Reflection - Communication

Communication – Reflection

I chose “communication” as the element that I have observed as being most evolved. I have seen that just in the past two years the interaction between nations (not just cities or states or neighborhoods, etc.) has grown exponentially with the onset of social media such as Skype (my personal favorite), FaceBook, Twitter, Tweet, and blogs of all sorts. These online tools are portals to the lives of millions of people.

One of my teachers uses SKYPE to interact with her daughter in Iran. Her daughter carries her lap top around her surroundings and shows her mother what the environment is like. My teacher friend uses her experiences for geographical lessons in her class of special ed. (prisoner) students.

A friend of mine uses FaceBook and SKYPE to interact with her daughter in Italy. She gets to see her grandchildren growing up. I myself am embarking on a Skype group “hug” today, when my sisters and cousins in Milwaukee are gathering for a reunion. They are bringing my mom (who is 88) to see me online – we haven’t seen each other since my father’s death two years ago. I realize that this is all very emotionally charged…yet the world has become much smaller for many of us, because of the development of social electronic communication.

Satellites have been developed for this very thing. It may be a by-product of society to include education, business and government in the mix – but when it all comes out, we are social beings. It may not be in my lifetime (or my childrens’ lifetimes, or even my grandchildrens’ lifetimes) but there is probably a door in communication that is about to be opened to extra-terrestrial beings (no, not ET). We are probably on a very important wave of future communications. It is (and should be) a very exciting time.

Reflection

What comes to mind immediately after reading the papers presented by Moller, Foshay and Huett (et al) is how I can use the ideas within my own limited industry. Teaching in a prison does not promote the educational technology that is readily available in the outside world. However, there are instructional opportunities that can be utilized and possibly evolve within the confines of the supposedly “traditional” classroom.
I would choose to concentrate on the ROI of my graduates. The bottom line here is the successful completion of the mandated GED program for each individual. Running a CAI Lab precludes any real whole group instruction or class project type of work. It does however encourage the individual strengths and potential in the students.

This type of learning can be compared to higher education for the non-traditional student – which as Moller, et al point out, “ …become an increasingly large segment of the student body at the post-secondary level.” And further, “a principal motivator is the relatively unfamiliar force of completion.” These students face this very thing when they are back in the world competing for jobs, and need basic skills to even be in the running. Such is our economy situation presently.
It has been a recent problem with accreditation and recognition of school performance. Distance Education could possibly make a very great impact in helping these students from alternative learning situations, to achieve (as Moller points out) “new ways of using technology (that) have to be employed and understood by educators and merely ‘recreating the present in a more efficient manner (which) seems wasteful when the status quo is of questionable effectiveness (1998, p. 121).” {I chose to paraphrase this section- for my own purposes of explanation}.

Distance Education IS very different from F2F instruction. I think that, if the administration would make a “beta run” with some post-secondary classes within the current system, that the results could be very meaningful and much of the security concern could be eliminated.

update

Well today I upgraded both my wiki and skype so here is the info:

Skype: chrisbw2

wiki http://distanceeducation8842.wikispaces.com

blog: http://christine-wallo.blogspot.com

I will also put this and my other info on my walden email.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Hello to Everyone

I'm hoping that this blog will be a very fruitful experience. I'm not a real keen blogger, but I'm getting there because I see the potential value in Distance Learning. I must say, I like bogging better than I like Facebook! Hope to see you all and follow you (as I know you will follow me!)

Have a great quarter!

Chris Wallo

P.S. I'm working on renewing my SKYPE account,and I do have a wiki (under repair)...so I guess social communication is indeed in my blood!