Distance Learning

      Sometimes students are really tired of the overcrowded, stuffy lecture halls. They are tired of going to the classes on a regular basis at a fixed time. So distance learning is the best solution to this problem. The idea of distance learning is not new. It is increasing rapidly throughout the world. What makes distance education different from traditional education is that students have a much higher degree of freedom covering all level degrees and subjects often delivered online. We see tutors guiding, classmates discussing, taking exams all without the constraints of physical presence and strict schedule. 

Distance learning is an open distributed learning environment that uses pedagogical tools enabled by internet and web-based technology to facilitate knowledge building and meaningful learning. It is education that is delivered anywhere, anytime from different locations, using a variety of media. For example, students have the opportunity to learn at their own speed at different locations, at the same time through scheduled video conferencing events or at different times in the same location by attending guest lectures. So there are multiple forms of interaction going on there. So, students do not have to sit in their traditional classrooms for 45 minutes. It makes knowledge to become more expanded and not limited in time.

When speaking about distance learning it is always said that distance learning is a lonely learning and we ignore the importance of body language and the eye movements that we always give priority in interaction process. I was watching a video on the interview with Nada Dabbagh a professor from George Mason University who was an innovator of distance learning. She states that distance learning is not a lonely process and it is not just somebody sitting alone. The knowledge does not belong to a single person and does not reside within an individual person, It is dynamic, fluid and takes place in a social context. For example, educators communicate their own language, culture and community of practice and in this process knowledge is shared, it does not belong to a single person. It is distributed across the community. 

So this is distance learning, a great tool to engage student in online learning context, in learner-learner, learner-instructor interaction, learner-content, learner-group interaction (www.schooltalk.tv). Regarding the body language essential for interaction she stated that in this era of technologies we see that technology gets there as it gives us the opportunity to send smiley with gestures with messages to express our emotions and feelings. .

I have found two websites that I found very effective ones for taking distance learning courses.  spears.okstate.edu and distancelearningportal.com  

Thanks to recent technological innovations, the concept of distance learning has since grown over time. It provides students  a lot of advantages in terms of time management and the expansion of knowledge which is worth taking into consideration