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PODIUM
A New Day for Distance Learning
Don Perrin
What a year this has been for Distance Learning! It signaled the end of the battle within academia to prove the viability of distance learning and its technologies, tools, courseware, and pedagogy. Distance learning in its many forms has been adopted by the majority of universities, colleges, and high schools throughout the United States. For some it is enrichment of laboratory experiences on campus; for others it is an extension of the campus to previously unsupported populations of learners. It is expanding the role and effectiveness of the educational system at a time when it is greatly needed for economic growth and improvement of instruction. Rather than replacing teachers it has professionalized the teacher, expanded the learning environment, and enriched learning opportunities for new students and for those returning from the workforce for additional education and training.
Successes are reflected in the pages of the USDLA Journal: Significant studies supporting technology from the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), research findings that verify effectiveness, and new paradigms for peer learning to enrich human and learning dimensions of interactive technologies.
Video becomes simper to use and more interactive. Online learning is facilitated by faster networks, improved graphics, and powerful computers. Tools continue to push the instructional design that has for so long been based on a culture of words. The cost of hardware and software are plummeting to levels that are affordable for education. For the most part, the limits of the imagination are now greater than the limits of the technology.
Old problems reappear in new disguises. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) intimidates teachers and deprives students of valuable learning resources. Fortunately there has been some correction of the privatization of knowledge resulting from the DMCA. On the positive side, standardization of hardware and software across education, business, industry, and government promises to bring education in sync with the community so it can better prepare students for transition to real-world environments. For the first time in history there has been unanimous support and substantial funding for technology for schools and colleges. We can only hope that the war against terrorism will not deprive the needs of new and returning students in schools and colleges.
In 2001 the USDLA Journal (previously Ed at a Distance) has brought you 70 feature articles, 12 podiums, and scores of interest items in the Student Exchange, Technology Exchange, State Exchange, and Positions Available. It signals the growing health and influence of USDLA in serving the distance learning community. Watch these pages in the coming months for new initiatives that will provide significant support to you as a distance educator and as a member of USDLA.
The editors send you Holiday Greetings and a request for your papers, your ideas, and your visions.