Demystifying Goals

1. Demystifying Goals • Broadband and New Applications • Telecommunications Business • Systems Approach • Teaching and Learning Research Base Applied as Bandwidth Increases • Practical Approaches to Maximize Effectiveness

2. Myths and Realties • There is a single model versus synthesizing components of many educational telecommunications systems. • There is a single responsible organization managing technology versus a network of relationships introducing and sustaining programs

3. Myths and Realities • Planning is rational -logically driven versus planning driven by political pressures and possibilities • Change may be incremental or “framebreaking” • Quality as arising from traditional instructional standards/assessment versus measures of quality reflecting new relationships with learners

4. Important Concepts • Equity • Climate • Autonomy • Relationships • Reciprocity • Consensus • Inclusiveness

5. Media Attributes • Distinguishing Characteristics • Time • Space • Information Flows • Colors • Emotions • Cognition - Logic • Touch and Feel

6. What Do We Know About • Synchronous - Asynchronous • One to One - One to Many • Myth of Many to Many • The Words and Music - Emotional Meaning • Non-Verbal Behavior and Interpretation • Visualization • Multiple Meaning

7. What Do We Know About • Integration of writing, verbalization, visualization, lighting, aspect ratio, movement and meaning • Learner Engagement • Cultural Differences • Authenticity • Trust • Enhanced Learning with Media

8. Learners • Salience of message - not the carrier • Motivation • Learner Maturity • Experiential Learning • Performing • Modeling • Respect

9. Research Findings Repeated • No Significant Difference • Two-Way Video Relatively Unimportant • Audio Makes A Difference • Visual Planning and Reinforcement Required • Collaborative Work Environments in Their Infancy (ergonomically poor, artificial and contrived)

10. Sources • ADEC Webpage • CREW - University of Michigan • American Journal of Distance Education • Wisconsin Clearinghouse • Studies from 1960s focused on media attributes

11. ADEC & the Distant Learner • Consortium of 60 state universities • Includes HSIs, HBCUs & Tribal Colleges • NSF Project: Advanced Internet Satellite Extension Project • USDA Rural & Remote Education and Business Enterprises • Hybrid Networking, Applications, Learning Effectiveness

12. Myths • “Promises, Promises” in the last mile • Edges of the net have nothing to offer • It’s mostly about technology - if we can’t easily get there it isn’t important • Distance learning is about bandwidth and video lectures • The Internet is about teen-agers • All knowledge resides in U.S. cities, on campus and in government buildings

13. Myths (cont.) • We are manufacturing “tools” to fit the hand • Distance education is not as good as learning on campus • Regulation is benign

14. ADEC Experience • The “Internet” best thing to happen in the technology sphere in my lifetime • Access to spectrum has been limited to rich, powerful and to the customers of the rich and powerful • Incredible amount of confusion and nonsense disseminated from those who would protect status quo and those who would speak for the public

15. ADEC Experience • Consumers (all types) getting smarter • Research agenda becoming focused on ubiquitous cyberinfrastructure • Every person in the world is potentially an “internet” user - learner • Auctions and Beauty Contests have been a disaster • Set standards and regulate devices - we know how to do this

16. Realities • World is full of rural scattered populations - distance learners • People are constantly on the move - need to learn from “anyplace” • Very interesting people, environmental laboratories, cultures, customs at the edges of the network • Much knowledge resides in global and local communities of interest

17. Realities (cont.) • The hand is contorted to fit the “tools” • Ergonomics are generally disregarded • Today’s networks are artifacts of monopolistic era - narrowband • It’s mostly about money and who makes it - dangerous business: picking winners and losers • More women than men learn by distance - do the shopping

18. Realities (cont.) • Distance Education is as good or better than campus based (no significant difference) • Distance Education is about learning - educational designs can be adjusted to fit the delivery modes - continuous access is more important than speed • Integration and interoperability key; complexity and high cost will kill innovation

19. Possibilities • No “strings” attached - wireless local loop, use of satellite - only game for rural/remote • Design backwards from the edges of the network • Focus on hybrid networking - standards and interoperability • Cyberinfrastructure must extend everywhere

20. Possibilities (Cont.) • It has to be global - value of the net far greater with greater reach • Collaborative virtual environments require mutual understanding, sharing, trust development - it’s about people, organizations and applications • Intellectual property, regulatory and spectrum issues are critical

21. Will We Change? • How we do business? • Our organizations? • Our ways of learning? • Our ways of socially networking? • Our ways of conducting education and research? • Improve our abilities for breadth (global) and depth (local)?

22. Wireless • Key to inclusion • Key to innovation • Key to connectedness - we have gone from counting PCs to measuring BW to ability to be connected 24/7 • Must build better applications and appliances