TEC 5223 Instructional Technology

1. TEC 5223Instructional Technology Chapter 7: Distance Education Cindy Mendenhall March 2, 2007

3. Distance EducationLearning via telecommunications • Characteristics • Physical separation of learners and teacher • Organized instruction • Telecommunications media • broadcast, wired, or satellite • Two-way communication

4. Educational Uses of Distance Education • Elementary Education • Broadcast series used as enrichment • Sesame Street, Clifford, Reading Rainbow • Secondary Education • Small or rural schools • Monetary constraints limit curriculum • Advanced/specialized classes offered through DE

5. Educational Uses of Distance Education (cont.) • Postsecondary Education • Student/teacher ratio increased • Provides college to new audiences • Flexibility as to when and where students learn • Offers options when colleges can’t meet demand • Offers virtual campuses

6. Educational Uses of Distance Education (cont.) • Informal Education • Training by institutions other than education • hospitals, businesses, government, etc. • Done for economic reasons • Provides training to large audiences located in multiple sites

7. Distance Education Roles • Student • Actively engaged in learning • Interactions between students, teacher, sites • Must know how to use the technology • Must know netiquette

8. Distance Education Roles (cont.) • Teacher • Origination classroom—location of teacher • Distance sites—remote classrooms connected by telecommunications • Distance site facilitator—aids teacher • Shared goals and cooperation necessary for success

9. Distance Education Roles (cont.) • Distance Site Facilitator • Watch and participate with students • Encourage interaction • Answer questions • Solve problems • Distribute paper work • Operate and maintain equipment

10. Distance Education Roles (cont.) • Teacher of online learning • Facilitates learning rather than directing learning • Fosters student understanding of responsibilities • Fosters student conduct • Prevents students from falling behind

11. Distance Education Roles (cont.) • Technology • For Distance Education to be effective • Visuals must be adapted • Adjustments to color, size, design, and layout • Integral part of materials • Use of scanned images, digital photos

12. Instructional Communication Functions • Information Presentation • Teacher lecture and demonstration • Printed text and illustrations • Live or recorded voice, music, sounds • Full-motion images

13. Instructional Communication Functions (cont.) • Student-teacher interaction • Q & A sessions • Practice with feedback • Discussion activities or homework • Testing

14. Instructional Communication Functions (cont.) • Student-student interaction • Discussion groups • Structured group activities • Group projects • Peer tutoring

15. Instructional Communication Functions (cont.) • Access to external learning resources used outside of class • Printed materials--books, worksheets • Audiovisual materials--audio/videocassettes, CD-ROM • Computer databases--for online searches • Kits--for lab experiments • Library Materials

16. Telecommunication Systems • Broadcast Radio • Audio Teleconference • Audiographic Teleconference • Television • Computer

17. Advantages Cost: less expensive than television Range: one message reaches large, geographically dispersed audience Flexibility: powerful, dramatic effects Imagination simulator: audience creates image Limitations Operation expense: Schedule: instructors dislike a rigid schedule hard to justify using broadcast equipment when prerecorded materials are available Broadcast Radioelectronic signals transmitted through the airMainly one-way lectures but can add interactions through the use of printed materials

18. Broadcast Radio (cont.) • Integration • First telecommunication system used • Carried out by college and university stations • Transmitted state wide to P-12 schools • Used today in isolated, developing countries

19. Advantages Cost effective: meetings or training can be held with no travel expenses Easy to use: uses basic telephone service Interactive: all participants receive same message at same time Limitations Lack of visual information: unless previously taken care of Poor audio: special microphone-amplifier devices are needed Intimidating: lack of experience hinders willingness to participate Audio Teleconferenceallows multiple people at multiple locations to communicate

20. Audio Teleconference (cont.) • Integration • Secondary and postsecondary connecting students with authors or public officials • Used in Alaska to provide inservices to teachers • Corporate and professional education and training

21. Advantages Visual Cost Integration Rural schools: too few students to hire a teacher for a specific class Corporations: employee training Limitations Availability: hardware and software are not readily available Time factor: it takes time to transmit images Audiographic Teleconferenceadding digital image to audio teleconference

22. Television in Distance Education • One-way delivery to students • No interactive connection with teacher • 5 types of delivery systems • Broadcast: PBS utilizes instructional television programming • Satellite Transmission: broadcasts directly into schools—Channel One and Discovery Channel • Microwave Transmission: signals are broadcast at high microwave frequencies—offers limited coverage • Closed-Circuit Television: connects buildings on a school campus • Cable or Fiber Optics: educational programming received through local cable or phone companies

23. One-Way Video, Two-Way Audio • Two-Way Video, Two-Way Audio • Proper equipment converts all one-way television • Compressed video • Removes redundant information • Speeds transmission of video information

24. Advantages Cost Efficiency: information reaches across wide geographical areas Audiovisual capacity: television allows transmission of motion and sound Two-Way Communication Online Possibilities Limitations Costs for two-way Facilities for two-way Isolation Technical Problems Inexperience Reluctance Connectivity Online Technologies

25. Distance Education Questions • Define distance education. Learning via telecommunications with physical separation of learners from teacher, organized instruction, telecommunications media, two-way communication. • Describe the advantages of secondary school use of distance education. Expanded curriculum can be offered.

26. Distance Education Questions (cont.) • Briefly describe distance education roles of student, teacher, and technology. • Student • Actively engaged • Know how to use technology • Know netiquette • Teacher • Facilitates learning • Technology • Adaptable • Scanned images • Digitized visuals

27. Distance Education Questions (cont.) • List instructional communication functions. • Information presentation • Student-teacher interaction • Student-student interaction • Access to learning resources

28. Distance Education Questions (cont.) • In what ways have online technologies enhanced learning both in the educational and the private sector? • Enables users to conduct education or training at multiple locations with only one teacher/trainer • Students/trainees can remain at home or at the workplace to participate in learning activities

29. Distance Education Questions (cont.) • What advantage do all telecommunication systems have in common? • Cost efficiency

30. Source Smaldino, S.E., & Russell, J.D., & Heinich, R., & Molenda, M. (2005). Instructional technology and media for learning. New Jersey: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.