TechDino's Reflections on TechEd Innovation

In the program, “The Future of Distance Education,” George Siemens (Laureate Education, 2008) shares his perspective on the elements that contribute to increased acceptance of distance education, and where distance education is going as a field.   He contends that distance education continues to gain acceptance in the corporate, government, and educational sectors for several reasons:   increased online communication, practical experiences with the technology, growing sense of comfort online, and the ability to communicate with global groups.   He argues that distance education is greatly impacted by the development and implementation of new technologies, which determines the direction of distance education.   Siemens predicts an increased use of multimedia, games, and simulations.   Also, video technology in courses will be enhanced.   As students get more comfortable with using the technology and working in an online learning environment, the use of distance education will be increa

In the program, "Distance Education: The Next Generation," Simonson (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008) defines distance education as formal education where the teacher, students, and resources are separated by time and/or geography, and technology is used to connect them.  With its exponential growth, he proposes that distance education will eventually be the norm in most educational settings.  In fact, he urges that the current challenge is to figure out how to adjust to such dramatic changes. Moller, Huett, Foshay, and Coleman (2008) in my opinion pick up the conversation about distance learning where Simonson leaves off and delve a little deeper into the core issues surrounding this phenomenon.  In their three part article, "The Evolution of Distance Education: Implications for Instructional Design on the Potential of the Web, they explore the implications of distance education on all three sectors - corporate training, higher education, and K-12 education. Distance