Distance Learning Essay

In the introduction, I think it will be appropriately to mention that the main topic of the writing is Distance Learning and its benefits to students. Detailed overview can allow getting the main ideas, advantages and disadvantages of a big amount of thoughts, facts and arguments. In conclusion, the inference let us summarize and sum up all the information we are going to discuss. Our core focus will be on the determining main standpoints of different important questions, which I am going to answer through the paper. The aim of the writing is to decide and prove if there are benefits from distance learning and if it is needed to students (to make them learn better).

The problems of system of education

The first element of the discussion, which is worth of our attention is the level of general education in the United States of America. First, the general pattern of education in the USA is, however, an eight-year elementary school, followed by a four-year high school. This has been called eight””four plan organization. Moreover, it is proceeded, in many localities, by nursery schools and kindergartens. Further still, this traditional pattern has been varied in different ways. One plan consists of a six-year elementary school, a three-year junior high school, and a three-year senior high school. There are three levels of general education in the United States of America: program-level, institutional-level, and course-level. Campuses typically use one or more of three basic approaches to assessing the general education program.

It will be appropriately to mention that every system has its mistakes, problems and defects, weakness and of course advantages. Jonathan Kozol did his best when wrote the book “The shame of the nation”. The problem of the system of education in the USA cannot be solved only by theoretical aspects. He exposes hypocrisy of our educational policy.

As we know, when our country has become independent, our position was “separate but equal”. Is it actually today? What is really happening now? Kozol describes that acceptance of schools is separate but unequal, unfortunately. In the introduction, he notices: “No matter how complex the reasons that have brought us to the point at which we stand, we have, it seems, been traveling a long way to a place of ultimate surrender that does not look very different from the place where some of us began” (1995, pg 1).

The main problems in the sphere of education are segregation, separation in the urban schools from his point of view. It is said to be as if you have been put in a garage where, if they do not have room for something but are not sure if they should throw it out, they put it there where they do not need to think of it again. Kozol has specified the reasons, which resulted to this negative situation in these schools. One of them is insufficient financial support of urban schools and their students (mainly from a poor families and national minorities) in comparison with suburban schools, where material and technical base is developed and the parents of their students are more well-to-do.

However, in urban schools the classrooms need repair, educational apartments are overcrowded. Another serious problem is that the increasing emphasis on testing renders negative influence on the level of education in the schools for the poor and minorities. Nowadays, the shame of the nation is hypocritical policy of education and especially the people, who have a great influence in the sphere of education. My point of view is that who can change this unfair system ”“ does not want, who wants ”“ has no possibility. Consequently, tests are convenient, but it is not an index of student’s knowledge.

Distance learning: benefits

Nowadays students through all over the world face different systems and types of learning and education as a whole.

This paper’s core focus is on determent what distance learning mean, what benefits it brings into society and what disadvantaged it has. Distance learning (or it is also known as distance education) is a flexible helpful form of learning students. It seems to focus on technology, pedagogy and instructional system designs. This, however, does not require student to be in the classroom (as it usually be) or in campus. Honeyman and Miller have stated that distance learning is the process of creating an educational experience of equal quality for the learner to best suit their needs outside the classroom. Distance education courses that require a physical on-site presence for any reason (including taking examinations) is considered a hybrid or blended course of study. This emerging technology is becoming widely used in universities and institutions around the globe (1993, pg 67-73). Talking about the way of learning students (or the education as a whole) people should be careful and accurate, especially when choosing the methods and aims. The level of education in the country is too important factor of success not to pay to it attention.

Therefore, I believe government should take in account the type of education in the country in order to make country’s general level higher.

Distance learning is the way of learning that our contemporary fast moving world requires. It helps students to make learning easier and more pleasant. By contrast, I do not agree that distance learning can give all needed information to the student. The course seems to be not concentrative on main points. However, it comfortable for contemporary youth who want to spent less time on learning and gain needed knowledge and skills. Strictly talking, contemporary schools do not study the classical-medieval studies’ organisation (it is known as trivium). Definitely, even in the ancient times people knew that every age of a student should filled with different information (different levels of it) according to the age.

The distance education is useful when a person have a job or wants to prolong education. Holmberg has found that distance education has long had trouble with testing. The delivery of testing materials is fairly straightforward, which makes sure it is available to the student and he or she can read it at their leisure. The problem arises when the student is required to complete assignments and testing. Online courses have had difficulty controlling cheating in quizzes, tests, or examinations because of the lack of teacher control. However, with distance education the student can be removed from supervision completely (2005, pg 13). Thus, distance education (or learning) has its benefits and disadvantages or fail that are needed to be working on.

Distance learning seems to provide benefits to several basic categories. According to Oblinger, they are

Ӣ Expanding access: It can reach underserved populations of students who cannot attend a school that offers the educational services they desire.

Ӣ Cost reduction: It can turn content production into a repeatable and durable learning tool that does not require as much infrastructure.

Ӣ Emerging market opportunities: It fuels the need for lifelong learning by providing access to learners in the non-traditional k-12 age group.

Ӣ Adapting to new technology and environments: Educational institutions may adopt it (2000, pg 1, ).

Distance education allows students to have more flexible and comfortable way of getting education. It makes them more adapted to the modern fast moving world that requires to be active and accurate. Distance learning is seemed to generate tremendous excitement inside and even outside the higher education.

Conclusion

The distance education (or learning) is very important theme in nowadays life. New approaches in learning children will give advantages and privileges in the whole system, and will help children to be adapted to the grown up life better, than now. Distance learning brings many benefits to students how work or who want to prolong their education. In addition, it is believed distance education is something our country and our area of education need in order to be successful. However, in the future, people will take in account all educational system’s fails and problems, and make educational system better, than nowadays. Hence, learning is the process of altering prototypical minds to accommodate new experiences.