Technology has rapidly advanced
over the years allowing both teachers and students in the K-12 setting to
explore distance education.
According to Greensburg (1998) what is key to having a successful
distance education class in the K-12 setting is having creative and
well-informed teachers that can successfully push and encourage students to
learn independently. One part of a
teachers job is to individualize the instruction for the independent student
and distance education classes allow students to take courses that they may not
have had access to in the traditional setting. These online classes also encourage students to retake
classes in order to obtain the proper credits to graduate on time (Horn,
2010). Research has shown that
students with disabilities who enroll in online learning environment have
improved in their school performance along with general and advanced students
as well (Vasquez & Serianni, 2012).
In a meta-analysis study of comparing traditional education to online
instruction “students’ success within an online environment seems to be linked
to their level of independence” (Vasquez & Serianni, 2012, p. 36).
In my personal theory of learning,
in order for students to be independent they need to be motivated to complete
the work in both a traditional and online setting. The research has confirmed that independence is a key factor
in online instruction. Part of
keeping up with the best practices of distance education, teachers must be well
informed and creative in making their lessons or modules to drive students to
independently complete their work.
It is equally important that students are comfortable communicating with
their teacher and classmates to ask questions if they are unclear on what is
expected. This is only another
component of the student being independent in a distance education course.
References:
Horn, M. B. (2010). K-12 online education is increasingly hybrid
learning. Distance Learning, 7(2), 18-20. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA234309937&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=654e5376c2cbffcaf2f50fb5e5b5496c
Greenburg, G.
(1998). Distance education technologies: Best practices for K-12 setting. IEEE Technology and Society Magazine 17(4), 36-40. doi:10.1109/44.735862
Vasquez, E., & Serianni, B. A. (2012). Research and
practice in distance education for K-12 students with disabilities. Rural
Special Education Quarterly, 31(4), 33-42. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1283786951?accountid=12085
