My Definition of Distance Learning

Years ago, I believed that Distance Learning was an easy way out, and in no way compared or measured the education that you received in a traditional classroom. This was back when you could receive credit by listening to tapes and answering questions on them. I guess this was considered guided learning? I took offense to people being able to get certifications and degrees by doing this. I used to ask myself, how is that learning?

Then over the years, Distance Learning has evolved into a learning environment that may, in fact, be more interactive than a traditional classroom. DL went from what I mentioned above, to satellite classrooms, reading lectures online and learning from them, to now being completely interactive. In its newest, purest form, DL was debatable for me when it came to credibility. However, now I would prefer it over traditional classroom learning, even just solely based on the amount of learning that takes place.

So here I am, in my third online degree program, wondering how I ever managed before it. DL is anything but the easy way out, as I have experienced a very vigorous course load at times, and in fact thought to myself, I should just go back to the traditional classroom. It is less work! For a while, I went back and forth with which type of learning environment would be best for me. However, since beginning this IDT degree program, I am convinced that online is for me and that it far outweighs traditional learning.

Through the readings in this course, I have learned that the definition of DL is constantly changing. I believe this is due to the developments that are made for DL and the online environment. Simonson (2012) defined distance education as education where the teachers, students, and resources are separated by geographical location, but also by time. I have realized through his video presentation that DL incorporates teaching and learning, unlike many years ago when it was just simply guided learning.

Finally, I am not sure what the future holds for DL, because I am still amazed at what is now available. I am still learning new things everyday, including how to update images to my blog (which is what I have to do next), and interactive tools for learning. As I learn them, I try to apply them to my teaching, when applicable. I am excited about the technology that will come along in the future and improve the usability of DL even further.

Ok so...I cannot figure out how to put my mindmap on here! Here is the link for it, for now, until I figure it out! Any help is welcomed :)

http://www.webspirationpro.com/view/1061683a5000