The ever-changing world of technology has made
distance education take a new dimension. Most educational institutions are
adopting distance education to reach out to society at large. George Siemens is
of the opinion that there are three elements that are critical in distance
education to create effective learning experiences. The three elements are
global diversity, communication, and collaborative interaction (Laureate,
2008c). These elements are encompassing as distance learning environment cannot
achieve set outcomes on using just one of the elements. In this purview, the
focus here is on global diversity. The evolution of global diversity is as a
result of no time zones, distant and locales accessibility to learning materials,
and meeting the needs of all learners inclusive of those with challenges. The
ability of both learners and instructors to interact and communicate in
distance education has made the world a global village, not taking cognizance
of whether developing or developed countries, culture, and ethics among others.
Ellsworth buttressing Siemen’s view stated, "it is the global diversity
element that actually makes distance education different and unique from
face-to-face (F2F) education."
The primary medium is the use of Internet. Access to
internet connection anytime, anywhere has made many online tools useful in
distance education. The online tools that facilitate interactions among
learners include Skype, social networking sites, blogs, wikis, discussion
forum, and google docs for collaboration. The use of Skype has made online
meeting, discussion, instant messaging and video-conferencing easy. It has a
level of F2F, as learners can see one another in a physical posture during the
video conferencing. The use of these technologies has provided cross-cultural
international dialogues. This has enriched lives and futures with exposure to
global diversity while learning alongside the world.
I share Siemen’s view that the growing acceptance of
distance education has the key elements, comprising global diversity,
communication and collaborative interaction. These elements are successfully
incorporated into Walden University delivery method of distance education. In
one of my courses, a classmate asked for the location of Nigeria in the world.
If our paths had not crossed in this program, my classmate might not in her
lifetime heard of such country, talk-less of collaborating with learners from
that part of the world. Global diversity is a pivotal element of distance
education.
References
Ellsworth, E. (2010). Elements of Distance
Education. Retrieved on June 25, 2012 from http://ericaeduc8842.blogspot.com/2010/12/module-two-blog.html
Laureate
Education, Inc. (2008c). The future of distance education. Principles of
Distance Education. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Reshef, S. (2010). University of the people.
Retrieved on June 25, 2012 from http://universityofthepeople.wordpress.com/
Aderonke,
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you that the Internet and collaborative software have really made what seemed like a vast and expansive world relatively small. Most people's interactions, on a daily basis, are limited to the people they know, share the same value system with, and are most likely from the same area. Before, their only chance of knowing someone outside of their norm, was to find a pen pal. Now, with the technology we have, they simply have to turn on their computer.
On-line learning provides students from around the world with the opportunity to access academic support from all experience levels and geographic locations. Using on-line learning tools like message boards, discussion forums, and online chats, e-learners are exposed to diverse perspectives from both faculty members and their fellow students across the world. I personally believe that diverse perspectives and cultures enrich any classroom. I am amazed at how barriers that once existed in learning about other cultures and places no longer exist is a wonderful and amazing thing. Lately, I view my colleagues at Walden as a “global neighborhood of Learners.” In this global neighborhood of learners, people get to know about others and why they are furthering their education is a valuable tool. Distance education is allowing us to open up learning about other cultures.
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