor resembles a referee kicking the ball back into the field when it goes past the sidelines. The instructor must be vigilant to the moves of the players/students to keep the course going and the purpose of the class achieved.
The role of the DE instructor is much more comprehensive than for the F2F teacher, it is also much more under the microscope. Teacher accountability is at a high level.
References

Anderson, T. (2003). Modes of interaction in distance education: Recent developments
And research questions. In M. G Moore & W. G. Anderson (Eds.), Handbook of
Distance education (pp. 129-144). Mahway, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates,
Publishers. (Reserved Reading).

Effective teaching

As I read more and more on the subject of Distance Education , I am discovering that the entire system of education is at stake here. Distance Education is no longer a separate entity from F2F education . DE is education, because it represents the world we live in and the students we serve. In fact DE should no longer considered itself a detached dimension of F2F, it is in fact the essence of good teaching and accountability.

Things go fast !

On Saturday I was an Digital Immigrant, and was quite satisfied with it. The term defined me in term of when my digital knowledge came about without restricting me from becoming even more savvy as a Digital native. It is only two days latter and now I hear of the Digital Melting pot! I also read that I might be a digital colonist and have Digital wisdom. At this point, whatever label I choose to give myself, I am going to remain ...a lifelong learner. Is'nt it what I
have always been afterall.





Stoerger, S. (2009). The digital melting pot: Bridging the digital native-immigrant divide. First Monday 14(7). Retrieved July 13, 2009, from [ http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2474/2243

I am again an immigrant

I was totally aware that I was an immigrant when I came to the US as a young adult. I had my green card and always checked "permanent resident" on an form I had to fill. Time passed and I became a US citizen and the paperwork became easier. Here I am taking courses in Distance Education and discovering that I am again an immigrant: A digital immigrant no less!
Will I ever be a native of somewhere or something? I guess that is the price to pay for being a citizen of the world and a learner!

It is never too late!

This is my very first time blogging and I am entering this world with caution. I guess I am a true Digital Immigrant. I used pen and ink (purple ink in a small white ceramic container)in elementary and middle school. I never used a calculator in high school (we had a sliding ruler)I never used a typewriter when I was in college, I used to hire someone to type my papers because the professors did not want the "onion skin" paper used and that was the only way I could have survived typing a 20 page document - it allow me to correct my mistakes. When I went to graduate school I did get a computer (a mac)and that was scary. I had to remember to save regularly and label all my disks in order to stay organized.
Well here I am today, in a DE course. I feel like an explorer in a jungle, wondering what will jump at me next but keeping my eyes wide open at the extraordinary adventure I am in.

OMDE 603

I am now entering the world of blogging for the first time.