Are we looking in the wrong places about distance ed?

http://www.openculture.com/2012/06/a_master_list_of_500_free_courses_from_great_universities.html


In education we are often worried about theories and pedagogues, things to tell us we are on the right path.To me there appears to be a new trend, forget about what we did, what are we going to do? Easy answer, we are going to do what works. But that is the hard part really, but not for everyone. I have included a link to free courses online. Which is becoming a huge trend lately, and the public seems to think its an awesome idea. But what I would like to look at is how are the creators of online environments like khan academy (http://www.khanacademy.org/) and wonder why does this help/work? It is breaking the mold, but on top of that it is helping the way we used to do things. Teachers are using online resources such as this to supplement in the classroom and as a result are more conservative with their time while getting better results. And in today's current trend getting bigger results with less is becoming the expectation.

Google+ and other things....

Google+ and other things.... It occurred to me this evening as I was thinking about distance education I felt as though something was missing. I have taken a few classes at this point and while I do enjoy it, I've found I miss the element of camaraderie. I do get to know some of my classmates and recognize them when I sign up for additional classes but it is entirely different than a face to face cohort of a program. Sure webtycho is partly to blame, but are the facilitators or the students to blame? I don't think so. Distance education is still growing and I think we are still learning about how to teach with online education and how to provide the best experience for all parties involved. This is where I think Google+ and other services might come in handy. What I feel is missing are the general conversations, "what did you think about that paper?", "was that test hard?", while we do have those conversations its as if you are in the classroom the whole time. There isn't any one on one time. In the institution I work at they have lots of mentor programs, I don't think this is a bad idea (and I think there is one, I should have taken advantage of that if I remember correctly). But how often do you get to ask your classmate the same things you would in a face to face environment? I think Google+ allows for enough privacy for students but allows them to interact with each other, have a more personal dialogue

maybe I'm crazy?

6/12.