Distance Education (blog 9)

A fairly recent development in education has been the growing popularity and accessibility of distance education. The idea of learning through correspondence rather than attending classes on site is not a new one, but technological advances have made it far more convenient. Many high schools now have classes, such as health and life schools, that may be taken online. And this trend has extended to universities as well. But rather just being limited to individual classes, entire programs are now offered at a distance, with lectures, assignments, and student-teacher interaction all taking place on the internet.

As an aspiring educator, the increase in distance education programs will greatly affect me. One of the advantages of distance education classes is that they are flexible in terms of schedule, and therefore perfect for working professionals who cannot put a career on hold to return to school for a higher level degree. The field of education is sure to change and further develop during my teaching career, and it will be very important for me to continue to take classes to improve my skills. Distance Education will provide this opportunity while allowing me to keep my position in the classroom. It is also possible that in my time as a teacher I will need to conduct a class online and correspond with students who are not present in my classroom. This could especially benefit students with special needs that make it difficult for them to physically attend school five days a week. Having a way for assignments to be done and turned in from home could be the key to success for some students with disabilities. As a teacher, it will be my responsibility to do all that I can to ensure my students' success, and that means being open to possibly learning through distance education and assisting students through it as well.

This article by the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ascilite) explores some new opportunities available to students with special needs through distance education.

(http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/wollongong98/asc98-pdf/parfittjonguyen.pdf)