Academic Cultural Realities vs. Technology's Promise

In spite of reported strides in technology adoption in higher education, this article, Horns of the Dilemma for Faculty: Legacy Demands and Technology Expectations, offers a view of the reality inside academic culture.

Source: Web 2.0 (05/06/09), a publication of Campus Technology.

Adopting the Latest Greatest Tool

With the continuous development of new and cool tools for teaching and learning, making sense of it all is becoming quite a challenge. Should faculty strive to integrate the latest greatest Web 2.0 technologies? To what end? Aside from teaching, instructors must engage in other critical and time-consuming responsibilities. Compared to past technologies, Web 2.0 tools are more user-friendly and appealing to explore independently. However, for a number of instructors, keeping up with "what's new" is not necessarily highest on their priority list. Their bigger concern is finding the time to integrate such technologies in meaningful ways that markedly enhance learning as well as current teaching practices.

Ironically, the abundance of new, often free, and easy-to-use technology tools may not translate proportionately to increased adoption of technology in academia, at least for now.

Revisiting Facebook and Distance Education

It has been a while since I wrote about Facebook and Distance Education. Judging from the statistics on the interest in that post, I thought it would be a good idea to share new perspectives on the subject.

It appears that Facebook use continues to evolve, joining other Web 2.0 technologies in the trend to integrate them in higher education. Let's consider the case for learning management systems that are now widely used to facilitate distance education. Some have reacted to the growing use of the Web by college students by providing a single sign-in capability for connecting students to both their academic and social endeavors. Some institutions have embraced this development by integrating their learning management systems with Facebook. For any number of reasons, others have taken a 'wait and see' stance. Perhaps, security and privacy reasons are still a major concern; perhaps they are hesitant to mix academic pursuits with what they perceive to be purely a social medium. While the levels of engagement may seem vastly disparate at each end of the technology spectrum, considerations to integrate new tools in education should not be dismissed merely on the basis of the original intent and focus of the medium. To do so may be irrational, if the medium also facilitates time on task and and other educational objectives. As routine, most students are used to juggling multiple unrelated tasks. For many, a key attraction to distance education is the flexibility to do just that, and they are capable of managing their multiple roles quite successfully.

On a different note, a number of colleges and universities are using Facebook to place their brand as a recruiting tool in an enviroment where young people congregate. The expectation is that their presence will be perceived positively, and therefore selected by potential applicants. In the face of economic hardships, coupled by competition for distance education students and others, this move is not only logical but also financially sensible. The more the exposure, the better. As for success stories using this strategy, stay tuned...

I also know that some truths remain the same. Just last week while talking with a college student, she expressed the 'horror' of finding that a much, much older relative had a Facebook account! While societal tendency appears to be leaning toward making Facebook all-inclusive on many levels, some young people (who don't contemplate ever becoming older) are yearning for the 'good old days' when Facebook was strictly their domain, with the sole purpose of promoting their own youthful online social connections.

Aah the Choices! Selecting the Right Web 2.0 Apps for your Class

In contrast to the absence of personal involvement in the selection of course management systems that are deployed campus-wide on many institutions of higher education, the decision to adopt some Web 2.0 technologies may largely rest on the initiative of individual instructors. No doubt, there is a lot more flexibility in the selection and integration of these technologies in the classroom. For those who are just getting started, the first hurdle is how to select (among the myriads of available choices), sound technologies that seamlessly fit the intended purpose. As with any new venture, there may be challenges along the way. One must therefore assume a high level of self reliance, motivation, and also be sufficiently committed to the process in order to assure a desirable outcome.

Consider these fundamental questions as you commit time and effort to learn and incorporate a new technology in the classroom; the selection process might just become a little easier:

1. What do I wish to accomplish?
2. How will the technology further my course objectives?
3. How is the technology currently being used in my discipline?
4. Are other instructors in my department using the technology?
5. How will the technology enhance a currently time-consuming task?
6. What is the learning curve for me and for my students?
7. What is the reliability and scalability of the technology?
8. What challenges/problems do I anticipate?
9. What level of support can I expect online, internally, or from the vendor on this technology?

What's in a Label? Distance Education vs. Distance Learning

It is generally acceptable to use terms "distance learning" and "distance education" interchangeably as they are deemed to mean the same thing. According to Webopedia, the online encyclopedia for computer technology, distance learning is defined as:

"A type of education, typically college-level, where students work on their own at home or at the office and communicate with faculty and other students via e-mail, electronic forums, videoconferencing, chat rooms, bulletin boards, instant messaging and other forms of computer-based communication".
Here's another definition from a business source:
"Distance education, also called distance learning, has existed for centuries. It involves obtaining knowledge outside of the traditional avenues of attendance at learned institutions. Some recent definitions have focused on it as a new development, involving advanced technology. A few have even sought to define it in terms of a single technology ¯ usually the one they are reviewing or marketing. (North 1993)
Other sources basically offer similar definitions.

It may be accurate to state that a majority of individuals involved in distance learning (or distance education) do not pause to consider which of these terms is the more fitting description of what they do as administrators, instructional designers, program coordinators, or students. I fall in that category. Until quite recently, I never thought much about the validity of the use of one term over the other. My awakening occurred at the beginning of my first fully online educational pursuit in, of all areas, a distance education administration program at a major public university. In the first few days, my colleagues and the instructors engaged in an interesting debate on this issue. In the end, the term "distance education" won over "distance learning". The rationale for this conclusion was that, since learning occurs within the individual, essentially, "there is no such thing as distance learning". Learning is an internal phenomenon not a process that is removed or separate (distant) from the learner. Sounds logical? You decide.
Apparently, I might not have learned the lesson well, or the awakening I mentioned earlier was only provisional, at best. I catch myself still using the terms distance education and distance learning liberally and interchangeably to this day. In the grand scheme of things, maybe it does not matter.

Revisiting Web 2.0: Narrowing the Technology Adoption Gap

In my previous post, I addressed the potential of Web 2.0 technologies to become the "great equalizers" when comparing technology adoption among early adopters and laggards in higher education. A number of issues have been documented on why technology is not adopted in the classroom. Among laggards, navigating through the myriads of Web 2.0 technologies might be a forboding task. A meaningful approach to help them along would be to select classroom activities and recommend technologies that would enhance their delivery or comprehension, for example. The idea is to bridge the disconnect between technology adoption and potential benefits and at the same time, frame the rationale for making the transition to teaching with technology. The pros and cons of selecting any technology should be discussed, such as the time required to update information. In the mind of the instructor, the relationship between effort and rewards is significant in determining the extent of personal commitment to changing existing teaching practices. Another option would be to form small cohorts of like (or unlike) minds to provide peer support, and a platform for exchanging ideas on concrete practices. Instructors appreciate the opportunity to share their expertise and to learn from each other; this strategy provides such an outlet. As part of this effort, Web 2.0 technologies should be employed to communicate, collaborate and interact with the technologies directly in order to further demonstrate their potential. Modeling technology use increases the possibility of its adoption in the classroom.

Web 2.0 Apps: Equalizers or Alienators in Higher Education?

Web 2.0 refers to Web technologies that aim to enhance creativity, collaboration and information sharing. When used appropriately, these technologies such as wikis, blogs, podcasts, social bookmarking services, and media depositories can readily promote closer web-based communities and social interaction without much of a learning curve, or increased investment in resources. Studies on technology adoption have classified technology users at different levels; on one extreme are the early adopters, and on the other, the laggards. While the characteristics of Web 2.0 applications can be formidable assets to anytime, anywhere learning, one wonders if their availability and ease of use has had a significant reduction in the number of those who would normally be considered technology laggards in higher education. In other words, has the rate of technology adoption changed among laggards as a result of the onslaught of Web 2.0?

Are some instructors missing the opportunity to move online learning (or learning in general) forward by failing to adopt Web 2.0 technologies? Naturally, instructors who have been generally less likely to adopt technology in their classes may still need a little nudging regardless of the ease in use of a technology. A proactive role of faculty development would be to demonstrate, with concrete examples, how Web 2.0 technologies can enhance teaching and learning. Furthermore, an emphasis on the capacity of such technologies to improve human contact and interaction might just earn them the role of the "great equalizers" when it comes to technology adoption in higher education.

Creative Commons

Creative Commons provides a space for educators, artists, researchers, authors and others to share their works with designated tiers of usage rights. Works such as videos, documents, images can be used or remixed with full owner's permission. The idea is to build collaboration and share knowledge more freely than is possible under the current copyright laws. The world of knowledge can only be enhanced by the collective effort of all who contribute and enhance it. A journal article about Creative Commons can be found here.

Looking into the Future...

... highlight of graduation, courtesy of Paul K. ~~~July 27, 2007~~~

Facebook and Distance Education

In my previous posts, I did not address the issue of Facebook use in distance education directly. It has become evident in my review of the limited literature currently available, that Facebook is not yet the technology of choice in (higher) education.

In considering the place of Facebook in distance education, a few questions come to mind:

1. Does Facebook fill a gap in terms of new features currently lacking in the delivery of content and communication with learners in distance education?

2. As a social playground for college students, would the use of Facebook enhance or diminish the image of a distance education program?

3. What would Facebook offer over and above the current technologies already in place for distance education?

4. Would the 'language of Facebook' naturally spill over into academic rhetoric?

When institutions of higher education are promoting "one-stop services" for their distance education programs, they do not appear (at the moment) overly eager to bring a tool like Facebook in the neatly bundled services currently available through their course management systems (CMSs) such as Angel or Blackboard. Higher education is not yet ready to surrender the shackles of CMSs where students' minds are (theoretically) more attuned and receptive to learning. However, other social networking tools (e.g. blogs, wikis, and podcasts) appear to be more readily adopted in distance education than Facebook. Note that integration rather than replacement of CMSs is the only role that these tools are currently suited for.

Facebook clearly provides a social outlet for college students, a fact backed by the large membership among this peer group. Socializing, however its unintended outcomes, is part and parcel of education of the whole person. Facebook has its place in that sense, but there seems to be a lack of any compelling reason to significantly integrate it into distance education. Students could use it as a secondary information exchange outlet in a cooperative learning mode with classmates that they have invited in their space, to complete group projects, for example. The services offered through Facebook (e.g. chatting, meeting new classmates, arranging for social/academic meetings) can well be attained using the current technologies in CMSs without the risk of security breaches and other legal matters pervasive in social networking websites.

It is possible that current perceptions about Facebook use in distance education could change overnight based on new developments in Facebook, technology integration, and a shift in thinking among distance education administrators about the role of this technology in promoting learning (e.g. time on task) within the envronment that some students spend a significant amount of time.