For the past eight weeks
I have immersed myself into the principles and practices of distance learning.
As an elementary classroom teacher I thought at first that I was majorly out of
my element. I valued shared learning experiences in my own classroom and tried
to stay as connected to my students as much as possible. However through this
course and my own professional reflection, I realized that I was robbing my
students of the important skill set of learner autonomy. Even at a young age,
students can learn to be independent and intrinsically motivated to complete a
task. Dr. Siemen’s stated that the growing acceptance of distance education is
a direct result of the increased online communication (Laureate Education). In
my own teaching, I tend to go back to the age old saying “if you teach today’s
students like you did yesterday, you aren’t preparing them for tomorrow.” As
advances in technology allow for an increase in student access to technology,
the need for distance will inadvertently increase.
As previously mentioned, my role as an elementary teacher
allows me to experiment more with practices and pedagogical approaches. I will
then be able to incorporate aspects of distance learning in my own classroom.
By teaching my students important research and accountability skills, I can
pave the way for easier flipped and distance learning experiences later in the
student’s education. I see it every day as each student in my room has access
to their own personalized device. When modeled correctly and given the
necessary supports, students can be autonomous and personalize their own
learning through technology. As with anything new, distance education is
continuing to expand and gain increased credibility with the vast options of
informational tools. These tools will allow for a more global opportunities to
gain a diverse student perspective and experience (Laureate Education).
From an instructional design perspective, I have the
ability to shape the perceptions and experiences of the learner. By carefully
following the ADDIE process, I can develop engaging and rigorous content that
helps learners to create their own understanding based on resources. Rather
than being a stagnant receptor of knowledge, students will be immersed in the
content and thus have a better learning experience. In the corporate setting,
the perception of trainings will be better and organization members will have a
more positive outlook when attending trainings. In addition, adding opportunities
for collaboration and communication within distance learning helps the student
to feel more connected to the course and fellow students. All of these factors
will influence the perception that individuals have towards distance learning.
Moving forward, I can be a positive force for continuous
improvement in the field of distance education by continuing to challenge
myself. Through continued learning, risk taking, and collaborating with other
colleagues, I can be a positive and innovative members of the distance learning
profession. In sharing best practices and being an active participant in the
professional community, instructional designers can challenge one another to
develop better training and learning environments. As a student, I never
anticipated that I would be a distance learner. In my undergraduate program I
took two online classes at a community college because I assumed that they
would be easy, which they were. However, through this course work I was able to
construct my own perceptions about the development of effective distance
education that promotes the learning of its learners.
Resources
Laureate Education
(Producer). (n.d.). The future of
distance education [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
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