Distributed+Learning+Applications

== DISTRIBUTED COGNITION AND DISTRIBUTED LEARNING > 1. INTRODUCTION > 2. DISTRIBUTED COGNITION AND DISTRIBUTED LEARNING > 3. APPLICATIONS OF DISTRIBUTED LEARNING > 4. DISTRIBUTED LEARNING EXAMPLES > 5. CHALLENGES TO IMPLEMENTATION OF DISTRIBUTED LEARNING > 6. ASSESSING DISTRIBUTED LEARNING > 7. REFERENCES

**3. APPLICATIONS OF DISTRIBUTED LEARNING**

 * 1) **Situations for Applying Distributed Learning**

3.1 Situations for Applying Distributed Learning
Attending a traditional or residential learning environment to gain new knowledge or skills demand major time commitment. For working professionals with family responsibilities, the pursuit of knowledge and training in the traditional manner is gradually becoming unattainable (Atieh, 1998). However, advances in computer and communication technologies have provided new distributed learning opportunities for adult learners. In addition, according to Knowles (1984), adults are self-directed learners. Self-directed learning is an “activity for which the learner takes the initiative and responsibility for the learning process” (French, 1999, p. 16). Self-directed learning places the learner rather than the teacher in charge for some or most of the learning process. In order to use the Internet-based materials effectively and move away regarding the teacher as “sage on the stage,” learners must learn to be self-directed and not remain passive receptors of knowledge. The ultimate goal is to increase access to knowledge and help learners to become life-long learners (French, 1999).

Distributed Learning and its success requires new thinking on its application and collaboration as its central theme. There are four characteristics for successful learners: knowledgeable, self determined, strategic, and empathetic. Learning involves an interaction between the student, materials, teacher, and context of materials. Communication and collaboration are essential elements of applying distributed learning. Collective knowledge and thinking can change the role of students and teachers. Here the students can become their own teachers and the teachers become guides and co-learners. Collaborative classrooms change the relationship between students and teachers and change the relationship between students and materials. The teacher is no longer the only information giver but also the mentor for the sharing of knowledge. Teachers can also share authority with students in specific ways to invite students to set goals, design learning tasks, and assess what is learned. A collaborative teacher encourages the student to develop and use their own knowledge, share knowledge with other students, treat each other with respect, and focus on not only problem solving and knowledge building but on deeper understanding within the student. As sharing occurs between teacher and student the emphasis turns to mediated learning where the teacher helps the student connect to new information and helps them figure out how to learn. Everyone should learn from everyone else, everyone should contribute, and appreciate each other's contributions. Segregation of any kind according to ability, interests, or any characteristic will disable collaboration, trust, and the opportunity to learn.

Creating a rich inviting environment for learning activities will provide the student with opportunities for collaborative work and group problem solving. A focus on the thinking process not just the context of information is essential to educate the student on the depth of their mind and its cognitive activities. Developing high quality group interaction facilitates collaborative learning. Students are encouraged to make connections to real world artifacts, events, people, and situations to gain interconnectedness in distributed learning. Learning tasks should keep in mind building a student's confidence, self reliance, and independence.

Student can have roles in a collaborative classroom to create and set goals. During the learning process monitoring of progress can be woven in and after self assessment on performance and accomplishments can be both student and teacher driven. The teacher must carefully plan activities that will lead to their student attaining their goals, work together, and learn new skills and knowledge building strategies. The student should be encouraged to self regulate with the teacher's guidance and mentoring. The student can learn to be responsible for monitoring, adjusting, and questioning him/her self and other students in the group.

Creating a live and inviting dialogue among students and teacher should be encouraged. Two way communications inspire collaboration in interactions. students should be encouraged to initiate dialogue, questions, determine new topics for discussion, or explore new perspectives that are of interest to students.

Due to the surge of distance learning via the Internet, including courses that employ Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL), it is important that educators and instructional designers better understand the benefits and limitations of CSCL. Like many educational activities, it is difficult to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of CSCL activities. Early efforts focused on suspected detrimental effects of communication filtering of computer mediated communication (CMC) and ignored the potential benefits of CMC. Historically, the lack of evidence that technological innovations have improved learning in formal education highlights the need for evidence of whether, how and when expected improvements in learning take place (Stahl 2006).

Researcher L.S. Vygotsky stressed that we are products of biology and our culture. Learning comes from the use of language. Children learn much higher functioning from interactions with both adults and other children. So taking this one step further, students learn higher functioning from interacting with teachers and other students around them, in the collaborative classroom. Vygotsky noted that children who interact toward a common goal tend to regulate each other's behavior and assist each other. Together, they solve problems they could not solve independently. ( Collaborative Learning)

A few principles from Vygotsky for teachers; 1. assume the learner is competent 2. know the learner 3. share an interest in the task with the learner 4. follow the learner's lead whenever possible 5. capitalize on uncertainty

Teachers and students together can learn together. Collaborative learning in collaborative classrooms can help students connect everyday ideas to scientific ideas, construct meaning from their own experiences and knowledge, and develop their own strategies. Teachers can plan learning built on the language the students' understand in their everyday lives along with commonly found materials. Demonstrating how these connect with the greater world, the mind inside, and other students in the group of learning lead to a collaborative environment where students share and are responsible to each other. (MW)

Cooperative learning is a form of collaboration, it is "working together to accomplish shared goals" (Johnson & Johnson, 1989, p.2). To differentiate between cooperation and collaboration; collaboration can occur in small and large groups where cooperation primarily refers to small groups. There are advantages of cooperative learning over competitive learning. With cooperation there is higher leveled group and individual achievement, higher quality reasoning strategy development, better metacognition, and better problem solving. Students in a cooperative environment tend to be more motivated, curious, caring of others, and psychologically healthy due to the lack of pressure to succeed. However competition works best in an environment there is a winner and a loser as a desired outcome, where a individual effort is needed to achieve a goal and the goal has no influence on others, and in competitive sports.

Cooperative skills must be taught to students by teachers in the beginning. They must be learned and practiced with supervision by students before they can be used in classrooms effectively. Students must learn to see themselves as interdependent, personally responsible to work and achieve goals, help each other in F2F situations, share resources, keep an open mind, give constructive feedback to others, challenge each others' ideas and reasoning, and act with respect. Furthermore students need to learn skills for solving problems, accomplishing tasks, summarizing, filtering, maintaining group cohesiveness, and reflecting.

Students must develop individual responsibility for their own work and for the group and its shared success. While having common goals each student must recognize and fulfill particular roles within the group and its activities. Improved learning, social skills, and higher self-esteem can and must be results in a cooperative learning environment. (MW)

Distributed Learning has no boundaries and when it is “used best” is still being defined. The National Science Foundation Task Force on Cyberlearning emphasize that the “transformative power of information and communications technology for learning, is from K to grey” (NSF 2008). The authors use of "K to grey" is a unique way of referring to life-long learners ranging in age from as young as Kindergartners to the maturing adult with graying hair. The age span of people engaged in using technology as an educational tool is indeed diverse. Distributed learning (DL) can be used in combination with traditional classroom-based courses, with traditional distance learning courses, or it can be used to create virtual classrooms available anyplace, any time, delivered on demand. With the advancement of DL, the barriers of distance and time have been broken down. Students separated in time and space from their peers and the instructor now has a viable option for learning. The distributed learning experience can also be tailored to accommodate those with learning disabilities or alternative learning styles.

The intended audience for distributed education can be segmented into numerous categories, ranging from traditional students seeking additional flexibility to “recreational learners” engaged in expanding their personal knowledge (Oblinger, D., Barone, C., & Hawkins, 2001). Further examples of those benefiting from the transformative power of distributed learning: The U.S. Department of Defense uses distributed simulation technology to create virtual battlefields on which learners at remote sites develop collective military skills (Orlansky & Thorp, 1991); "Knowledge webs" enable distributed access to experts, archival resources, authentic environments, and shared investigations. Distributed science projects enable conducting shared experiments dispersed across time and space, each team member learning more than would be possible in isolation about the phenomenon being studied and about scientific investigation (Dede, 1996); and “Open educational resources” (OER) are educational materials and resources offered without cost for anyone to use anytime and under a license to remix, improve, and redistribute (Atkins et al., 2007).
 * K-12 students
 * Degree-completion adult learners are working to complete a degree at an older age.
 * Professional enhancement learners are seeking to advance their careers or shift careers.
 * Corporate learners work for corporations and are seeking education to maintain or upgrade their skills.

Today distributed teams in research laboratories, businesses, and education can collaboratively conduct their activities using Internet telephony, videoconferencing, and screen sharing and be “together” in immersive graphic worlds. Scientific work further incorporates shared data repositories, software data-analytic workbenches, and remote instrumentation in collaboratories (Bos, Zimmerman, Olson et al., 2007).