Elements of Distance Education Diffusion

Siemens (2008) argued that the collaborative interaction has positively created more effective online learning. I am in agreement with his arguments.  The revolution of technology has changed the dynamics of how we communicate and interact with each other, or even complete a task!  Technology has opened the door so that distance and time constraints experienced in the past are no longer a hindrance or obstacle for being productive.  As a classroom teacher, scholar, I have participated in many collaborative experiences that enabled me to experience a rewarding interaction with both my students, co-workers. and colleagues. 

Being able to set up an assignment that my students can work on collaboratively provides them with a rich learning experience.  One area of study that readily comes to mind is in the teaching of writing, to my fourth grade class.  These students are able to work on an assignment collaboratively and remain engaged throughout the process, with little or no other motivation. An example of this can be seen in how I execute and teach and provide practice of the writing process.  After teaching the writing process, I encourage students to work in groups (each student takes on a stage in the writing) and it is amazing how well they do on the final project! However it must be noted that, though collaborative interaction is enhanced by technology, it is imperative that educators design activities in a manner that will promote a rich collaborative experience.  Therefore, providing the opportunity to complete task via technology , alone, will not provide the rich learning experience of which Siemens (2008) spoke, unless careful planning in the collaborative interactions are conducted.

There are many online tools available that enhances effective collaborative interaction.  One such tool is the utilization of googledocs.  This is an online resource that enables individuals within a learning environment to work collaboratively to complete written assignments.  Individuals can edit, present, as well as, compile assignments through this medium.  Another tool that facilitates collaborative interaction is mind maps, especially those available at webspiration.com.  Other tools are wikis, webinars, podcast, and video conferencing. These makes what we though was impossible, a possibility!

Reference

Laureate Education, Inc. (2008). The Future of Distance Education. Baltimore: Author.

Blogs on Collaboration
Ronni Burt - Student-centered learning and collaboration using technology
http://edublogs.org/2010/09/10/edublogs-weekly-review-student-centered-learning-and-collaboration-using-technology/
Keith Sawyer - Collaboration and Learning
http://keithsawyer.wordpress.com/2009/08/29/collaboration-and-learning/

Responded to
Olufemi Gordon’s Blog
http://olufemigordons.blogspot.com/2011/12/elements-of-distance-education.html?showComment=1330096949383#c8412814032285314044

Candice Jones Blog
http://crjoneswaldenu.blogspot.com/2011/12/module-2-assignment-1-elements-of.html?showComment=1330101746931#c7282245530003173794