In the interest of advancing my trek into the Post-Distance Education world, I have put the word “online” in parentheses for the title of my blog. From now on, I will not hesitate to discuss any teaching issue (on-site, online or in between) here, and whenever possible will try to blur the boundaries between the different “modes” of teaching and learning.
Yes, I’ve received a number of objections to my point of view in Abandoning the Idea of Distance Ed. I’ve been reminded that the LMS is not a refrigerator, that many people haven’t grasped either the tools or the larger picture yet, and that many careers are tied up in keeping Distance Ed a distinct area. Even our Program for Online Teaching is evidently not ready to move into combination mode. Nevertheless, at the last technology meeting I presented on issues of parity (as well as those of differentiation and technical support) between online and on-site teaching, and our further discussion did become one of overall pedagogy instead of online distinctiveness.
It is pretty clear to me this is the way the pedagogy and technology are headed, away from tech as a separate field, and more toward an “internet as library”, “web as communication/creation space”, “teaching is teaching no matter where it happens” mindset. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any issues concerning learning technologies, just that conversations about teaching don’t have to be divided into categories. And I wonder what will happen to our conversations about teaching and learning when we talk that way.