Reflection Distance Learning is a fast growing part of education. This course looks at distance learning and how the distance learner learns and what types of technology is associated with distance learning. The future of distance learning is one of great promise. Dr. George Siemens discusses at great lengths three areas for the future state of distance education. These areas are growing acceptance of distance education, distance education benefits corporations and distance education will be impacted. As we look at the growing acceptance of distance education. There are four main points to convey and they are the increase in online communication, practical experience with new tools, growing comfort with online discourse and ability to communicate with diverse and global groups. How does distance education benefit corporations? This is done by allowing them to interact with different offices around the world. For example, IBM is a global company with offices all around the world. Distance education allows IBM to offer classes or courses to people anywhere and anytime. This can be done through webinars or online instructional tools such as CMS. Lastly, the impact that will be impacted by distance education is new communication technologies, contributions by experts around the world and increased use of multimedia, games, and simulations. Throughout my courses at Walden, we have been introduced to different tools and technologies that enhance our overall understanding of distance learning. We have learned about CMS, Adobe software which includes software such as Dreamweaver and Photoshop. I found this article in education atlas which discusses the future of distance education. The article discusses distance learning for the 1990’s and how impactful it will be in the future. I am using this article to illustrate the importance of distance education today. Brey's (1991) report of U.S. postsecondary distance learning programs predicted that the decade of the 1990's would see such phenomenal growth in distance education programs that most people in the United States would be served by at least one program. Much of this growth is expected to take place in the community colleges. As of 1994, 80% of community colleges in the United States offered some form of distance education program, and that percentage and the extent of their involvement are expected to increase throughout the decade. Here we are 20 plus years later after this prediction was made. We can surely see that this is a prediction that has come true. As we stretch 20 years from today, distance learning will surely be the primary source for education. As an instructional designer, it is our job to continue to grow the knowledge of distance learning and how distance learning is equal or even better than face-to-face learning. According to Swan (2003), student performance in an online course is equivalent or higher than a traditional class with the same assessments and objectives. It is my job as I continue to learn about distance learning and receiving this degree to learn all I can as a designer so that in return I can give back to the next person who one day will be in my shoes. We must become pro active and promote distance learning with a passion like many other passions that are near to our hearts. I have been challenged in this course as well as others because I am stepping outside of my comfort zone. For this reason, I can be a positive moving force for change in the area of distance learning. Brey, R. "U.S. Postsecondary Distance Learning Programs in the 1990s: A Decade of Growth." Washington, DC: American Association of Community and Junior Colleges, Instructional Telecommunications Consortium, 1991. (ED 340 418) Swan, K. (2003). Learning effectiveness: what the research tells us. In J. Bourne & J. C. Moore (Eds) Elements of Quality Online Education, Practice and Direction. Needham, MA: Sloan Center for Online Education, 13-45. Siemens, G. (n.d.). The Future of Distance Education. Retrieved June 13, 2012 from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_549515_1%26url%3D

This week’s assignment deals with open courseware. The course which I am evaluating is from MIT and the course is communication for managers. The course is described as writing and speaking skills necessary for a career in management. Students polish communication strategies and methods through discussion, examples, and practice. Several written and oral assignments most based on material from other subjects and from career development activities (Hartman, 2002). From our reading material for this week and watching the video resources from Dr .George Piskurich, The planning and designing phase of online courses are very important to the overall success of the course. According to Dr. George Piskurich, there are two things needed when developing an online course. The two things are a story board which maps out the flow and a site map which shows the students how to move through the course. The course from MIT is similar to our course outline with Walden. There are six categories which one can navigate through this course. These six are course home, syllabus, calendar, reading, lecture notes and assignments. The syllabus gives further insight into the course as it relates to course meeting times, course objectives, text and material and grading of course assignment. It is clear the course is designed with the distance student in mind. The instructional environment should be viewed as a system, a relationship among all the components of that system---the instructor, the learners, the material, and the technology. Especially when planning for distance education, the instructor must make decisions that will affect all aspects of the system (Moore & Kearsley, 2005). As we look at each reading, there are lecture notes associated that the students can download and keep as their own material. This is a clear indication that the course is designed with the online student in mind because we are students that are in different time zones and different work schedules and this makes it easier for us to access material available for the class. In our text book there are fundamental of teaching online. Some examples of the fundamentals are stated purpose of the assignment, examples of acceptable and unacceptable topics, grading criteria, including areas of special emphasis due dates, point values, instructions for submitting the assignments such as in the CMS drop-box or as an e-mail attachment sent directly to the instructor ( Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, Zvacek, 2012). The MIT course gives instruction about when the assignments are due. It also reminds the students of key dates for certain parts of their presentations. The course describes how the students are to participate in their oral presentation. It gives the procedure to the students. All of which is listed in the syllabus. Overall, this course is a great example of what we have learned this week. It demonstrates the hard work of the instructional designer which includes the planning and designing of this website. The course shell which includes CMS, LMS, WIKI or HTML is also part of this course. The course is using a CMS such as blackboard. The alpha test and beta test for this course has been applied because the course is very well put together and thought out. http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-280-communication-for-managers-fall-2008/syllabus/ Piskurich G. (n.d.). Planning and Designing Online Course. Multimedia Resources. Laureate Education Piskurich Simonson G. (n.d.). Developing Online Course. Multimedia Resources. Laureate Education. M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearsonch

Example 3: Asynchronous Training Asynchronous distance education means that instruction is offered and students access it at separate times, or anytime is convenient to them (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, Zvacek, 2012). Kalliance.com states that asynchronous training occurs remotely, where students partake in the course according to their own time frame, their own schedule, or their own choosing as it fits into their lifestyle. An example of this method would be self-study, self-paced classes, conducted and studied online or through the use of a computer based training CD or DVD (www.kalliance.com). As we look at the scenario for the poor safety records and the company is looking for modules that should involve step-by-step processes and the method of delivery needs to be available to all shifts at the plant. The goal is to get all employees engaged and to demonstrate their learning from the modules. The learning technology I would use is Web 2.0 technology. According to Teaching and Learning at a Distance 2012, Web 2.0 applications emerged as a tool to promote collaboration, networking, sharing, and widespread generation of content and the editing and mixing of content from diverse sources for new purposes through a model call the mash-up, by both groups and individuals. Examples of web 2.0 are blogging, wikis, podcasting, social bookmarking and social networking. For the purpose of the scenario I would use Edu2.0. I would create a portal that can be easily accessed by all shifts as well as the supervisors. Once the portal is accessed each person can look at the class catalogs and start in sequence. Each class demonstrates the need information for the safety training modules and would illustrate best practices on how to safely operate the many pieces of heavy machinery on the plant floor. The good thing about Edu2.0 is they offer self-paced classes so there is no hurry to complete without really understanding the material. At the end of each section would be an assessment of what the individual has learned. This would be needed before proceeding to the next section. The last part of the classes would be open forum discussion between the difference shifts as well as supervisors. Discussion allows them to post their feedback and to discuss other colleague’s comments. In closing, Edu2.0 offers text, images, videos, audio, slideshows and SCORM modules. SCORM stands for Sharable content Object Reference Model. SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) is a collection of specifications that enable interoperability, accessibility and reusability of web-based learning content. SCORM content can be delivered to learners via any SCORM-compliant Learning Management System (LMS) using the same version of SCORM (“Intelligence,” n.d.). I would incorporate these modules into the overall training of the employees to make sure that each employee has an understanding of what is needed to operate the heavy machinery and to be safe while doing it. (www.kalliance.com http://www.edu20.org/ http://clickables.moodlerooms.com/spaces/steps/manuals/joule/lessons/7990-What-is-the-SCORM-module- Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson

My map of distance education

http://www.webspirationpro.com/view/1160416a23a71

Distance Learning Distance Learning education is a term that is used to described many different avenues of learning for the student. My first encounter with distance learning was while working on my undergraduate degree. The class was a managerial accounting class that was offered on Tuesday from 6-10 pm. The class was the first of its kind for Georgia Southwestern. The class consists of undergraduate students and graduate students. I attended class at GSW and the distance learning class was offered in another city about 30 miles away. The teacher would teach and ask question for both campuses. Back then, it was a overhead projector screen and the teacher would call to the other school so they could satellite in. 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 (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, Zvacek, 2012). Distance education has changes to stay current with today’s evolution of education. According to Teaching and Learning at a Distance, distance education starts with correspondence study back in 1833. Correspondence study is simply slow mail. For example, you are taking a class on drawing and the schools send you the assignment through the mail. You prepare the drawings and return them in the mail. You and the school are corresponding with each other concerning your work. The evolution continues with electronic communications and in the 1920’s at least 176 radio stations were constructed at educational institutions. By the 1930’s, experimental television teaching programs were produced at the University of Iowa, Purdue University and Kansas State College (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, Zvacek, 2012). All of these were advancements for the field of distance learning education. Last we have distance teaching universities which comes in the 1960’s. Open University in 1971 offers full degree programs, sophisticated courses, and innovative use of media (Holmberg, 1986). In 2012, we can look at Walden University as a distance teaching university. Walden offers many degree programs and technological advancements in the field of online learning. According to Wikipedia, Walden has almost 50,000 students (Wikipedia, 2012). This is distance learning at its best. I am a student in Georgia while there are other students across the United States taking classes as well. Distance learning also looks at effective communication. Communication occurs when two or more individuals wish to share ideas. Communication in a distance education environment happens when learners interact with one another and with their instructor (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, Zvacek, 2012). There are different distance education technologies available. The list includes correspondence study, prerecorded media, two-way audio, two-way audio with graphics, one-way live video, two-way audio, one-way video, two-way audio/video and desktop two-way audio/video. After the first week of reading and learning about distance learning education, my originally thought and idea of what distance education hasn’t changed. I can say this because over the years I have read and researched about education and how it has evolved. I define distance education as technology tools, instructors and students that communicate through different avenues to express our view of trending topics, educational advancement and overall day to day life. In the end, the main objective is to make sure than learning has taking place.

I would like to take the opportunity to welcome my new blog friends to my blog.  I am excited about meeting each of you and learning some wonderful things from each of you. 

Reflection Paper

Course Reflection

Edward Sampson

Walden University

Dr. Shirley Weaver

Learning Theories and Instruction EDUC-6115-2

August 21, 2011

               Learning theories and instruction takes you on a journey through the learning maze and allows an individual to process and understand learning through many different forms.   The one thing that I find striking was the different types of learning styles and strategies but most are similar in a lot of ways.  The course differentiate be learning styles and learning theories.   Ertmer and Newby, 1993 state the way we define learning and what we believe about the way learning occurs has important implications for situations in which we want to facilitate changes in what people know and or do.  Learning theories provide instructional designers with verified instructional strategies and techniques for facilitating learning as well as a foundation for intelligent strategy selection. The article looks at behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism.  These were theories that I found to be striking.  Behaviorist theories are where learners relate to physical/visible stimuli and responses (Omrod, 2011). Cognitive Theories connect to what is already known (Ormrod, 2009) and Constructivist theory is where learning is self led.  Learners construct theories of knowledge and know truths only by what they construct through their self-led instructions guided by their theories (Ormrod, 2009). 

  As I went through the course, I often find experiences from personal things throughout my life that relates to one or more of these theories.  From these experiences I am now able to form an understanding of how I learn and what way of learning is best for me.  From this process, I am able to say that I have at one point or another in my life learned from each theory or strategy.  Currently, I am an adult learner and learning is self directed for me.  I learn through participation starting with determining topics through final results (Lieb, 1991). Also, connectivism is also something that has deepened my understanding of my learning process.  We live in the social media age now and we connect through social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Blogs. 

Learning theories are defined as an attempt to describe how people and animals learn; thereby helping us understand the inherently complex process of learning. Learning theories have two chief values according to Hill (2002). One is in providing us with vocabulary and a conceptual framework for interpreting the examples of learning that we observe. The other is in suggesting where to look for solutions to practical problems.  Learning styles such as visual, kinesthetic or practical are closely connect with learning theories in that it offers ways the student is able to learn the different theories. 

            Educational technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources Richey, R.C. (2008).  Again educational technology is at work with learning theories, styles all connecting the pieces together to help us learn and grow and instructional designers.  The last part of the puzzle is motivation.

               Motivation has many different theories and strategies as well.  One that I love is Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs.   Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs is one that is significant to adult learners.  Maslow theory has five levels.  Maslow believes humans are not pushed by mechanical forces but by potential.  The five basic needs are physiological needs which consist of the need for oxygen, food, water.  The second is safety needs which are the need for security.  Thirdly, we have the need for love and affection.  The need to belong is the key component.  Fourth, we have the need for esteem.  For example, the need for respect in the work place.  Your manager has given you a project to complete and you are commended on a job well done in front of your peers and other managers.  The person feels self confident and valued.  The last need is self actualization.  The individual feels a sense of purpose is achieved.  The worker believes in his job and understands he is able to accomplish all aspects of the job.  

               This course is the launching pad for me as I continue to pursue my degree in instructional design.  I can use each learning style or theory as I progress through other course.  I know that I can apply any one of these and have a great outcome in the course.  

References

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50–71.

Ormrod, Jeanne. (2011). Behaviorism and Instructional Design. Video for Walden University.

Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York:

Pear Lieb, Stephen. (1991). Principles of Adult Learning. VISION. Retrieved on April 16, 2011 from http://

honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-2.htm.son

http://www.answers.com/topic/learning-theory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_technology#cite_note-0