Reflection+3

** My original definition : **
==== As most classmates have already said distance education is a process where the student and the teacher are not in the same place, at the same time. Distance education uses technology such as websites, videos, CD courses etc as a way to help the student understand the content, the school provides a website, forums, and library resources for the student to explore and reflect his or her learning process. The teacher’s feedback is constant. Contrary to popular belief normally there’s more communication with the teacher and a need for interaction using tools to do so. Since there’s no face- to-face interaction both participants have keep in contact through written form. Finally distance learning has been used by adults throughout its existence. ====

Distance education is more than this...
=== I would add that distance education could take place in other forms not just through multimedia but also through mail for example. There are many institutions that offer distance education through a variety of ways and the end goal of the students can also differ. Distance education also it’s a type of education on its own; it uses different approaches, ways of delivering the message. Distance education has been incorporated to traditional forms of teaching to expose the student to different types of stimulus and activities. Distance education has been a part of the human existence through many years for the persistent desire to learn; nowadays some international organizations are funding distance learning institutions to reduce inequality and to improve people’s lives. === === I have changed the definition because now I have a better understanding on the term, I would argue we have covered many aspects of distance education, such as the different forms of distance education, the way distance education has evolved and has emulated some important events such as industrialization. Lastly, how distance education is all around the world and even developing countries have taken advantage of the benefits of distance education. ===

The objectives for module 3 were met. I found the institutional structures of distance education very interesting because most universities follow a specific model; even if some universities may follow 2 one of the models is more consistent than the other one. Also to learn that the types are based on pedagogy and others in technology it’s very eye opening because pedagogy and technology are a great part of distance education. I was also able to learn about different institutions from the German University we have read so many things about, from the open university in the United kingdom to smaller projects like the ones held in my country with middle school students that has extended to other parts of Latin America. The characteristics of the institutional structure were somewhat confusing because there are many aspects to consider. However with the group effort the second time was easier to understand. Choosing from the different institutions to include one in the group’s research project was a difficult task because there are many different universities around the world and here in the country that we could research. Nevertheless the description provided by Otto Peters in his book //Learning and teaching in distance education// convinced me to move forward with this idea and to talk to my team members. When I chose the institutions for my individual essay it was very difficult because some of the first choices fell into the same mode, this situation made me look for alternatives. I would say I may need to read more carefully about the differences among different institutions and their effects in their services.

The assignment we had to do as a group was hard because we had to deal with more people. I had worked with one person in particular before and it seemed like we shared common ideas on how to carry out the project but our ideas varied from those of the rest of our group mates. We had a chance to have an input on the essay and I thought I had included interesting points but what might be interesting for me is not for another person, it was hard to understand why they edited certain information but that’s the way they viewed the assignment. The second time around we worked together was easier because we had a prior conversation and we talked over the phone also. I was able get to know people from the course which is a positive aspect and we also had the chance to share ideas and thoughts. One negative aspect of the number of participants on each team I think I would reduce the number of people on each group.