I have read through the thoughts on distant learning and it is apparent to me that most individuals feel that it meant technology of some kind was involved. This is true in today’s society but I guess many of us didn’t realize that distant learning actually meant that students were in one place and educators were in another and some form of communication existed between the two; except for face to face contact. I wasn’t aware (or had not put two and two together) until I read the history of distant learning that it has been around for some time. As I stated on Dr. Lowell’s blog, I used to work as an Administrative Assistant at a community college in the late 1980’s and I used to help proctor correspondence exams. This was a form of distant learning. I also stated that I could “never” take a class like that because I would not remain on task and keep up with the reading. My life’s slogan is “Never say Never”. Here I sit today in that same type of environment. The only difference is the technology instead of the textbook. What most people don’t understand is that technology comes much easier for me than textbooks do!
I think one of the most profound thing we must realize as educators is “times change”. We must be willing to change with those times to ensure the best possible learning and teaching experiences for our students and ourselves. I remember hearing this once in one of my PD’s or classes. Would you want to go to a doctor that never read the most up-to-date medical reports and kept up with the newest procedures? As educators, should we not be held to those types of standards? These kids are our future and I am not sure about you guys, but I sometimes worry about my future based on some of the students I get!
