George Siemens (n.d.) discusses three elements that may be contributing to the growing acceptance of distance education. One of those elements is communication. In thinking about and surfing other blogs about how online communication has evolved over time, I found several approaches to this topic.
First, there is the hardware/software evolution. Embry (2006) has an extensive blog entry (http://distance-edu.blogspot.com/) where he states, “Over the past 2 decades, communication using information technologies has gone from using over-head projectors, audiovisual media, slides, and the viewing of prerecorded public television programs, to the delivery of instruction using interactive technologies and asynchronous modes.” Indeed from email through interactive/editable wiki pages, video capabilities, and greater bandwidth, online communication has changed the face of distance learning, and we cannot help but wonder what new developments are just around the corner. Will there be some major breakthrough that will yet again completely reshape the capabilities of distance learning?
It was easy to find conversations about the positive influence of the evolution of online communication on distance education. For example, among the many proponents of distance education is the renown, Dr. Chris Dede who has an excellent 1995 article that might have been the predecessor to Siemen’s viewpoint. (http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwitr/docs/distlearn/index.html).
But a different viewpoint of interest is the blog posting by Randfish (2006) http://www.seomoz.org/blog/evolution-of-communication-on-the-web. The first half of this post summarizes the negative consequences of online communication as outlined by Suler (2004).
Yet in the end, Randfish argues Suler’s points and states that the negative consequences really are not a concern anymore. I disagree. I believe there are still many issues with online communication. As scholar practitioners who want to influence positive change in or through distance education, we cannot ignore or dismiss the downsides to online communication. To read a bulleted point summary of Suler’s downsides, visit http://www.seomoz.org/blog/evolution-of-communication-on-the-web.
Resources
Dede. C. (1995). The transformation of distance education to distributed learning. Retrieved December 21, 2008 from http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwitr/docs/distlearn/index.html.
Embry, B. (2006). The evolution of distance learning in higher education. Retrieved December 21, 2008 from http://distance-edu.blogspot.com/.
Randfish. (2006). Evolution of Communication on the Web. Retrieved December 21, 2008 from http://www.seomoz.org/blog/evolution-of-communication-on-the-web.
Siemens, G. (n.d.) The Future of Distance Education. [Study video]. Retrieved December 19, 2008 from
http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=3206859&Survey=1&47=5050260&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1. Only available to Walden students enrolled in EDUC 8442.
Suler, J. (2004). The online disinhibition effect. Retrieved December 19, 2008 from http://www-usr.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/disinhibit.html
First, there is the hardware/software evolution. Embry (2006) has an extensive blog entry (http://distance-edu.blogspot.com/) where he states, “Over the past 2 decades, communication using information technologies has gone from using over-head projectors, audiovisual media, slides, and the viewing of prerecorded public television programs, to the delivery of instruction using interactive technologies and asynchronous modes.” Indeed from email through interactive/editable wiki pages, video capabilities, and greater bandwidth, online communication has changed the face of distance learning, and we cannot help but wonder what new developments are just around the corner. Will there be some major breakthrough that will yet again completely reshape the capabilities of distance learning?
It was easy to find conversations about the positive influence of the evolution of online communication on distance education. For example, among the many proponents of distance education is the renown, Dr. Chris Dede who has an excellent 1995 article that might have been the predecessor to Siemen’s viewpoint. (http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwitr/docs/distlearn/index.html).
But a different viewpoint of interest is the blog posting by Randfish (2006) http://www.seomoz.org/blog/evolution-of-communication-on-the-web. The first half of this post summarizes the negative consequences of online communication as outlined by Suler (2004).
Yet in the end, Randfish argues Suler’s points and states that the negative consequences really are not a concern anymore. I disagree. I believe there are still many issues with online communication. As scholar practitioners who want to influence positive change in or through distance education, we cannot ignore or dismiss the downsides to online communication. To read a bulleted point summary of Suler’s downsides, visit http://www.seomoz.org/blog/evolution-of-communication-on-the-web.
Resources
Dede. C. (1995). The transformation of distance education to distributed learning. Retrieved December 21, 2008 from http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwitr/docs/distlearn/index.html.
Embry, B. (2006). The evolution of distance learning in higher education. Retrieved December 21, 2008 from http://distance-edu.blogspot.com/.
Randfish. (2006). Evolution of Communication on the Web. Retrieved December 21, 2008 from http://www.seomoz.org/blog/evolution-of-communication-on-the-web.
Siemens, G. (n.d.) The Future of Distance Education. [Study video]. Retrieved December 19, 2008 from
http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=3206859&Survey=1&47=5050260&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1. Only available to Walden students enrolled in EDUC 8442.
Suler, J. (2004). The online disinhibition effect. Retrieved December 19, 2008 from http://www-usr.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/disinhibit.html
3 comments:
Koh-
You say "I disagree. I believe there are still many issues with online communication." I think more and more of these issues are being address, yet the face-to-face contact and interaction is still one thing that cannot be done online. Maybe, if technologies like Video chats are improved, which may be the case with more fiber-optic technology/lines being installed, some of these issues can be addressed.
Koh, I think the 5 minutes Siemens spent on the topic was superficial and not deep enough to comment upon to any extent. I think you did a great job of finding blogs that were both pro and con. I didn't have the same luck, as there was little on the flavor of global diversity Siemens was talking about. I agree that there are issues with communication that need to be considered especially were the communication is across culture. I remember the story about Coca Cola advertising in China where the phrase they used meant ‘We bring your ancestors to life,' or the fact the no one considered what a name might mean in another culture, when they named the Chevy Nova…which means “no go” in Spanish. http://spanish.about.com/cs/culture/a/chevy_nova.htm
JMH-
Great points about Coca-Cola and Nova! I just commented in your blog that I thought one day technology would be able to translate languages in a live video conference. But after reading your entry, I realize how right you are in that even Data on Star Trek couldn't compute sarcasm or humor. Is it possible to commputerize the nuances of culturally specific aspects?
Koh
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