Dr. Steve Eskow wrote, in a small part:
> Here is one thing I've learned that is often overlooked, or blurred.
>
> The important choice is not between distance education and campus or face
> to face education but between distance learning and none at all.
distance learning- send me your frail, time restricted, visually impaired
and otherwise disenfranchised!
Yes, this is part of it- a small part. To cast this as a major advantage
of distance education (from print to electronics) is to deny the benefits
that distance education offers and some of its potential perils.
One of the major issues is the potential for homgenization of education,
particularly in areas of the humanities, arts, social and cultural arenas-
what I would call the Disney effect or the western commercial effect where
the power of the electronic media starts to push at cultural and social
norms in both the developed and developing world. World History(?) whose
version etc. Knowledge, not even in the sciences, is NOT culturally
neutral!
One of the benefits revolves around the youth of today who are seen as
perceptually different. Douglas Rushkoff calls them "screen agers"- they
learn in a different fashion and can grasp information differently. this
points out that there are many techniques which allow persons to master
knowledge in diffeent, more comprehensive and efficient ways. A high
school degree in 50% of the time- a possibility wrought because of what
these vehicles have taught us and not the direct use of the delivery
medium- but that too
Thus, we need to look at the metalevel for many of the potentials, good
and bad wrt DE and electronic delivery.
The other issue is that DE and electronic delivery is seen as a way of
connecting space- persons in one place not having to go to another place
to learn. The real importance is the connection across TIME, or
generations. There is much in education that youth can provide to us cyber
immigrants. Wisdom is not always from "elders" down- Not in cyberspace-
and it is much more than the quick grasp of the web and technology. DE and
electronics now are time bridges which few have recognized and even fewer
understand and use.
Remember that there was this Greek kid who, at the age of 13 was studying
with one of the world's greatest philosophers and at age 16 was conquering
the world (Alexander the Great). Remember that the age of adulthood was
around 12 in many civilizations. Electronic delivery and DE reintroduces
that possibility that has been denied
What DE in its current embodiment is starting to make evident is that the
entire learning process from cradle to grave is changing while us older
folks have been trying to map the current system 1:1 onto cyberspace while
being in denial.
Steve's suggestion,of its benefits for those who have limited access to
learning because of time or other impairments, is a convenient and safe
misdirection which allows the illusion to be maintained and maintains the
denial, at least for the current generation who keep looking up to see how
far away that finish line (retirement) is.
thoughts?
tom abeles
--tom abeles <tabeles@tmn.com>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>