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.