Distance Learning (Readings)

I have two readings on this topic.

The first is a news article retrieved from usatoday.com. The article is titled College May Never Be the Same and it was written by Mary Beth Marklein. This article was talking about MOOCs and how many students are taking part in the cost-free education. The concern that has been emerging is whether or not these courses are for actual college credit and whether the online certificates that are received upon completion of the course. This is a very interesting concept. Personally, the idea of MOOCs is very fascinating and I would love to see what comes from these. For me, I view it as a way that I could possibly pursue a few of my interests that I passed over in order to follow my major. For others, I can see it being a very valuable opportunity to get an education that they could not afford or do not have access to otherwise. It marks a very interesting change in what we view as a college education. Honestly, I feel like it caters a little better to the outlook of this age, that being that knowledge is freely available to anyone with access to the internet. I want to be a part of a MOOC in order to see how it functions and get a better idea about what it is.

The second is an article from the journal Teachers College Record. The article is titled Modest Changes, Revolutionary Possibilities: Distance Learning and the Future of Education. It was written by Gary Natriello. This article discussed the effect that distance learning was likely to have on education from the perspective of 10 or so years ago. The education system really is on the cusp of revolution as predicted. I believe that by the end of my lifetime, the educational system will be virtually unrecognizable to the one that I grew up in. All of this is just based on the advent of technology and the internet, as well as changing views on what education is and how it can be delivered. It is happening very quickly and I anticipate it beginning to move even quicker still.