Week 2 readings inspired me a lot about open and distributed learning theory.
Today we live in an information-rich era, everyone can get the knowledge he wants, and the most considerable driving force of this educational change is open and distributed learning. The methods we usually use to teach literacy, blackboard teaching, and physical methods, namely textbooks, videos, courses, etc., are now generally “digitalized.” However, I found that open and distributed learning does not only rely on technology but an independent education platform, which makes its existence more humane.
Blogs, podcasts, Twitter, YouTube, WordPress, Wikipedia, etc. These are the work of educators and a platform for students to obtain a large number of high-quality learning resources, which can effectively improve personal skills and accumulate experience lessons, social practice and knowledge.
The article discusses the importance of educational methods in open and distributed learning in more depth, but I think Major ignored its drawbacks in the online courses. Just like the author’s view in “25 Years of EDTech”, personalized learning can provide more interactive teaching, but it also lacks emotional communication, easily eliminates learning skills, and eliminates the process of students’ thinking. Therefore, online courses should still adhere to the combination of online and offline, with equal emphasis on educational resources and interpersonal communication.
If I am a teacher, I hope to improve student autonomy in the open and distributed teaching process and give the students the initiative to learn as much as possible. Then the teachers will make generalizations and conclusions for students’ work. The instructor plays the role of a main line guide. Students and teachers cooperate in practice and create, update and improve open educational resources in the learning process.
I believe that educational technology is a trend in the future. Open and distributed learning combined with educational technology will promote a higher quality development of education. For future education, it is challenging to achieve breakthrough development by relying on technology. Instead, it requires deeper cooperation between educators, universities and learners, open and distributed integration, and mutual promotion to serve students’ development better.
Major, C. H. (2015). Teaching Online – A Guide to Theory, Research, and Practice. Retrieved from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uvic/detail.action?docID=3318874 (pp. 76-108) Note: UVic login required.
Jordan, K. & Weller, M. (2017). Openness and Education: A beginners’ guide. Global OER Graduate Network.
Hi Hang,
Thanks for this post. I feel that you brought up a lot of different topics that could benefit from further explanation. What would you say your main message is in this post?
I have a specific questions:
“Therefore, online courses should still adhere to the combination of online and offline, with equal emphasis on educational resources and interpersonal communication.” This is speaking to the benefit of blended learning. It is great when possible, but what about access? How would thinking about student access impact this statement?
You also wrote “Blogs, podcasts, Twitter, YouTube, WordPress, Wikipedia, etc. These are the work of educators”. Are you suggesting that these tools were all created by educators and/or for educational purposes? Can you substantiate that claim?
Thanks!
Ryan
Hi Ryan,
Thank you so much for your feedback.
I think this article’s key is the positive effect of open and distributed learning in helping students learn and promoting educational development.
Students visiting the website may not be suitable for offline courses, reducing learning efficiency and relatively reducing learning resources. Visiting websites may not be ideal for offline classes, reducing learning efficiency and reducing learning resources. However, we should treat offline and online learning methods dialectically, focusing on open and distributed learning methods. In addition, we should explore offline learning methods suitable for students according to their own needs. Blended learning is not the only way but an alternative.
No, I’m sorry. I didn’t explain it adequately. Blogs, podcasts, Twitter and other platforms are all social networks, and the origin of their creation is also for people to socialize and network activities. Take a blog as an example. People can post their mood and state, write logs and articles, etc., but it is not just purely personal expression and trivial daily records. The content it provides can be used to communicate and provide for others. Helping others can get knowledge from other people’s blogs, but the other party can also get inspiration from their articles with high shared value. Therefore, I think these platforms have a high learning value and are very important for educators and learners.