A
Diffusion of Distance Education
I agree with the
view that distance education has enhanced collaborative interaction.
Face-to-face courses do not deliver the same experience as distant education
because in face-to-face courses, students may often congregate from nearby
communities or the same community. In distant education, students naturally
have a higher likelihood to congregate via the Internet from anywhere on earth.
This increases the possibilities of collaboration, all while making
collaboration more efficient.
According to Barbara
(June 27, 2011), distance education is most successful when it results in
collaborative learning through the use of groups and teams. Barbara (June 27, 2011) believes that
although technology can promote isolated learning experiences, distance education
can be very beneficial if conducted appropriately. I believe that distance
education is a transition that one has to adapt to. Once the new culture of
learning becomes comfortable, it can be substantially more beneficial than
face-to-face learning.
Collaborative
interaction has also evolved due to technological advancements. According to the
Office of Instructional Consulting at Indiana University (July 13, 2012),
cloud-based storage allows collaborating students to work on the same project
together without the limitation of being at the same location. Cloud-based
storage is important in the future of distance education because there are fewer
limits to meeting fellow students at the “cloud” as opposed to meeting them
face-to-face.
Ultimately,
distance education has enhanced collaborative interaction. Distance education
promotes teamwork through technological advancements. These advancements make
collaborating more efficient. Distance education is an excellent way to get an
education and also take advantage of developing collaborative skills, which are
being used by more people each and every day.
References
Barbara. (June 27, 2011). Community
and collaborative learning. Social
Learning Blog. Retrieved from http://www.dashe.com/blog/social- learning/community-and-collaborative-learning
The Office of Instructional
Consulting, Indiana University. (July 13, 2012). The instructional
innovations blog. Retrieved from http://icoblog.wordpress.com/category/distance-education/
