I recieved my undergraduate degrees from Lincoln University. The first Historically Black College and University established in this nation. As you can see I have a lot of school pride. I received my Master's degree in Teacher Leadership (Administration and Supervision) for the Notre Dame of Maryland University in preparation for becoming an assistant principal at the secondary level.Walden University is my first online, distance education learning experience. I have heard of the term distance learning before while I was in the Army. As soldiers we had an opportunitnity to pursue our educational goals. So many soldiers took advantage of the benefits. Officially Simonson, et al (2012) states in their defining distance learning in four components. Distance Learning is Institutionally Based where there is a seperation of the teacher and students were interactive communication are used to share media, resources and learnings experience amongst classmates.

This week we were required to provide a personal definition of distance education. At a first glance I told myself "this is easy" So I defined distance education as education that doesn't take place in the classroom and it involves technology. I knew learning took place however, it wasn't in the classroom. I knew there was accountability because assignments had to be submitted for grades. I knew resources were provided in order to deliver the essential knowledge needed to meet course objectives. I never considered attending an online university. What I didn't consider was the actual rigor of the courses. The actual amount of real learning that occurs on a daily basis. The collaboration between between classmates, their personal experiences and connection to a group of adults who value and respect each others professional opinions.

What I didn't forsee is how my definition would change throughout the course of the week. I seriously took my time and considered much before actually developing a definition for myself. With that I said I formulated a more complex definition. Distance Learning is defined as " Learning that is communal with classmates that are connected through technology outside of the traditional classroom in order to collaborate, and interact with each other. This interaction leads to group discussions, that fosters a sense professional responsibilty to contribute meaningfully to the learning of all individuals involved in the class. It is through this relationship buliding, technology and resources that allows learning to take place."

My own personal experiences with online education has been nothing but the best. It is more than what I expected. I have learned so much from each of my classes here at Walden. I think we all will be "Masters" of APA at the conclusion of this program. I have taken bits and pieces of what I have learned and have incorporated them into web 2.0 tools for my students. I use edmodo in all of my classes. My students have weekly discussion questions that they must answer and respond to. They post the majority of their homework on edmodo as well. It is my objective to help my students be somewhat prepared as to the world that awaits them once they leave the beautiful halls of high school.

Distance Education is a rapidly growing field. It attracts thousands of new students or persons of interest on a daily basis. Acording to Simson et al, (2012) the Sloan Consortium cited in 2008 that enrollment in online courses increased to 4.6 million from 2 million in 2003. This field will continue to grow by the numbers each year. It is convienent to take courses online. It is fits practically anyones lifestyle. The benefits are plenty. The online collaboration with my class serves to be a great beenfit not only to me but to my classmates and in my case. my sttudents".Distance education is here to stay. It is imperitive that the integrity of these courses are kept for all to enjoy the benefits that it brings.

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.

Click here to view my mind map

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