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After noting the preference for
asynchronous and synchronous text-based distance
education courses, I argue that interactive video (also
called compressed digital
video) is worthy of
exploration as an alternate delivery mode for distance
education English courses.
Pedagogical
Choices
Teachers have choices, in spite of the seeming
limitations of a given technology. In this section I
describe my approach to technology integration: juggling
context, curriculum, and technology, I arrived at a
viable pegagogy for my interactive video course. I call
this pedagogy "mirror instruction." I
explain this approach in a streaming video discussion.
Moving
On: Integrating Video Conferencing and Web Design
Technology continues to change, and so does the teaching
context. Teachers need to continually redesign their
approaches to instruction. In my situation, since
students at the remote site had access to the Internet, I
was able to move away from exclusive use of interactive
video and toward an integration of web and video delivery
of the courses courses I am designing for Fall 98.
Conclusion:
Toward An Ecological Model of Distance Education
I conclude by arguing for the importance of balance in
teaching with technology. As campuses begin offering more
distance education courses, they need to recognize that
different students may benefit from different kinds of
distance learning environments. Perhaps distance
education degree programs should include a requirement
that students take a mix of courses: text-based,
asynchronous or synchronous courses; independent,
learner-controlled courses; and, quite possibly,
courses with an interactive audio and video
component.
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