Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
THe CONCePTUAL ROOTS
OF DISTANCe LeARNINg
tions in modern technology, ranging from quite
simple asynchronous, text-only, simplex chan-
nels to highly complex, virtually synchronous
audio and video capable duplex channels. We can
also incorporate the most elemental to the most
technologically sophisticated multi user channels
into any discussion of technologically mediated
communication, and by extension, learning en-
vironments.
As we seek to adopt the latest and greatest
technology, it is important to understand some
of the historical high points in technology devel-
opment and some of the pedagogical issues and
implications. It is not enough simply to use the
tool; one should also understand how the tool
developed, why it works, and where it fits into
the larger structural whole: it is hard to know
where one is going without knowing where one
has been. The technologies referenced above have
long and interesting histories, much of which is
often ignored. Because new technologies provide
more options for communication (and instruc-
tion), there is naturally a great deal of debate on
how to use them to disseminate information to an
increasingly sophisticated population of learners.
With the rise of the 'millennial' generation, we
tend to use online-accessible learning objects,
discussion boards, and various other flashy and
cool 'toys' to support learning environments, yet
the focus seems to rest on proficiency with the
technology, without a true understanding of the
spirit behind their use. This chapter essentially
serves two purposes. The first is to explore some
of the theoretical underpinnings of technology-
mediated distance learning, and the second is to
review the history of the technology and tools.
Ultimately, readers should take away a background
understanding sufficient to support their academic
and intellectual forays into the applications and
implications of multi user virtual environments
for almost any learning environment or situation.
The educational tools we use today include inter-
active multimedia devices such as Shockwave,
FLASH, presentation software such as Microsoft
PowerPoint®, web pages and CD-ROM based
textbook ancillaries, all of which were the results
of the personal computer and internet revolutions.
Numerous other technologies have found their
way into our classrooms, often implemented by
enthusiastic early adopters, and at other times, as
a result of institutional mandates (Straubhaar &
LaRose, 2006). Sometimes, the technology just
happened to be available, and it was adapted to
fit the needs of the learning environment, other
times, technological possibilities prompted the
development of new tools. In many cases, the
implementation of any new tool or pedagogy
served to generate a great deal of debate within
the academic community.
If one were to travel back in time to the early
Renaissance, printers such as William Caxton,
who between 1475 and 1490 produced virtually
all English Language literature using the new
'moveable type' technology might have caused
a stir. One might imagine the uproar among
“professors” of the day as they decried the use of
mass-produced topics, seeing them as an anathema
to the traditional learning process. Imagine the
following hypothetical statement:
Students that no longer have to copy their own
topics by hand? Unheard of! Blasphemy! How
will they learn anything?!
Of course, the European demand for topics
in general had increased, notwithstanding the
rise of the modern university (Meggs & Purvis,
2006). The growth in university enrollments oc-
curred independently as a result of many other
factors and it might be difficult to determine if
the use of 'technologically mass-produced' topics
drove further growth, or was driven by increased
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