Selecting Distance Learning Technologies.

The beauty of distance education is it can be tailored for specific topics, learning styles and learners. Meaning, depending on the subject matter different distance learning technologies can be used in order to ensure the information is being absorbed by the learner. This week my school assignment is to explain which distance learning technologies I would consider using for a biodiesel manufacturing plant that needs safety training modules for all of their staff. Immediately, what came to mind is having MyMedia or a video program within the training module for the learners. I believe for safety training it is important to give visuals that show the most effective and safest ways to complete a task. This would also allow for visual and auditory learners to understand the material as the video would have audio commentary and real life examples. The one thing I would keep in mind is to ensure the videos delivery the material effectively but do not come across as condescending or talking down to learner.

The textbook used in my course outlines some effective steps for implementing online technologies. Step 1 is to access available instructional technologies. This means to understand the lowest common technologies that the learner will require for the course. Step 2 is to determine the learning outcomes. For my instruction for the biodiesel manufacturing plant this will be outlined by them as they have specific requirements for their learners. Step 3 ‘identify learning experiences and match each to the most appropriate available technology.” In this case I felt MyMedia or a similar technology to show the learner the information in a video format would be best. Step 4 “Preparing the learning experiences for online delivery” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2009). In this case this would mean organizing the material into topics and sections for the learner. This would allow the learner to see all details step by step and keep them engaged in the material. The other key detail for this training is to ensure the employee can demonstrate the learning objectives. In order to ensure they absorbed the material the learner would have an online quiz to complete and also need to demonstrate what they have learned with their Manager. This would be discusses with the organization to determine if they had the time and resources to conduct this test with each employee. If they could not than an instructor would be provided to review things with each learner.

To ensure my opinion of video programs in an online classroom are effective I researched my online library and the internet to determine if there were other situations where videos have been effective for the learner. I came across an excellent article The Comparative Instructional Effectiveness of Print-based and Video-Based Instructional Materials for Teaching Practical Skills at a Distance. This article reviews both sides and finds “video is useful to show practical and real life activities and that video can be used to capture hazardous and costly experiments for presentation and for repeated use.” (Donkor, 2010). Another source of interest was an article about Selecting Media for Distance Education (Ely, 2003). This article gave excellent tips on how to ensure you select the proper media source for your online classroom. Based on these sources and my own experiences with Media in the classroom, I feel including video for health and safety material will be the best plan for this organization.

Resources

Donkor, Francis. (2010) The Comparative Instructional Effectiveness of Print-Based and Video-Based Instructional Materials for Teaching Practical Skills at a Distance. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, Volume 11, Number 1.

Ely, Donald P (2003). Selecting Media for Distance Education. ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology. Retrieved on 23 January 2010 from http://www.ericdigests.org/2005-2/media.html

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.