Reply by Brian Shields on October 29, 2008 at 8:44pm

Thanks for posting this Helene. Today has been my first opportunity to look at the results of this ATA survey. A number of insights resonate with me as being highly reflective of the current DL environment in Alberta. There is a balanced depiction of the strengths as well as the frustrations of working in our current DL setting for our teachers and, by inference, for our students and parents as well. The unusual dilemma faced by students, parents and teachers working in the distributed learning environment is highlighted in a comment from a focus group participant – “many people are [still] trying to work and plan in a ‘boundary’ familiar [educational] setting and our work is ‘boundless’ by nature.” This statement captures the essence of several discussion threads on this forum.

Reply by chris goble on November 1, 2008 at 10:29am

Thanks for posting those files Helene. It is nice to see the compiled results of the focus groups and surveys in which I participated.

The distributed learning world excites me because of the doors it opens to new material, subjects and techniques. Like everyone on this board, I love stretching myself. As we continue to move into this world, I keep thinking of our current DL contexts. What it is like to instruct grades 1-9 if you are a homeschool teacher? What about instructing up to 30 different courses if you are an outreach teacher?

I think more than ever, DL forces the issue Dr. Kowch raises, "good teaching is good teaching". When I look at the ATA study posted by Helene, I gravitate towards the staffing and substitute teacher issue. There seems to be a tension between the delivery-instructional skills needed for new mediums and the subject-content expertise teachers implicitly expect to master for professional integrity. Hence, in my mind, the reported blurring of professional-life boundaries.

Since this is a cultural level issue, I think we are stuck working through it. As a result, I see it in terms of assessment. What structures can be set up so teachers feel good about what is learned rather than what is presented? The former seems tied to delivery-instructional skills, while the latter is tied to subject-content expertise.

I realize this is coming from a perspective of where we are, not where we things may be going. Am I off base suspecting that DL will increase the breadth of content teachers are expected to oversee?

Reply by Joan Coy on November 1, 2008 at 6:33pm

I want to comment on this part of your post...

"What structures can be set up so teachers feel good about what is learned rather than what is presented? The former seems tied to delivery-instructional skills, while the latter is tied to subject-content expertise."

I really think you have hit on an important point here - the subject content expertise is only part of what is required for successful distributed learning. What is learned certainly is tied to delivery-instructional skills. As soon the learner is on his/her own, the delivery method needs to be more than text on the screen or text, pencil and paper. Teaching students of the 21st century requires a delivery method that employs animations, simulations, on line labs, social networking abilities ( forums, discussion boards, WIKIs ete), support for student self assessment (self checks, tutorials, practice questions - all with detailed feedback). Sounds like a tall order, but this already has been done in the BCP courses and these courses are available to all Alberta teachers at no cost. This type of development gives us a wonderful opportunity to engage the visual, kinesetic students who have struggled with our more traditional approach to teaching and, I believe, will serve the needs of students at both ends of the achievement spectrum

Reply by Gerald Logan on October 30, 2008 at 9:46pm

This is very interesting information. What resonates with me is these same questions were being asked, and answered the same way, 20 years ago when distance education came front and center in the province.

Low Completion Rates: This has a couple different solutions, not all learners are going to be successful in this environment,. We know the attributes that make good distributed learners, we just don’t screen on this criteria. We also know that a personal relationship is what causes course completion in difficult situations, and also causes dropouts. If we design an environment where these are built we will have a better completion rate. Back in the DL days there were schools with 95% and higher completion rates. They were the schools that screened their students and supported them.

Special Needs Students: So often in my experience students with poor reading skills have been placed in dl courses that are mostly text (paper and screen) based. Thais is not the best way to meet their learning needs and they should not be enrolled in these courses. There are students that we would call special needs that are well suited to this leaning environment and they should use dl if they are interested.

Work load will always be an issue. Classes need to be “right sized” to work. With Alberta Eds CSI this should not be as big an issue as it was in the past.

Reply by Hélène Fournier on October 30, 2008 at 10:24pm

Thanks, Brian and Gerald, for your comments.

I think it is timely to be discussing a provincial approach to distributed learning when the 'boundlessness' of our work increasingly becomes a reality for all teachers, administrators, students and parents in the province. The worlds of distance learning and face-to-face classroom learning are merging...

A coordinated approach will hopefully provide the framework to meet the diverse needs of students in a variety of mediums; in a variety of environments; recognizing that students' learning needs are not met by standardized teaching approaches - whether they be in a f2f or online or blended setting.

How do we best support teachers in this process, recognizing that accomodating such diversity is challenging?

Note that I have attached an updated version of the ATA study referenced in my earlier posting. This study will also be available in print at the live DL Forum this Tuesday.

Attachments:
ATA DL Study Executive Summary, v2 [pdf]

Reply by Dr. Eugene G. Kowch on October 30, 2008 at 11:19pm

This is great information. 242 teachers volunteered from the Alberta teacher population here, and it strikes me that many of the themes are found in a much of reseach on teaching with technology and indeed on teaching itself. Good teaching is good teaching in any context, so as we look at how teachers respond to 'Distributed Learning' issues (it can mean so many things to so many folks!) I agree that effective teaching methods are critical in any context - including DL and all technology integrated learning environments.

To answer your question on 'how do we support teachers in DL', I'd say we could support them as we do now: supporting new new teachers in teacher preparation programmes (B.Eds) informed by such research, via graduate programmes (M.Eds, PhDs, Ed.Ds) including leadership and technology foci, and via the kinds of PD common out there today. I know that kind of thinking is what's informing our new distance format Education Doctorate (Ed.D) for leaders in the field here at the U of C, and that's exciting, multidisciplinary research and study. As well, the regional consortia PD and a multitude of other PD for career teachers and administrators are systems that could integrate with new understandings about great teaching in learning environments with great instructional design and infrastructure - and critical teacher involvements. What might be different in the future as the DL reality emerges through these integrated processes is how we and teachers themselves prefer to be supported over distances, and how we can (all) share our collective knowledge on teacher development in great learning environments by connecting expertise, experience and ideas from across governance, school system, K-12 and post secondary systems. As we hear from more teachers and look at data from around the world on the issue, a truly unique Alberta solution based on some of these common themes could emerge. Fascinating stuff!

Reply by Mavis Sacher on November 3, 2008 at 11:43am

This is an interesting collection of thoughts that ring true in my own experience as an online teacher for the past 9 years. It is interesting to note that Web 2.0 technologies are not widely used as one might think it to be but what I find more interesting is the lack of use of videoconferencing suites. These pricey suites which are limited to a few locales do not fit in with the distributed description of learning 'anytime, anywhere, anyplace'. The simple idea that you are restricted to a location where the technology is housed already goes against the motto above. Coupled with the necessity of a tech to set up and the cumberance of such arrangements make it an unfriendly piece of technology to incorporate into a student's learning experience.