Assignment #1, Topic #2
OMDE 603, Section 9040 - Technology in Distance Education
June 12, 2001
Word Count: 736 (without quotes, headings, and references)

A Critical Look at Technology in Distance Education

Introduction

In High-Tech Heretic, Stoll (1999) takes the position that technology has done much to disrupt learning in the late 20th century without offering anything of value in return. Recurrent themes are digital diploma mills, social isolation, and the loss of higher order thinking skills. Stoll's opinions are based on his discussions with and observations of how adults and children interact with technology. Tapscott, in Growing Up Digital, (1998), worked intensely for one year with a small group of N-Geners (children ranging in age from 4 - 18), and observed many social benefits from their use of technology. The other authors cited add to the discussion considerations of what is needed for technology in DE to be effective.

Analysis

Digital Diploma Mills

Answer: electronic distance learning. … It's an excellent way to get a third-rate education (Stoll, 1999, pp. 91, 101).

Stoll (1999) states very clearly that "electronic distance learning" is the one-size-fits-all answer to the problems faced by administrators, professors, and students. He emphasizes that this solution addresses making learning easy without any consideration for the quality of the instruction received. Echoing this position, Carstens & Worsfold (2000) denounce technology as "inherently value-laden."

We also argue that its primary values are in administrative efficiency and institutional economic ambition - two concepts that may be in stark contrast to learning. (p. 84)

Both Stoll and Tapscott make mention of the Plato Project, Stoll as a programmer and a student, Tapscott as a student. Their two viewpoints show their bias: Stoll remembers programming the computers with "thousands of computer-aided learning courses" (1999, p. 95) as well as his total disdain for it as a way to learn; Tapscott remembers it as a wonderful way to learn - logical progression, ability to stop and review, and periodic tests of comprehension.

Stoll takes a very narrow view of technology in distance education, and he is working hard to convince himself that the end result is a third-rate education. He does not acknowledge the new knowledge-building models (Harasim, 1996) nor the networked learning opportunities (Peters, 1998). Stoll was seeking the worst examples of the use of technology in distance education from among practitioners who are merely adding technology because of its novelty (Bates, 1995).

Social Isolation

And that great promised land of low-cost education - distance learning - essentially eliminates interpersonal interaction (Stoll, 1999, p. 20).

Where Stoll (1999) sees isolated individuals, staring at computer screens, Tapscott (1998) sees the virtual communities that N-Geners build as places where cyber-friends and cyber-family live, play, and learn.

Tapscott (1998) does not dispute that the uses of technology in education too often replicate worst practices from traditional classrooms - those of lecture, rote memorization, and passive learning. However, he also sees the N-Geners using technology in education for what it does best - enable interactive learning. Networks enable learners to come together because of shared interests, not shared geography (Harasim, 1996). Digital media enables this power paradigm shift, where learners come together in a collaborative environment.

Stoll was not impressed by students who were e-mailing with students from another country, learning about how to interact in a global village. Tapscott sees the richness and reach of those virtual interactions, an opinion shared by Harasim (1996). Technology allows people from different regions of the world to come together to learn about each other and to work for shared solutions.

Higher Order Thinking Skills

Much of mathematics means translating problems into abstract representations and converting numerical solutions into understanding. It's something that neither calculator nor computer program can do. (Stoll, 1999, p. 90)

Stoll (1999) references the shortfalls of computer-mediated education - programmed learning and "drill and spill" routines. In his opinion, computers not only discourage study, reflection, and observation, but electronic classrooms contribute to the short attention spans of today's children. Stoll's point is that students use the technology without any understanding of how it works and are attracted to its glitz. Yet, Stoll's views are based on observation of how adults are structuring the learning experiences.

In contrast, Tapscott (1998) worked closely with one group of students who were interacting in a moderated chat room, FreeZone. Tapscott sees the students as curious, intelligent, and wanting to know how the programs work, not merely how to run them. Tapscott's students have adult moderators who are mentors and who guide the students in the appropriate use and exploration of technology.

These divergent views underscore the importance of teachers having sufficient comfort with the technology and with empowering students to "[view] themselves as seekers":

With their emphasis on independent learning, online courses are the culmination of this trend. Professors of these courses can do a tremendous service to their students by helping them to take initiative and responsibility - two qualities that will serve them well in their other courses as well as in the rest of their lives. (Canada, 2000, p. 40)

Conclusion

Technology by itself may not improve learning, but technology combined with effective learning strategies does. Technology in DE can provide students with the opportunity to engage in internal dialogue as well as online collaboration, to develop generative strategies, and then to reintegrate what is being taught into learning (Knowlton, 2000; Morrison, 2000). Tapscott (2000) identifies eight shifts that occur when the paradigm moves from broadcast to the "new, more powerful, and more effective" (p. 142) interactive learning, all facilitated by technology in DE.

References

Bates, A. W. (1995). Technology, open learning and distance education. London: Routledge.

Canada, M. (2000). Students as seekers in online courses. In R. E. Weiss, D. S. Knowlton, & B. W. Speck (Eds.), Principles of effective teaching in the online classroom (pp. 35-40). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.

Carstens, R. W., & Worsfold, V. L. (2000). Epilogue: A cautionary note about online classrooms. In R. E. Weiss, D. S. Knowlton, & B. W. Speck (Eds.), Principles of effective teaching in the online classroom (pp. 83-88). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.

Harasim, L. (1996). Online education: The future. In T. M. Harrison & T. Stephen (Eds.), Computer networking and scholarly communication in the twenty-first-century university (pp. 203-214). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Knowlton, D. S. (2000). A theoretical framework for the online classroom: A defense and delineation of a student-centered pedagogy. In R. E. Weiss, D. S. Knowlton, & B. W. Speck (Eds.), Principles of Effective Teaching in the Online Classroom (pp. 5-14). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc.

Morrison, G. R. & Guenther, P. F. (2000). Designing instruction for learning in electronic classrooms. In R. E. Weiss, D. S. Knowlton, & B. W. Speck (Eds.), Principles of effective teaching in the online classroom (pp. 15-22). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc.

Peters, O. (1998). Learning and teaching in distance education. London: Kogan Page.

Stoll, C. (1999). High-tech heretic. New York: Anchor Books.

Tapscott, D. (1998). Growing up digital. New York: McGraw-Hill.