The Impact of Open Source

The Open Course site I chose is Open Yale Course, http://oyc.yale.edu/. The course I will examine is Introduction – Freeman’s Top Five Tips for Studying the American Revolution, http://oyc.yale.edu/history/the-american-revolution/content/sessions/lecture01.html.  This course will offers 5 study tips for learners to understand the professor’s main goals (Open Yale Course, n.d.).

1. Avoid thinking about the Revolution as a story about facts and dates.

2. Remember that words we take for granted today, like “democracy,” had very different meanings.
3. Think of the “founders” as real people rather than mythic historic figures.
4. Remember that the “Founders” aren’t the only people who count in the Revolution.
5. Remember the importance of historical contingency: that anything could have happened during the Revolution.

This course conducts in a straightforward matter that relates to pre-planning. The course syllabus is clearly structure and points out what the learner is going to accomplish at the end of the course. The 5 study tips are a great pre-planned function that learners can use as a guide in the distance learning environment. The objectives of this course are to state, “the conditions under which learning should occur, the performance expected of the learner, and the standard to which the performance will be matched” (Simonson, 2009, p. 132). The learners are able to stay ahead of the course reading and take notes. This course patently is designed for distance learning. The instructor provides learners with written transcript, video, and audio for the course. The visuals help learners to simplifying and have a clear understanding of the course information. Simonson best describe a course to have “the well-organized procedure that provides guidance to even the novice distance instructor” (Simonson, 2009, p. 249).

This course offers regular reading assignments and detail grading system. This course is very similar to the Walden University Online Courses. It provides learners with many different types of tools to be in aligned with the distance learning environment. The best way for an instructor to implement their course activities is to maximize their learning materials. The instructor must become, “familiar with the hardware and the nuance of the technology use them with effective teaching” (Simonson, 2009, p. 135).

The online instructions of the course textbooks give the learners the ability to follow along easily. This course is design of adult learners that are self-directed and self-motivation learners. They can easily access the course materials to maximum their learning experience. The course schedule does not micromanage learners. Learners are able to do the readings and writing assignments at their own pace. The expectation of the course requirements a clear set of instructions and communication through the syllabus. The course objectives are clear and align with the course materials. The course links learners and instructor with an open line of communication through the use of discussion boards and emails.

References:

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S., (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance, foundation of distance education (4th ed.). New York: Pearson.

Freeman, Joanne. Professor of History, Yale University. HIST 116: The American Revolution (Spring, 2010). Retrieved on July 29, 2011 from http://oyc.yale.edu/history/the-american-revolution/content/syllabus.

Interactive Tools in Distance Learning

I selected Example 2: Interactive Tours, because high school students do not have the ability to travel to New York to see exhibits. The learners need to use technology tools to assistant them with understanding the artwork and communicate with the museum curators. That is why a blended of learning is a great way for learners to view the exhibit and participate with other students in a group setting. The high school history teacher is locate on the west coast and the students. However, the art exhibits are held in New York museums. The integration of technology and face-to-face group setting are a great place for learners to increase their understanding of artwork. The use of two-way audio gives the teacher and students the ability to communicate with museum curators in real time. The museum curator can also provide learners with additional audio to have for future reference. The history teacher wants to provide their learners a place where they can ingrate technology into a high school classroom. Introducing technology to learners at a young age will provide the benefit of using technology into education.

The distance learning technologies I suggestion to this teacher would to use LectureShare because it is a great place for teachers to share video, audio, PowerPoint slides, blog, and images of the artwork to the learners. This technology is an open environment where learners, teachers, and museum curators to communicate about the display of artwork. The LectureShare lets, “instructors post lecture notes to their students, or the world, quickly and easily” (LectureShare, 2011). The instructor can post assignments, videos, and communicate with other learners on the site. Students can receive the course information from their home computer. Even the museum curators can post videos and images of art work on the site. The teacher will work with the museum curators to post artwork dicusses to the learners.  LectureShare does not give the teacher limitations on what they can post on the site. This technology is, “highly participatory and promotes collaboration, networking, sharing, and the widespread generation of content, and the editing and mixing of content from diverse sources for new purpose” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009, p. 244). The LectureShare, http://www.lectureshare.com offers learners with an online search tool to view the current catalog of courses.

The course Online Testing Software is a course that offers individuals employment and training modules to help business grow in this financial trouble. The ProProfs, http://www.proprofs.com/training/ is online distance learning tool where companies can develop training module quick and easy. The online training module gives company’s an easy way to offer training and testing online without company time. The students are able to take quizzes, review documents, and take notes during their training session. It is an easy way to gather all employees in one location without the high experience. With companies being establishing worldwide employees do not have to meet in one location but rather online to take a training course.

Also, GoToMeeting http://www.gotomeeting.com is a technology tool that most companies and education institutions use to collaborate and provide demos to learners. The site also offers other useful meeting tools like, GoToWebinar and GoToTraining. An individual is able to host or join meetings.  For example, the museum curators can provide teachers and students live presentations on the museum artwork. The teacher can broadcast audio conferencing in the classroom where students can hear and participant with the museum curators.

Katie McColl

References:

LectureShare, Retrieved July 16, 2011 from http://www.lectureshare.com/

 GoToMeeting, Retrieved July 17, 2011 from http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Defining Distance Learning

My former personal definition of Distance Learning is similar to Schlosser & Simonson that there are multiple meanings that range a wide range of media. I do not feel there is one meaning of distance learning. The participant can be small or large groups and includes an instructor. The instructor communicates to the learner with the use of online discussion boards, email, and chat rooms. The range of ways distance learning is interconnection by the electronic devices, technical media, communication, institutions, and online technical resources. It can be a combination of any time of these tools that I defined.

First part of distance learning is the use of electronic devices a learner can use to stay connected to their instructor and fellow learners. The electronic devices iPhone, Laptop, and Apple iPad are a few examples learners can use to stay connected anywhere in the world. These devices have wireless Internet. The learners are able to, “receive instruction that originates from some distance location” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009, p. 33). Technical media like audio, print text, and video have given learners over the years a better use of implementing their understanding of distance learning.

I have been involved in distance learning since I was in undergraduate education. My first experience with taking an online course was at the Riverside Community College in California. The course was 16 weeks summer session about “Introduction to Art”. The course is designed similar to the Walden University course. I had to research art paintings, and the exams were multiple choice, essay questions, and matching. At the end of course, we were assign to go to art museums to see the art in person. I found the course to be more interested because I was able to discuss my ideas of art online and go to art museums. I was able to use the course materials and Internet to gather information about artwork.

Compared to my previous experience distance learning I feel it has with the improvement of technology tools. Since my first online course, the increase of online technical resources has helped me stay connected and brain storm ideas more effectively. I created my first Blog and designed a mind maps at Walden University. I learned a lot of information on how to develop a mind map and use RSS Google.

I am currently looking to Distance Learning to aid my coworkers my current profession to help them stay connected to their clients and coworkers. The employees are able to use email and online chats to stay connected to their client. The employees are able to engage their client more efficiently than face-to-face. No matter the institutions a learner can use distance learning to build a strong relationship with their instructor or client.

No matter the technology I implement distance learning the information must be organize in a coherent matter. The information that is presenting must be in, “a manner consistent with how we organized the world conceptually or logically” (Morrison, Ross, Kalman, and Kemp, 2011, p. 140). Technology has dramatically improved and revamped to work for all types of learners. Distance learning is a great way to keep the learners more involved in their education progress.

Katie McColl 

References:

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Morrison, G., Ross, S., Kalman, H., & Kemp, J. (2011). Designing Effective Instruction (6^th ed.) John Wiley & Sons, Inc.