According to Reiser and Dempsey (2007), distributed learning is “any educational or training experience that use a variety of means, including technology, to enable learning.” [i] It can have intentional and incidental outcomes, and the learning can be synchronous, asynchronous, or both. One example of distributed learning can be seen through corporate learning. Corporate distributed learning can take place through intranet training for employees; Web-based training can be more cost efficient and provide better training in the long run. A corporation can save money by not losing work time and paying money to send employees to training. The employees can get training as needed instead of waiting to get information during periodic training sessions (Reiser and Dempsey, 2007).
This type of learning goes along with distributed learning in skills based training, which can be highly effective. Often individuals in a corporate setting need to brush up on or learn a certain skill when it comes to their job. Skills-based training can enable them to do this. Instead of taking off work to take classes all day about anything and the skills they really need are lost in the shuffle, the skills based training enables them to take what they need through a PC. This type of training can be more cost efficient and productive.
Another type of distributed learning is academic distributed learning. As this author is participating in, many universities are offering online programs/courses. Students can have access to an education from a home computer. The biggest problems are making sure they have a “virtual campus” to match the academic online learning. Universities need to provide online resources of items (financial aid, libraries, etc.) due to the fact that students can be several hundred miles away from campus. As more universities add online learning to their academics, there will be an increase in the need for instructional designers equipped with the knowledge for that kind of learning (Reiser and Dempsey, 2007).
Universities participation in academic distributed learning can be done through a virtual class. Virtual schools are increasing receiving accreditations. Students can get an education through the Internet. Virtual classrooms need good instructional designs that can provide students interactions among each other and interactivities. Also, the learning outcomes need to be kept in mind during the design process. An instructional designer needs to help those in charge of a virtual classroom understand that there is more work than a cute, stylish website design. There needs to be “high-quality distributed learning materials and activities” (Reiser and Dempsey, 2007). Reiser and Dempsey suggested that one should also train the professor in quality design in web based learning, so students are achieving maximum learning.
Another aspect of disturbed learning is distributed resource support (which is needed for successful online learning). As stated earlier, universities who are offering courses online need to have distributed resources. For instance, online access to library databases is a must for an elearner. Also, access to a help desk is needed for the distributed learning to be successful. Problems arise during all hours of the day that students need help with. Having a 24/7 help desk will ensure quick responses when problems arise (Reiser and Dempsey, 2007). There will need to be a focus on distributing most of the resources available on campus to make it available online.
Often when courses are designed, reusability is not in the minds of the designers. In order for a course to have reusability, it must answer four questions: 1) Can I find it? 2) May I use it? 3) Will it work? 4) Can I use it in a way that works for me? (Reiser and Dempsey, 2007). Thinking back over educational courses/staff development sessions taken over the years, there are some with limited reusability. For instance, one that comes to mind is a three hour training course online over using the State of Texas databases and conducting searches with Boolean words. For one thing, the course is available online for anyone who signs up to take it. Therefore, it is easy to find. However, if an educator wanted to use it to help students, they may not be able to use due to the fact that it is difficult to obtain the correct rights for it. Parts of the course will not work in other contexts. The design of the online training course makes it difficult to use. One must go through the entire program, each section at a time, to get to the part that one needs.
How can the course be redesigned to improve its reusability without changing the content? First of all, the metadata needs to be available online for the others to see the information (Reiser and Dempsey, 2007). The program needs to be able to work on all formats on the computer so more people will have access. Also, copyrights should be made public so people can use the content to teach others. Perhaps, if they selected a creative commons copyright for their course would be wise decision. This way others can still use the content, but give credit to those who created it. The design needs to be more reusable. The content of the course was excellent, but it should be made into sections. If an educator just wanted to use one portion of the course, like database searches, for their students to practice, they should not have to go through the entire program to get to that section they need. Simply, by dividing the course up into sections and having access to that section will make the course have more reusability. The content of the program was geared more for adult learners. An educator might have to change some of the language to use it for a younger audience. The course pedagogy is intended for online learning. It would need to be slightly modified to teach in a physical instructional setting.
An instructional designer/course developer put forth a great deal of effort when creating their product and desired outcomes. Effort should be made to make the design reusable in other settings for others to use. Ultimately, the goal is for people to learn the information and apply it.
The following picture is a media image containing surface features. This week in this author’s class the topic of Pangea is being discussed. This is a picture of Pangea and students can get the general idea, but is the message of continiential plates shifting and moving really being conveyed with this image? Will students grasp the ideas of the supercontinent sepearting from this picture or will something animated be more functional? To answer the questions, this image will show a picture of Pangea, but studetns will not fully grasp the intedend message. For this reason, this image is contains surface features (Reiser and Dempsey, 2007).
Now for a better media image click on this link: http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es0806/es0806page01.cfm?chapter_no=visualization
The above link shows an animation of Pangaea using arrows and a time lapse of the separation of the continents. This animation is considered to have functional features. The students will really grasp the separated from the animation and also it is interactive. Students can views the movement forward and backwards through the arrows.
The possibilities of uses of nanotechnology are promising. This author thinks of Professor Kevin Warwick implanting a microprocessor into himself to open doors, read email, and accomplish other tasks that could get done with the processor (Reiser and Dempsey, 2007). This author thinks of simple tasks that must be done throughout the day as an educator that a microprocessor would make the job more efficient and easier. For instance, looking at a student's grade on a worksheet and that grade being automatically imputed into the gradebook online just from thinking about it. Also, locating facts about a particular subject without touching the mouse on a computer screen. Another example is the electronic paper being invented. This author thinks of how much paper is used each year in schools. Teachers making copies, students doing work, newsletter, etc. all require paper. Think of the possibilities of using electronic paper. Think of all the trees and time it could save.
As Neal Stephenson basically stated, just because we can use the technology, does it mean we should (Reiser and Dempsey, 2007)? Hollywood has made pictures about advancing technology. Many of them with catastrophic endings. Even though using an implanted microchip could be easier to do daily tasks, it does not mean it is safe to use. People could get viruses on their personal computers, what if someone implanted a virus into one that was implanted in someone. That could lead to cases of mind control. That seems extreme; however nanotechnology is making its way into society. However, technology such as the smart paper sounds promising and safe to use. Of course at this moment, this author wishes for some type of nanotechnology to go start the dishwasher so this blog can continue to be written without interruption.
In the past few chapters the authors mentioned the changing field of instructional design. What does it mean to be an instructional designer and what are their roles? These are just a couple of the topics being addressed in today’s society. As the data has shown 95% of the ID’s is done by designers by assignment (Reiser and Dempsey, 2007). An instructional designer, therefore, needs to be able to train them. In addition, technology is rapidly changing, making learning through technology easier and more efficient.
Which road does this author feel that the future of instructional design and technology should be: the straight and narrow road or the broad and inclusive road? This author feels that in order to continue to have effective instructional design and the need for instructional designers, the broad road must be taken. One must be able to adapt and change with the times. Those who remain narrow minded and static will be left behind and eventually be rendered as unimportant. Just like students do not want a teacher who has been teaching the same way for thirty years. Potential audiences want a design that is inventive and with the current times. The broad road has many of the same ideologies as the straight and narrow, bu with many additional ideologies that allow for change and growth. An instructional designer needs skills in professional practice, reasons inquiry, referred outlets, to develop solutions, and have fluid meanings (Reiser and Dempsey, 2007). It makes this author think of adaptation. Those species who learn to adapt with the environment survive and those who do not adapt become extinct. The same concept could be applied to instructional design. With a changing economy and advancement in technology, the key is to be open-minded and willing to change. Like Robert Frost states, one should take the road less traveled and that will contain greater rewards. In other words, an instructional designer needs to take the broad road instead of the strait.
[i] Reiser, R. A., & Dempsey, J. V. (2007). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology. (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
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