Selecting Distance Learning Technologies for a Corporate Collaborative Training Environment

On May 16^th Blackboard Inc. released news that they were presenting their Blackboard Collaborate product with new integrations with Elluminate and Wimba to add enhanced flexibility for both students and teachers. (Blackboard Inc., 2011) I believe this is a next step to the creation of the perfect CMS or LMS system for a large range of distance education opportunities.  

This new system of offering both asynchronous and synchronous options seamlessly in one platform allow for enhanced distance education experiences in academic communities but also in corporate communities.  In June 2009 Cisco found that corporate employees “experienced a significant increase in work-life flexibility, productivity and overall satisfaction as a result of their ability to work remotely.”(Cisco, 2009) In addition, as corporations have moved more into our new technological age and increased the distance between employees, supervisors, and workplaces they have required more distance education based trainings and interactions.  

As an instructional designer I would suggest that corporations begin to use technology like Blackboard Collaborate to train their employees and to allow increased communication between employees at different work locations.  With integrated asynchronous and synchronous tools corporate employees would be able to all attend training in real time all together, using Elluminate system, and then collaborate after training utilizing the Blackboard discussion forums.  In addition, within the Blackboard Collaborate system corporate employees could post to fellow employees or exclusively to supervisors screenshots (utilizing internal computer screen capture tool or additional capture software tool like Snagit) of their successes and challenges or errors within the realm of the training.  Lastly, this system would allow corporations to both formatively and summatively assess both the growth of their employees through the offered training and the effectiveness of the training itself.

So in short I believe that the distance education tools, even those solely focused on academic applications, are becoming the types of tools that could potentially be very beneficial to the corporate training sector as well.

Blackboard Inc. (May 2011) Press Release: Blackboard upgrades integrations for Elluminate, Wimba solutions. Retrieved May 22, 2011 from http://www.blackboard.com/About-Bb/Media-Center/Press-Releases.aspx?releaseid=1564186

Cisco (June 2009) Press Release: Cisco Study Finds Telecommuting Significantly Increases Employee Productivity, Work-Life Flexibility and Job Satisfaction. Retrieved May 22, 2011 from http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2009/prod_062609.html

My Defining Distance Learning Mind Map

As I recounted my experiences with distance learning while reading this week’s resources I found it very difficult to define distance learning based on my experiences.  I have seen many different forms of distance learning both as a student and as a teacher.  This seems to be a similar theme even among the “experts” of distance learning; distance learning is not easily defined.  

I suppose I first encountered distance learning when I was in high school while taking college courses and completing my senior courses.  This experience taught me how to adjust and adapt to different learning environments, as my college courses were very different than the high school courses I was use to taking.  At this time I defined distance learning based on the contrast between my high school courses and my college courses, either one being a distance learning course at any time.  I then took a distance learning course in college that required me to study purely on my own and send in my tests and assignments to a professor for grading.  Here the contrast was between my self-paced course and my traditional college lecture courses.  Then I took hybrid/blended courses to complete my teaching certificate while I taught and wrote curriculum in a hybrid/blended classroom environment.  This was the first time I could clearly see how a traditional learning classroom could transform into a distance learning classroom.  Lastly, I took my current position high school science teaching 100% online.  I believe the online learning classroom is the distance learning classroom extreme.

I believe that the contrast between the traditional learning classroom and the distance learning classroom would be how I would define distance learning.  There seems to be five main relationships in both classroom settings:

1. Teacher-Student Relationship 
2. Teacher-Curriculum Relationship
3. Student-Curriculum Relationship 
4. Teacher-School Relationship 
5. Student-School Relationship

As in any relationship each of these requires communication, collaboration and mutually benefiting attributes, the way each of these elements is achieved would define the relationship as either “traditional” or “distant.”  If any one of these relationships would be considered a “distance” relationship then it would classify the entire classroom as a distance learning classroom.  Then the distance learning classroom could be further classified by which relationship(s) is/are considered “distant.”

I find it most intriguing to think about the future of distance learning as the traditional learning classroom and the distance learning classroom begin to converge even more with the introduction of technology requirements.  The more technology that is introduced to the traditional classroom environment the more likely is would be that one of the key classroom relationships would be classified as “distant” thus converting the traditional learning classroom into a distant learning classroom.

Based on this explanation the future will be filled with nothing but distance learning classrooms in differing capacities.  It will be very interesting to watch the development of distance learning and I believe we are in the best positions to be leaders in this development.  

Resources

Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Coleman, C. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63–67.

Maclaughlin, E. J., Supemaw, R. B., & Howard, K. A. (2004). Impact of Distance Learning Using Videoconferencing Technology on Student Performance. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 68(3), 1-6.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66–70.

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

Welcome Followers

Welcome one and all.  I am looking forward to sharing what I learning about distance learning and adding to my knowledge through your experiences as well.  Enjoy!