Defining Distance Learning

I have used the distance learning mode of education for a number of years now. I have watched the definition of distance learning evolve and change, adapting to changes in technology and our culture. Distance learning used to mean mailing the assignments completed on paper to an instructor in another city or state. Slowly it has evolved to the point where we can now interact with people in different time zones and different parts of the world instantaneously. In fact, according to the resources this week, “distance education is one of the most dramatic of the recent technology-based innovations influencing education.” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2011).

I began using the distance learning model when my son was only a year old. My husband of ten years had just been killed in a car accident, and I found myself behind the times in the job market. I set out to increase my marketability, and the only feasible way to do that at that time was using the distance learning model. I began attending Walden University at that time, and set about earning my first Master's degree. Once that was completed, I found myself hooked and began a second Master's degree program. The tools I have gained through this mode of learning have proven invaluable in my own brick and mortar teaching environment.

Several years passed and suddenly I was faced with my own child needing this environment in order to continue his education. He was diagnosed with some special needs and it became evident that the regular brick and mortar model was no longer going to work for him. I moved him into the virtual environment and have not regretted it for a single moment. He has blossomed and will truly be better prepared for furthering his education when he completes his schooling! I saw what a difference this made for him, so I set about moving myself into employment in this environment as well. Hence, this degree. I decided that getting this degree and understanding of how the whole distance learning concept worked from start to finish would help me get the job I had now set my sights on. I was right! I got my job this year, and was able to leave the brick and mortar environment behind forever. My son and I enjoy working "together" daily and the education I get to provide and he gets to master is phenomenal.

As schools run into more and more funding difficulties, and class sizes grow exponentially larger, the distance learning model is growing into a more and more popular choice for children as young as kindergarten. As more of these programs are offered, the competition aspect becomes more prevalent. The race is on to be the one that offers the largest choice, most dynamic curriculum, and the broadest scope available. The company I teach for is a national company, with schools in a growing number of states. It's amazing to see the options available to our students and I am constantly astounded at the quality of the education our students receive.

Like any other school, particularly one so dependent on technology, our school is constantly adapting and evolving to meet the ever changing needs. Our text said "the day is coming when the work done by correspondence will be greater in amount than that done in the classrooms of our academies and colleges; when the students who shall recite by correspondence will far outnumber those who make oral recitations" (Simonson et al., 2009, p. 37). In my opinion, this day is coming much sooner than anyone could possibly have anticipated!

Reference

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Acces my mind map here:
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