Module 2 Post: Elements of Distance Education Diffusion
Dr. Siemens in his video presentation stated that there is a growing acceptance of distance education in today’s corporate and educational spheres (Laureate Education, 2008). Dr. Siemens added that the reason for this growing acceptance of distance education might be related to people gaining experience in communicating online. I agree with this notion because in the past, people used to think that the only time communication is meaningful is when it occurs face-to-face, however, new efficient technologies is changing peoples’ perspectives on this issue.
The Evolution of Global Diversity
Historians
and economists believe that the success of the US in a global economy
is linked to 227 years of success in diversity (Belcher, 2003). Essentially, any country that embraces diversity is
using a proven plan for succeeding in a global economy. One hundred
and forty years ago, President Lincoln pushed for the United States to reiterate
its commitment to diversity of which government policies focused on immigrants receiving
an education and thus, allowing them to move up from poverty to the middle
class (Belcher, 2003). Global diversity evolved as new technologies arose, allowing
corporations and schools to have an increase in a diverse body of employees and
students. A decade ago no one could imagine having high quality video streaming
between individuals at different locations while today streaming videos are
almost seamless. The constant influx of new technologies brings endless
opportunities to improve online communication, teaching and learning from a distance
which includes a diverse student body. Corporations benefit from distance education,
allowing interaction between different offices worldwide (Laureate
Education, 2008).
In other words, distance education promotes learning and how to interact in virtual
distributed teams. There is also an increase in contribution from experts within
numerous fields worldwide.
Todays
Online Tools
Online
tools are in abundance today, facilitating interactions between learners in
schools and the corporate world. Instant message applications can take various
forms, for example, a person’s email may include a “chat” area or Skype can be
used for the same purpose. Virtual bookmarks can be shared among learners who
are using digital books, for example, Delicious or Diigo. Social networking
sites such as Facebook, Friendster, LinkedIn and MySpace allow peers to post
photos, videos, and comments as a means of connecting and networking with
others online. Ning, as a social networking site, might very well become
the next generation of such sites in the sense that it goes beyond what FaceBook
allows users to do, moreover, network security is higher. In terms of working
in teams professionally, Google does offer useful free tools such as Google
Docs and Google groups. As for Video and Podcasting, a learner may choose from
either: youtube.com; video.yahoo.com; video.google.com; teacherspodcast.org. Such
free Internet sites allow users to upload video and audio files for free and
allow access to anyone worldwide, as long as they have a computer and Internet
connection.
Other Bloggers Point of View
Julie Mastrine of
Penn State University mentioned on her blog that a diverse workplace is important
to both creativity and productivity and is often overlooked by employers and
hiring managers. Mastrine explained that diversity is important because it improves
the bottom line of a company and help bring together ideas from cultures all
over the world, along with new attitudes and perspectives that can help a
company be truly competitive. For details see: http://comerecommended.com/2013/01/the-importance-of-diversity-in-your-workplace/
.
I agree with this
notion regarding importance of diversity within the corporate world. I also
believe this applies to education, since our aim is to improve learning by
reaching out to a diverse student body.
Contrary to this
notion, blogger,
Zealot144 of Yahoo answers believe that from a global scale, diversity can be
seen as a serious challenge whereby wars have been fought. Zealot144 Explained that Middle Eastern Muslim
cultures embrace the Sharia law, which authorizes marriage to three year old
girls, sexual contact at six, and intercourse at eight, while western cultures put
emphasis on consent and perceives the aforementioned as child molestation.
Zealot144 also mentioned that currently, the Western trend is towards
acceptance and tolerance of diversity, in an effort to promote global peace
while Middle Eastern current trend is toward domination and the spread of the Sharia
law. Zealot144 ended by emphasizing that in order to succeed on a global scale,
diversity must be understood, assimilated, and accepted. For details see:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091003200719AAQ4sWx
.
Zealot144 seems to
have a negative attitude toward global diversity. Yes, when communicating on a
global scale, cultural diversity must be understood, however, judgment should
not be placed on other cultures due to dissimilar viewpoints. Disparagement or judgment should not be placed
on students from various parts of the world who meet and interact with each
other and their teachers to gain new knowledge and skills. The same goes for the corporate environment. One
of Walden University’s learning outcomes is that students will become supportive
of diversity and multiculturalism within their professions, communities, and
society. This makes perfect sense, especially since distance education (which entails
much global interaction) will continue to grow in popularity and become more
and more accepted worldwide than in the past.
References
Laureate
Education, Inc. (2008). Distance Education: The Future of Distance Education [Video].
Baltimore,
MD: Author.
Mastrine. J. (2013). The importance of diversity in your
workplace. Retrieved from http://comerecommended.com/2013/01/the-importance-of-diversity-in-your-workplace/
Belcher, O. F. (2003). Why diversity matters in a global
economy. Cost
Engineering, 45(11), 3-4. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220451361?accountid=14872
Yahoo Answers. (2013). What
is global diversity? Retrieved from. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091003200719AAQ4sWx
