Educational Technology in the Year 2010

Mielke (1997) defines distance education as the delivery of educational services in situations where the learner and teacher and even the institution sponsoring the instruction can all be separated by physical distance. The position of this paper is that in the next part of this decade, education via distance learning will change a great deal PROVIDED that educational institutions are able to remove several barriers involved in implementing distance education programs. These barriers include: keeping up with increases in student demands, becoming sufficiently literate in the use of new educational technologies, and costs (Johnson, Rutheiser & Hardnett, 2002). This paper first describes the possible future of distance education in the year 2010 including a description of technologies that will be used in the virtual classroom; it then discusses the barriers that must be overcome in order for the described future to become a reality in 2010.

Description of Distance Education in 2010

Peraya (2002) provides one possible vision for distance education at the end of this decade. First, he notes that distance education will increase in scope and demand due to an increasing need to train the unemployed and to re-train the employed.. However, Peraya also notes that distance education will be strongly influenced by increasing knowledge in both the social and cognitive sciences, which will make the system ever more focused on learning rather than teaching. With t

Related Essays

Global Competition .... as compared with 8% last year (Frauenheim, 2005). .... and enrich US science and technology with their .... Improving educational facilities is relatively straightforward .... (1239 5 )

Managing Diversity in the Workplace .... professional expertise, and the ability to apply technology. This trend toward every increasing educational and skills .... a surprising number of four-year colleges .... (4149 17 )

Workplace Diversity Issues .... professional expertise, and the ability to apply technology. This trend toward every increasing educational and skills .... a surprising number of four-year colleges .... (9326 37 )

Effective Strategies to Attain Diversity Goals .... professional expertise, and the ability to apply technology. .... trend toward ever increasing educational and skills .... surprising number of four-year colleges (Taylor .... (9346 37 )

Public Organizations & Gender Equity .... professional expertise, and the ability to apply technology. This trend toward every increasing educational and skills .... a surprising number of four-year colleges .... (9214 37 )

in terms of holding the interest of learners using the systems (Blustain, Goldstein & Lozier, 1998). Noam (1995) states that the actual technology will of course involve computers with educational instruction delivered through broadcast, cable online and satellite technologies. Furthermore, Noam states that the providers of a substantial part of the electronic curriculum will not be universities but rather commercial firms with textbook publishers establishing sophisticated electronic courses taught by effective and prestigious lectures and delivered to students in their homes and even on their jobs through enhanced and improved streaming video techniques as well as enhanced audiographic delivery systems and computer teleconferencing systems. In summary then, vast, sophisticated, flexible, and highly interactive communication technologies will be the backbone of distance education in 2010. Communication theory will underlie both the planning and development of this huge network of educational delivery and instruction which will be used to train far more students than educational institutions themselves could ever house. These students will have diverse reasons for seeking education including personal growth, obtaining credenti

Category: Science - E