Distance Education

Distance education is becoming more popular as the use of technology increases. Instead of students going to class, and meeting face-to-face with their teachers, they have the option of using distance education. According to the presentation we watched in class, distance education is a field of education that focuses on the pedagogy and andragogy, technology, and instructional systems design that aim to deliver education to students who are not physically on site. It was first used in 1728 by the University of London, but now almost every college offers distance ed classes. There are five different types of distance ed courses available for students: through correspondence, which is conducted through mail, through the internet, which is conducted either synchronously or asynchronously, through television or radio, through a CD-ROM where information is transferred to a computer, or through mobile learning, where students can access their class through a mobile device or a wireless network. As distance education expands, it changes as well. Students could take an online class, a blended class, or a virtual class. In an online class the teacher and student are separated by distance, but can communicate by the internet. In a blended class, like EME2040, the students use the internet for class time as well as face-to-face meetings with the teacher as well. In this class we meet once a week, and all other times we communicate through moodle. In other online classes I take at UF, I use e-learning to communicate with my teachers. A virtual class is similar to an online class, except that everything for that class is online, and there a strict rules for virtual schools. Florida has its own online school called Florida Virtual School. It is similar to a regular school except that everything id done online. Teachers are available from 7:30 am to 8:00 pm, and a monthly phone call with parents is required. Class sizes range from 25 students to as many as 200 students, and teachers are enforced to give feedback to every students work within 48 hours. There are a lot of advantages to a virtual school, like expanding knowledge of digital media, no one needs to travel to learn, and it is helpful for people who cannot attend classroom courses. There are also a lot of advantages for taking any other distance education course. Students can work at their own pace, flexibility helps adults go back to school and work around their schedules, and students can take classes that are not offered locally. At the same time, there are some disadvantages like cost, security, motivation, and attendance. If you are responsible, and can manage your time well, and distance ed class is perfect for you.

This short video shows some advantages to using distance education. They are advertising OTEN, a virtual school that offers online and distance ed classes. The video shows a student running into a lot of problems that could make him late to class, while another student is relaxing by the beach on his computer, working on his online class. It shows how online classes are flexible and convenient for students.

As an education major it is very important for me to learn about distance education because it could be a possible job for me. If I was to choose to teach online classes I would need to know how they work, and the advantages and disadvantages of them. On the other hand, even if I do teach in the classroom, knowing about online classes will benefit me because I could inform my students about them, or I could expand my knowledge by using them as well. As a student, I can say that online classes are very helpful for me, so I know I will want to suggest them to my students.