Distance Learning Technologies

Selecting Distance Learning Technologies
Scenario 1: Collaborative Training Environment
"A new automated staff information system was recently purchased by a major corporation and needs to be implemented in six regional offices. Unfortunately, the staff is located throughout all the different offices and cannot meet at the same time or in the same location. As an instructional designer for the corporation, you have been charged with implementing a training workshop for these offices. As part of the training, you were advised how imperative it is that the staff members share information, in the form of screen captures and documents, and participate in ongoing collaboration."
Analysis
The basic elements required by this scenario are:

• asynchronous delivery of instructional materials
• asynchronous collaboration
• document sharing

While any one of the online technologies listed in this week's Multimedia Program, ""The Technology of Distance Education" would not suffice on its own, when combined together a number of these technologies can solve the problem.
The trick of tackling this problem is to realize that the scenario isn't really a problem at all. We simply can't approach this scenario by thinking about how we can convert our typical face-to-face materials into online format. Instead, we have to design a course that contains the following technologies:
Technologies
The three most helpful Technologies, which can all be hosted on the same CMS, are:

• Discussion Technologies
• Media Sharing
• Blogs

I would tackle this scenario much in the same way that Walden teaches its courses. These students can use an online discussion forum to post ideas and respond to topics. They can also share their images and documents using media sharing technology. Finally, students can complete projects in the form of their own blogs, that other students will visit and comment on.