Collaborative interaction use to consist of one classroom writing pen pal letter to another classroom in a different country. I remember doing this in middle school. I kept my Japanese pen pal for probably the next 5-6 years after middle school ended. We shared our letter with our class. But, that may not really be considered collaboration, in the true sense. Today, we use email, blogs, wikis, nings, instant messaging via carriers like Skype, AIM or MSN Web Messenger. Teacher can collect assignments using email or postings. Open Source Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Moodle allow teachers and students from around the globe to collaborate. “For example, there are tools like Skype and Instant Messager which allows students to talk online synchronously, and allows for more interaction. In addition, there are wikis, blogs, email, and discussion boards to further communicate amongst peers and collaborate on assignments” (Tustin).
“Half of the class wrote a comprehensive unit summary in a traditional format which was turned in directly to the teacher. The other half of the class composed a summary in an online forum for a much wider audience”…via a ning network (Nash). Here is one online tool that is available today to facilitate collaboration not only among learners, but between learners and educators or the world. The ning I found this blog on is The Global Education collaborative: Helping teachers and students reach the world. There are many pieces of information on collaborative interaction on this site.
References
Nash, S. (n.d). Online writing: What really changes? Retrieved December 24, 2008, from The global education collaborative: Helping teachers and students reach the world:
In the three part article by (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, 2008) Part I details the e-training and development used in corporate America. It has become more popular since the development of the Web. Businesses for economic reasons primarily have switched to e-training to reduce costs and the ability to train more employees in a shorter period of time. However, there is usually no provision made for measuring the learning outcomes. Businesses have found that e-training is more cost-effective and is judged solely by the number of learner hours logged or by pure appearance ( Huett, Moller & Foshay, 2008).
Part II details the explosive growth in distance education and how it is transforming post- secondary education. It is no longer thought of like the correspondence training of the past. Distance learning or virtual learning has become the popular choice for busy working professionals, mid-career degree programs, and/or lifelong learners. However, for many educational institutions it is relatively unfamiliar territory. In the past, post-secondary education has been under the control of the instructor. As more e-learning is being developed educational institutions are discovering why this mode of education has become so popular. Some of the reasons faculty have cited for these feelings are flexibility, greater individual student participation, and the asynchronous nature of conversations that allows students and faculty more time to think about and formulate responses (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, 2008).
Part III details the growth of training and development in e-learning in the K-12 school sector. A different set of problems occur in this educational sector primarily because of funding and policy issues in general. Online learning is still new and misunderstood by policymakers.This causes policies written for brick-and-mortar schools being applied to the online learning community as well.Online learning in the K-12 arena is called “virtual schooling.” The No Child Left Behind Act requires all states to make alternate schooling options for students that attend brick-and-mortar schools and fail to make adequate yearly progress (AYP). In situations where there are overcrowded schools, teacher shortage, or rural schools, online education allows highly qualified teachers to instruct students when these situations occur.
In the article by (Simonson, 2008), the author discusses making decisions on the usage of electronic technology for online classroom development. Because online students and those in brick-and-mortar classes fundamentally learn differently, both modes should attempt to make the experience equal.A more appropriate strategy is to provide different but equal learning experiences to each learner(Simonson, 2000). Equivalency is achieved using a variety of learning experiences tailored to the learning experience of the student. To achieve equivalency in learning Simonson has created four steps: Step 1 – assess available instructional technologies; Step 2 – determine the learning outcomes; Step 3 – identify learning experiences and match them to appropriate available technology; and Step 4 – prepare the learning experiences for online delivery.
There are points for all authors that I agree with. After working in the corporate world for nearly 25 years, I saw the use of technology grow. Working for the telecommunications industry was the place to see new technology. The offices were located worldwide, we began using video teleconferencing to save travel costs. Every meeting now had people that were in other locations present. I was totally aghast when I started in the education field and so how far behind corporate America they were in technology used. Teleconferencing became big in training also. We could train around the world, and never leave our office. $$ saved. That was probably some of the first virtual learning.
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. TechTrends, 52 (5), 63-67.
Moller, L., Foshay, W. R., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web. TechTrends, 52 (4), 66-70.
Moller, L., Foshay, W. R., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web. TechTrends, 52 (3), 70-75.
Simonson, M. (2000). Making decisions: The use of electronic technology in online classrooms. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 84, 29-34.
