Collaborative Training Environment

Sherry Rooks Week 3 App

Collaborative Training Environment

A new automated staff information system was recently purchased by a major corporation and needs to be implemented in six regional offices. Unfortunately, the staff is located throughout all the different offices and cannot meet at the same time or in the same location. As an instructional designer for the corporation, you have been charged with implementing a training workshop for these offices. As part of the training, you were advised how imperative it is that the staff members share information, in the form of screen captures and documents, and participate in ongoing collaboration.

Designing asynchronous learning for multiple locations within an organization can be at best challenging. This week we learned in our text, Teaching and Learning at a Distance, that the instructional environment should be viewed as a system, a relationship among all the components of that system—the instructor, the learners, the material, and the technology“ (Simonson,Smaldino,Albright,Zvacek). Keeping that in mind with regard to our Collaborative Training Environment this week, the two suggested technologies would be either a Wiki using PBWorks.com or Office 365. Both of these tools would fit the required criteria of needing to be able to be asynchronous, for the staff members to share information via captions and documents as well as participate in ongoing collaboration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2DdD2Pdu48 

In office 365 one is given several very useful tools. The sharing of files and having the ability to edit them from almost anywhere would fit this scenario perfectly. Another aspect of Office 365 is also the communications tools. The communications that can be used are audio, visual or instant messaging, for instant connection and online meetings. Office 365 also allows for the sharing of a calendar for the entire team online. However, Office 365 does not allow for tracking of usage by the team members. And it is for that reason that a Wiki being used may be more advantageous. It is for that reason that a Wiki is recommended for this project.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xirlvOBn59s

A Wiki by definition is a collaborative website that can be edited by anyone who has access to it. This in itself sounds very simplistic, perhaps too simplistic for the need that we have here. However, the truth is, it is exactly what is needed here. For this particular project, it is recommended that PBWorks.com be used. PBWorks.com has powerful abilities to share documents, videos, and captions, but also allows for users to be able to work in an asynchronous manner. However, an important component that this Wiki has that would be preferred over Office 365 is the ability to track the usage of the other team members and the work that they do. Training is only effective if it is done. If the training is not ever completed, it will not be able to be put into use. One of the pitfalls of online learning can be ensuring that the work is actually being completed. PBWorks.com offers a feature that allows the administrator to track and keep record of the users activity. And it is for this reason, this instructional designer recommends PBWorks.com for this project.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/online-software.aspx

http://pbworks.com/

Distance Education

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assignment - Week 1

Sherry Rooks

EDUC – 6135 Distance Learning

Walden University

Instructor: Dr. Celeste Fenton

 

Prior Thought of Distance Education

The term Distance Learning is a term that is relative to one’s own personal definition, past experiences, present education or training, and their vision of the future with regard to distance learning. As for me, the term distance learning has been just that…learning at a distance.

My very first experience in distance learning was to take a few professional development courses many years ago. For these courses you could sign up and pay online, however, your materials were mailed to you. Once you had completed the course you then were required to mail back in your materials for grading. A more recent experience was with a well-known college, Oral Roberts University. In the year 2006 I took and completed several courses via their distance learning program. However, these courses were based on exactly the same format as my previous experience in distance learning. I was mailed the materials and was required to mail back to the college my assignments as I completed them. The only true difference was in the taking of my final exam. In each course a final exam was required and had to have a proxy to be given at the local college. Soon after that I enrolled at Ashford University’s online school. The classes at Ashford were much more of a true online course in that there were discussion postings that were required to be completed on a weekly basis. The purpose of these was to take the place of the classroom in a virtual manner. However my time at Ashford did not even begin to prepare me for my time here at Walden University.

At Walden my first experience with a class was the required course Walden Student Readiness Orientation. This course was designed specifically to ensure new students knew what to do prior to starting class. It has proven to be very effective in preparing me for my time here at Walden and has shown me that not all colleges are the same when it comes to distance education.

Definition of Distance Education

According to our text book, Teaching and Learning at a Distance, Distance Education is defined in chapter one as: “institution based formal education where the learning group is separated and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources and instructors”.(Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, Zvacek) That definition is certainly a mouthful. In a more simplistic manner of saying things..The definition of Distance Education , also according to our text can be broken down into four categories: 1) Institutionally based 2) Separation of teacher and student 3) Interactive telecommunications and 4)The sharing of learning experiences by using data, video, and voice to share with. (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, Zvacek) Taking each of these items on a one by one basis we can get a deeper understanding of what distance education actually is. The first criterion is for the learning to be institutionally based. If it is not based on a  formal institution of learning, then it does not meet the needed criteria for Distance Education. The second criteria is for the separation of teacher and student to be in effect. This means that the teacher is in one geographical area and the student is in another. The separation of the teacher and student could be within the city at different locations or up to an even including being within different countries. The use of interactive communications systems has been drastically changed in recent years. Its original intent was to be the transfer of information over telephone wires. Now, it also encompasses the transmitting of information via computers as well as other modes with the new wireless revolution. The sharing of learning experiences is one of the most well-known aspects of distance learning at present. It is the use of sharing learning through numerous different means. Today, distance learning utilizes videos, web 2.0 tools, as well as data and voice tools to teach or learn with.

Personal Definition of Distance Education

My personal definition of Distance Education has changed considerably throughout this week. After reflecting over this past week, I believe what I have crafted in the following Mind Map shows what I perceive the definition of Distance Education to be:

            “Provided by formal institutions, it is learning and or training that is delivered in an asynchronous manner and is delivered by means of the internet without regard to the geographic or time constraints of those teaching or being taught”

 

 

 

 

References:

 Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.