The Idea of Implementing a Distance Education Component To a Face-to-Face Classroom
3:23 PM
How might a teacher begin the process of implementing a distance education component to a face-to-face elementary school as an alternative to paper-based homework? What might need to be considered prior to the development of such a distance education program?
Audience
The audience that will serve as the context for the work in this class will be a face-to-face elementary school. Although the teaching and learning that currently takes place at _____________Elementary School is face-to-face, there are times when distance education options would be tremendously beneficial to have. This work will focus on the development of a plan for such an environment and serve as an example of how and why such an environment might be feasible and useful as an option associated with the face-to-face classroom.
Needs of _____________School
There are several needs within _____________School that can be served best by implementing a distance education component. Many students within the school do not currently complete their homework. It is either not seen as important by the students and/or parents, or it is simply not engaging enough to entice participation among students. So, there is a need to find a motivating, engaging, worthwhile way to aid in bridging the gap between home and school for Rockwell’s students. There are other needs including a way for chronically ill students to engage in learning from home, but for the purposes of this project, the focus will remain on the need for a home-school connection through the use of a distance education component to learning used predominately after school hours. Despite being a “Title I School”, 100% of students surveyed in one third grade class had Internet access during the 2008-2009 school year. If such is the case, why not take advantage of the motivation associated with Internet-based assignments and use an online learning component to enhance students’ learning outside of regular school hours. Implementing such a component is likely to help bridge the gap between home and school, build the community of learners, and potentially even increase the probability that students will actually participate in their homework activities (Mcgrath, 1998).
Tying Mission Statement to Distance Education Solutions
Part of the mission of _____________School is to inspire, challenge, and empower students to meet high academic standards. In order to do this it is important to design purposeful activities that will challenge, empower, and inspire students both during school and once they leave for home. Activities that encourage collaboration and that are created for a real audience (possibly parents, peers, and outside experts) empower students to create worthwhile products for a worthwhile audience. This is much more empowering and engaging than the typical worksheet that is currently assigned for homework. The implementation of a distance education component that is engaging and seen as purposeful for learners can help to do this. Ideas for such use of distance education include a blog space for communication and collaboration, access to digital learning material to supplement the learning that takes place at school, and a location where digital artifacts can be stored and shared with those who are not in the face-to-face classroom.
Current Opportunities for Distance Education at __________
The current opportunities for distance education at _____________School are virtually non-existent. There are a few teachers who build in access to online tutorials appropriate for our elementary learners as both classroom activities and extra resources to support the curriculum. Other than this, we have no access to formal online learning, telecourses, or any other well-known form of distance education (Moore and Kearsley, 2004). Despite this fact, we do have access to online learning tools such as blogs, websites, and the variety of learning sites available through use of the Internet.
Building Relationships
I feel strongly that the parent-child and parent-school relationship would be enhanced if the bridge between home and school were strengthened. The more that we can do to get parents involved in the learning of their children, the stronger this relationship will be. Additionally, the better sense of importance parents gauge about their children’s learning, the more support the children will receive in their academic journeys. The possibilities for distance education to help get parents involved in the learning that is going on in the classroom are powerful.
Guidance from Distance Education Organizations
The North American Council for Online Learning, NACOL, is a distance education organization that is likely to be able to provide support through guidance, resources, and other ideas, in how to successfully implement a distance-learning program to be used as an alternative to paper-based homework for our school. The NAOCL website alone provides numerous resources that will serve as guidance as plans for implementation of such a program are underway. Resources include publications with information relating to K12 distance education, national standards, promising practices in online learning, relevant literature recommendations, as well as other links that may be of help.
References:
Mcgrath, B. “Partners in Learning: Twelve Ways Technology Changes
Teacher-Student Relationship,”(1998). THE Journal. 25.
Moore, M, & Kearsley, G, Distance education: A systems view, (2004). Wadsworth
Publishing.
