Week 2

REASONS
Online distance education began out of the need for a more convenient method of access. It serves the niche of the community that would not otherwise have the opportunity for continuing education. It provides the student with education that can conform to her location and time frame. Online distance education can also be more convenient to the educational institution. While the technology itself is not cheap, and teaching online courses requires a combination of the knowledge of the material and the skill to teach through technology, it does not require an expansion of the physical campus.

The phenomenon of the online classroom today is similar to the phenomenon of the night college in the mid 20th century. It is similar in that it accommodates the schedule of those in the work force, and it allows the colleges to tap into a niche that makes use of its current resources. In the early 1940s there were 30,000 students in the United States that took advantage of night school. By 1958 this increased by ten-fold (Wittmer, 1958). We’re seeing a similar expansion in online distance education.


MODES
Distance learning can occur both asynchronously and synchronously. It is the asynchronous method of delivery that is often preferable. Asynchronous delivery has the advantage of convenience, but it also provides the students and instructors the opportunity to reflect upon posts. While synchronous communication provides the opportunity to interact in real time, such interatction is not always the best learning method. Synchronous communication allows further elucidation, but asynchronous communication appeals to the constructivist method of learning that occurs in the online learning environment.

SUCCESS
Constructivism is also known as the social learning theory, a theory first espoused by Vtgotsky in the early 20th century. The online student is not out there on her own, as it may seem. It is through collaboration that social learning occurs. Success within the online learning environment is largely a responsibility of the student. The role of the teacher has not been replaced, but has changed. The instructor in the online environment is that of facilitator.

STATISTICS
Online education is not limited to colleges and universities. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 1/3 of public school districts in U.S. had students enrolled in distance education courses in 2002- 2003. This study also showed the 9% of the public schools had students enrolled in distance education programs. Eighty percent of these districts said that distance education was used to provide courses that would not otherwise be available to students. This demonstrates the importance of the accessiblity provided through the online learning environment.
http://www.nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2005010

Wittmer, Felix . "Our Night Colleges are Entitled to Better Support ." Saturday Evening Post 16 Aug. 1958: 10. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Ingram, University of West Georgia. 28 Jan. 2008 http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=30&hid=101&sid=882fb884-275c-48d4-acea-f82b4e05b239%40sessionmgr102.

Useful sites for online learning:
I'm currently in a committee regarding the learning platform used by USG . We've been discussing the use of open source software. Sakai has been referred to frequently. I found this video to be very helpful in understanding just what Sakai is: http://www.sakaiproject.org/media2/2006/overview/overview.htm
Another learning platform I have been recently introduced to is that of