However, surprisingly, distance educators have not caught onto the trend. Web 2.0 applications offer users an experience beyond the typical University experience. Second Life offers the ability to add the social element and interaction that is often missing from the distance education experience. If traditional universities and public entities see the opportunity to use Second Life for education, and to disseminate public information, then this would seem like the next logical step in improving distance education programs. Students could attend a virtual classroom that is like a brick and mortar classroom in many ways.
One of the key difficulties in implementing online education in an online world is that students may not have access or the skills necessary to function in an online world. Second Life requires the most advanced graphics cards and systems to run. It will not run on older systems or those that do not meet the minimum requirements. Traditional brick and mortar universities can provide students with the ability to access Second Life through university libraries and computer labs. However, for the most part, distance education students must purchase and maintain their own equipment. They may not always have access to the minimum system requirements.
Another caveat of using Second Life as a tool for distance education is that users many not be tech-savvy enough to use it. However, Second Life has an excellent orientation program called "Orientation Island" where users become familiar with the operation of their avatars in Second Life. In answer to...
independent study. It is still a broadcast-related approach to teaching and doesn't give the student an opportunity to fully participate in the learning process. Telecourses are ideal for reaching thousands or millions of students who are motivated to learn. The drawback is the lack of interaction with instructors. The development of interactive television based on satellite and cable networks, and the development of interactive video have contributed to the development
He begins by introducing the concept of neo-Fordism (or neo-industrialization) which was characterized by product innovation. The age of neo-Fordism led to distance education adapting itself to the more demanding consumerist society as it started to produce a wider array of small-scale courses on which constant innovation can be made possible. Post-Fordism (or post-industrialization), on the other hand, does not have much difference from neo-Fordism only that it adds
A similar trend was seen in many areas of U.S. society, such as the restriction of medicinal claims on products and other trends that began in the same decade. It was very interesting to find that the U.S. Armed Forces had any part in distance education, and specifically how broad the areas of study offered by the U.S. Armed Forces Institute. The student base of about 500,000 is also interesting
While these needs may be found in only a small minority of the students, there should be equal opportunity for all students to advance and achieve. In the single student faced with confusion, that instance may be either a life changing or a debilitating experience for them. This can severely impact their decision now and for the rest of their life. In that light, he suggests, that a student profile
This is counter to the points made later in the article regarding distance education theory (Najjar, 2008) and its impact on a more individualized approach to distance instruction. Arguably the impact of higher-speed collaborative technologies of which the Internet is the most pervasive are shifting these theories and making dialogue-based theories, including social networking-based concepts of shared collaboration more relevant and effective. The use of collaborative classrooms online for
The rules of this paradigm are that government usually perform formal inquiries because they hope to establish trends for funding or new educational models, while social research does not have to follow these rules, instead, they study social problems and divides that affect adult and distance learners, and seek to solve those problems through social change and reorganization. Finally, the paradigm that exists between the institution and the adult learner
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