Collaborative interaction has become a major strand in the social Web learning network. Today, it is not necessary to be in physical room to work on and collaborate on a project. This has been made possible with the advances made in technology and the availability of several different applications on the web. Some of these tools are free and the enable users to do video and teleconferencing, collaborative writing, information and desktop sharing and instant messaging among others.
Before ICT became the main platform for collaborative work, the process of online collaboration was expensive, it lacked established standards and users had to undergo intensive training to collaborate. The early tools were limited in functions and features and the were browser dependent so based on what browser you were using on your computer, you would have had problem communicating online. As early as 1876 Graham Bell gave us the telephone which became the most popular collaborative tool at one time. In 1956, the Invention of Bell picture phone made video conferencing possible and the quality of collaborative work did improve. By the time the email and the World Wide Web were invented, the stage had been set for very good collaborative exchanges. Today, almost every university and business use online collaboration in very cost effective ways.
Once, we were limited to how many persons we could collaborate with at any one time. Today, collaborative work has improved to the extent that any number of person may collaborate at once. Collaboration is more widely used in Universities today but I predict it will become common in most business places.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Authors on distance ed compared
The three articles which were written by Moller, Foshay, Huett discuss e-learning from three different
perspectives: - corporate, higher education and K-12. Dr Simonson on the other hand presents some background on the concepts of e-learning and distance education. He dissects Distance education to show its component parts so that people better understand the concept. All four authors share the view that distance education is growing at a tremendous rate and that it is about the reach its critical mass. While distance education is about to reach its critical mass, there are hundreds of people out there who do not quite understand and appreciate the value of distance education. How many of them realize that distance education gives everyone a fair chance at succeeding? In distance education you can access the best instructors, have more options in your program and you can effectively advance your studies without leaving home. This is good for you family, your employer who has access to your expertise and for you financially as well. Distance education is customizable and affordable so it is a very good option for poorer countries as well as the rich.
There is a slight contradiction between Simonson’s discourse and the writing of Moller, Foshay and Huet. Simonson postulates that distance education will continue to grow but Moller et al hold the view that structural changes needed to be made if distance education ought to be successful.
My View:
I am of the view that distance education is still evolving even though it is bringing huge successes to countries all over the world. Contrary to the view held by Moller, et al, distance education will grow and be driven economics and access. In other words, whether or not educators, educational administration, and business managers re-evaluate e-learning and its policies, e-learning will continue grow at an impressive rate.
References:
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 1) Tech/Trends, 52(3), 70-75.
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2). Tech/Trends, 52(4), 66-70.
Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Coleman, C. (2008, September/October). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 3). Tech/Trends, 52(5). 63-67.Simonson, M. (n.d.). Distance Education: The Next Generation. [Study video]. Retrieved Sept. 12, 2009, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=3206859&Survey=1&47=5050260&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1.
perspectives: - corporate, higher education and K-12. Dr Simonson on the other hand presents some background on the concepts of e-learning and distance education. He dissects Distance education to show its component parts so that people better understand the concept. All four authors share the view that distance education is growing at a tremendous rate and that it is about the reach its critical mass. While distance education is about to reach its critical mass, there are hundreds of people out there who do not quite understand and appreciate the value of distance education. How many of them realize that distance education gives everyone a fair chance at succeeding? In distance education you can access the best instructors, have more options in your program and you can effectively advance your studies without leaving home. This is good for you family, your employer who has access to your expertise and for you financially as well. Distance education is customizable and affordable so it is a very good option for poorer countries as well as the rich.
There is a slight contradiction between Simonson’s discourse and the writing of Moller, Foshay and Huet. Simonson postulates that distance education will continue to grow but Moller et al hold the view that structural changes needed to be made if distance education ought to be successful.
My View:
I am of the view that distance education is still evolving even though it is bringing huge successes to countries all over the world. Contrary to the view held by Moller, et al, distance education will grow and be driven economics and access. In other words, whether or not educators, educational administration, and business managers re-evaluate e-learning and its policies, e-learning will continue grow at an impressive rate.
References:
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 1) Tech/Trends, 52(3), 70-75.
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2). Tech/Trends, 52(4), 66-70.
Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Coleman, C. (2008, September/October). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 3). Tech/Trends, 52(5). 63-67.Simonson, M. (n.d.). Distance Education: The Next Generation. [Study video]. Retrieved Sept. 12, 2009, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=3206859&Survey=1&47=5050260&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1.
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