Reflecting upon George Siemens three element effecting distance education I feel that communication is a key to success within the online learning environment. To get the most from the online environment the student must be willing to actively participate within the learning. Communication is a key to being engaged. The students must be willing to communicate with classmates and instructor.

I find it much easier to interact with both classmates and the instructor in the online environment. This is due to the networking and social technologies such as wikis, Skype, FaceBook, MySpace, and blogs created by students. Learning communities within the online environment lend themselves to communication. Implementing learning communities opens the door to communication because comments, constructive criticism, and questions are the doorways to active participation within the online learning environment. Also, learning communities allow students to connect on a more one to one basis. Personally, using Skype within the learning community has allowed me to feel more connected to my classmates. Also, I have come to trust and feel safe asking for assistance.

Communication is can be done within the online environment by emailing, chatting sessions, and discussion forums. All of these avenues must be closely monitored by the instructor. Guidelines and expectations must be included within the course so that students will know ahead of time how to effectively communicate within the course.

Communication not only affects the students but the instructor as well. Instructors rely on students’ involvement to grasp their understanding of the content. When students do not actively participate within the discussion then the student is some what invisible. This is because in a face to face environment the instructor can take advantage of students’ body language to guide the instruction. This is impossible in an online environment. In order for communication to be seen as valuable within the learning environment the instructor must model it and display its importance. Communication must be valued by all involved within the online learning environment.


Resources:

Maximizing communication in the online environment. Retrieved on December 30 from:
http://www.ncccs.cc.nc.us/Distance_Learning/Communication.htm

Lines of communication. Retrieved on December 30 from:
http://instructify.com/category/online-learning/

Distance education is on the rise. There is much that must be done to evolve this type of learning environment. I agree with the authors that more and more distance education will become prevalent in the near future. The authors agree that distance education should not simply mirror classroom education I find it amazing that one can obtain a degree by participating in course work that is presented online.
Prior to beginning Walden I was afraid to venture into the world of online learning. I often would say that online courses are not for me. I thought this because I felt as if I wasn’t capable of learning independently without the aspect of a face to face learning environment. I am now in my second quarter at Walden and surprisingly I am being successful in my course work thus far. From my experience of online education I have quickly noticed that distance education and traditional education is very different. Not only the dependency upon technology to remain connected but the student must be self-disciplined, motivated, and willing to actively participate in the learning in order for the student to obtain the maximum level within the learning environment.
I believe that in the near future that distance education will not only be offered on the collegiate level but in the k-12 arenas as well. I am excited to see what the future will hold concerning the avenue of distance education.

Resources
Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W. & Coleman, C. (2008, September/October). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 3:K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63-67.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). Distance education: The next generation featuring Dr. Michael Simonson [Video program].
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education:
Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 1: Training and Development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70-75.
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, July/August). The evolution of distance education:
Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 2: Higher Education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66-70.