From A Distance the World Looks Digital...

Distance education used to be correspondence based; register, pay, and they send you a packet of materials to complete for your course.  Technology and the rise of the digital age have changed the concept of distance education dramatically.  No longer are you confined to the pencil, paper, and information provided, but now the world of education is at your digital disposal.

This week after watching a video and discussion over the arrival of MOOCs (massively open online courses) I started to realize that maybe distance education is the education of the future.  While there may be something to be said for the traditional classroom and face-to-face discussion, distance education is evolving so fast that before long sitting at your computer will emulate the face-to-face classroom.  The what ifs of the future.  For now MOOCs are not the mainstream and for educators in the K-12 environment, I think we have some waiting to do before it comes to our towns.  However, distance education is changing how our students are educated.

My school provides an education to about 650 students in a rural community.  Distance education makes a world of difference to us.  By no means or at any point have I ever felt like we are short-changing our students with the education we can provide them, but I can definitely see the positives of distance education. Distance education has allowed students to use the ICN to take German from an instructor at a neighboring school, it has given students the opportunity to take college credit courses through a local community college  during the school day without going to campus, and it has allowed me the experience of creating a semi-flipped classroom.  Rural schools face unique challenges associated with funding and staffing.  Distance learning provides valuable opportunities not otherwise available.

With distance learning does come the challenge of making sure students taking the courses are supported and can be or at least feel successful.  This is where instructional design and course development become increasingly important.  Time and development, instructor support, communication, and an online community make distance education a success or failure.  Much of distance education requires the developer and instructor to take the theories of pragmatism and existentialism and create an environment that is open, innovative, hands-on, and personal.  Distance education uses the digital world to increase what education can do and be for anyone who wants it.