I agree with the views of George Siemens in the video when he spoke about distance education creating an identity of its own when it comes to collaborative interaction. Mr. Siemens talked about the meaningful relationships that are formed in spite of the distance involved. Further, I agree that participants will develop a certain comfort with online discourse and a general adherence to global diversity will become routine. With the increase of flexibility and with the far-reaching abilities of distance collaboration, Mr. Siemens summed up the interactions as it being a Triple Helix. The universities, government, and businesses form a collaborative interaction that makes for valuable the contributions of experts from all sectors and from all over the world.
Not only do we need to realize the Triple Helix that Mr. Siemens talked about, but we also need to look at another type of collaboration that Dr. Sanjaya Mishra talked about in his blog at http://teachknowlogist.blogspot.com/2008/03/six-gowns-of-distance-educators.html. Dr. Mishra spoke about how the collaborative element has evolved to the point where it is now necessary for a distance educator to wear the six gowns (a teacher, a technologist, a counselor, an evaluator, a researcher, and overall a manager) necessary for an effective online class setting. In order to carry out the requirements of all of these positions, the online educator has to do an extensive amount of collaboration with those gurus in those particular positions. This adds to the connections and also adds to the networking and adds to the knowledge base for the educator and is passed on to the online learner.
Additionally, pertaining to the element of collaboration in distance education, Dave Cormier stated that in distance education, the key to creative knowledge comes from recognizing that the key is the ability to facilitate access to collaboration and collaborative skills. With our previous classes, we discovered that collaboration enables us to absorb some of our information from others with whom we collaborate. It involves connections (connectivism) and cognition (cognitivism). ~~C. Penny Penagraph
References:
“The Future of Distance Education” by George Siemens
http://teachknowlogist.blogspot.com/2008/03/six-gowns-of-distance-educators.html.
http://davecormier.com/edblog/
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The blog by Dr. Mishra was very interesting and it is so true that a distance educator must wear the six gowns to produce a successful online class. We always mention the learner but never really focus on the educator and how they must collaborate to produce a meaningful online learning experience, excellent point. Also you made a very good point when you mentioned that we absorb our information from those whom we collaborate with. I have learned so much from my peers. Even after I post my view to discussions I read others post and often have a change of heart when it comes to my initial reaction to a topic. Allowing myself to see the views of others lets me clearly form my final opinion. Does that ever happen to you?
ReplyDeletePenny,
ReplyDeleteI haven't had a great deal of experience from the teaching side of distance education, but I can only imagine all of the responsibilities that one would undertake. For a K-12 setting, I would imagine a lot of educators would struggle making the transition.
Renee, I also learn a great deal from my peers as well. I found it extremely beneficial to hear others views and experiences to help shape my evolving opinions.
Hi Penny,
ReplyDeleteThis is my second quarter of distance Ed. cources and this time around I feel a little more comfortable. I must say my first class was a little overwhelming. As I continue to take classes I think it will become second nature. So I'm learning first hand how to adapt to this change.