MDE+601+Assignments

Yes! Finally getting a grasp on the concept of a wiki! Crazy adjustments I am making. I am 47 years old and jumping into an educational system that is totally different than when I graduated from college with my undergraduate....25 years ago. Last night I was in a puddle of tears trying to make sense of it all. Today is a little better...I said "a little"...hopefully as I progress in learning the new tools and lingo will dry my "puddle of tears" and this fog will lift.
 * 9/10/09**

I started with pbworks and did not like the feel of it at all. A educational buddy of mine, suggested wikispaces. It didn't take long for me to switch. I liked the layout, look, ease of use, the page editing which is most similar to Microsoft....just more excited about it.

Your final score is: 100.0% Congratulations Rhonda Felts Crosby! You've answered all the questions correctly. This Certificate of Achievement is Awarded to Rhonda Felts Crosby for successfully completing The UMUC Online Writing Center Module How to Avoid Plagiarism 9/7/2009
 * 9/7/09**

**Assignment: Personal Definition and Understanding of DE**
 * 09/29/09**

Prior to enrollment in this class, I would have simply defined Distance Education as the ability to educate students, employees or those with inquiring minds with information in a setting other than the formal classroom.

After a number of weeks being enrolled in the 601 Foundations Class and reading a wealth of information, I would modify my definition of Distance Education.

Distance Education includes numerous nontraditional instructional strategies to accommodate various learning styles. This would occur between an instructor and a learner, though it does not require direct and continuous supervision from the instructor and would include distance of time and/or space. A successful program would include and provide unique delivery opportunities for interaction between the instructor and learner that would that would enhance the learning outcomes and purposes as relevantly designed for the learner with regard for the current stage of development and maturation. It is administrated in an organized fashion, monitored on a regular basis and evaluated based on a set of pre-determined criteria necessary for meeting objectives.

Though historically, DE began with a basic framework, it is obvious from our course readings that it has changed dramatically with technological advancements as well as the situations of learners. The base of DE should not be confined to historical methodologies, limited to a specified age group or people group, or narrowly defined parameters issued by a specific institution or group. Therefore, the defining characteristic would not be the method, but the ability to transfer knowledge and expand thought processes in the learner. It should be accepted as an evolving development which incorporates new design and emerging technological tools that accommodate various lifestyle situations, numerous age categories, a range of educational standings and various other circumstances that a learner possesses.

Module 1 Reflections**
 * 11/17/09

In looking back over module 1, the reading of assigned texts was the most helpful in understanding the basic premises of DE. Though I was intrigued by the DE concept when I entered this course of study, I found that my understanding was very limited, but as I uncovered basic definitions, tracked the lifespan and the rapid emergence of DE, and identified the aspects of course development and instructor/student interaction, my appreciation for the subject matter was enlarged.

After course readings, conversing with my peers and obtaining feedback from my instructors, my thoughts went beyond establishing tight parameters of "looking like, feeling like and performing like" a set of standards and helped me focus more on the active role of students in the teaching-learning process rather than being a “passive recipients of wisdom” (Homberg, p 35). The DE learning arena is broad and is able to accommodate various lifestyle situations, numerous age categories, a range of educational standings and various other circumstances that a student possesses. There were many thought provoking conversations in the conference section that challenged my views and strengthened my existing philosophy of education. Though most of the material was centered on DE as relates to the adult learner, I was challenged to express my views of how DE could be successfully implemented in the K-12 model without compromising the developmental needs of the whole child.

Module 2 Reflections** In Module 2, the study that was most enlightening to me was Peters’ (2004) extensive overview of the digital information and communication technologies. He unpackaged the impressive development in DE teaching and learning behaviors which were affected by technological progress. It gave way to the 2nd and 3rd generations of DE in which new institutions were birthed and/or where existing institutions adapted their programs to embrace the strong use of computers and the web. Though these institutions were characterized by various goals, purposes and descriptions, most institutions could be classified into model as listed below:
 * 11/18/09

__ ThinkPad Universities __ – web-enhanced campus-based learning // Wake //// Forest University,, Winston-Salem, NC // // Seton //// Hall University, South Orange, NJ // __ Internet Universities __ – online degree courses, aka educational brokers // The Internet University in Cambridge, MA // // Western Governors Virtual University ////, US //// consortium // __ Virtual Universities __ – traditional instruction online // Macquarie //// University ////, Sydney Australia // //__ Virtual Distance-Teaching Universities __// – DE, web-based; all functions of a regular university, virtually // The Virtual University of the FernUniversitat in Hagen // // Online Campus of the University of Phoenix // // Open University ////, United Kingdom // // University of Maryland University College // // Catalan Open University // // Open University of Hong Kong // Still open for debate is each model are questions that challenge pedagogical issues of “real learning spaces, the feelings of belonging and security, the interaction with person of flesh and blood, the face-2-face dialogue, the experience of working together with fellow students in the same room, the strong sense of community, the intense feeling of being an active and accepted partner in a scientific discourse, the meeting with original and authentic scholars (Peters, 2004).