The pandemic caused by COVID-19 took the education sector around the world by surprise and institutions did not know how to act in the face of the crisis. To avoid massive contagion, it was necessary to suspend teaching in schools, universities and other institutions for an indefinite period. Education had to resort to other strategies in a very short period of time to restart teaching.
The traditional teaching-learning process for years remained unchanged, however, the conditions demanded new means to facilitate the massive transmission of knowledge to students. The use of new information and communication technologies (ICT) facilitated the restart of teaching online where the Internet and distance education (EAD) will arrive in the possibilities that it presents today to the remaining student population.
It is considered that by continuing the learning using the EAD, the crisis became an opportunity to break some prejudices and show that this modality of education can be as effective in student learning as face-to-face teaching, if applied correctly. In addition, although it has been a propitious moment for the expansion of EAD techniques, the remote classes offered to replace the face-to-face, in general, should not be seen as distance learning, because the face-to-face classroom would be moving to a virtual environment and it states Rodrigo Capelatothat “EAD is not simply going out to give the class in person through a platform. The rhythm is another”.
Some authors claim that there is no evidence to support that face-to-face instruction is the perfect method of teaching. Distance instruction can be just as effective in learning, or even more so, as classroom instruction. Hence Lana Paula Crivelaro, points out: “We live today in a very traditional education model. Now is the time to check the potential of distance education.” But, the EAD is not teaching by correspondence, as many believe, this was its beginning. Today it is just one of the many media that are used, and it is very different due to the development and rise of globalization and the Internet.
Given the possibilities, teach non-face-to-face teaching to continue learning, obviously that would be distance education, virtual education and online education. Although these concepts are often used as synonyms, each one has particular characteristics, as will be seen below.
Edistance education.It is a teaching-learning system that is developed partially or totally through ICT, under a bidirectional scheme between teachers and students. It replaces the personal interaction model in the classroom with a tutoring model that makes the student responsible for their own training.It is a modality that allows the educational act through different methods, techniques, strategies and means, in a situation in which students and teachers are physically separated, although they could occasionally interact in person.
In this mode, students have control over the time, space and pace of learning. The materials to be used can be physical, such as booklets and books, or multimedia using USB sticks or CDs, material that can be delivered in person, by correspondence or email. The accompaniment and feedback between teachers and students is carried out by phone, or text messages. In some educational systems, this modality relies on radio and television to reach contexts in which telephone connection is not possible.
In recent years, EAD has changed and it can be said that it is the stage of telematics teaching. This third generation began in the 1980s with the evolution of computer science and flexible computer-assisted teaching programs. Later it incorporated virtual campuses. Currently, all of them can be given, although it is proven that telematics education that makes use of all the technological tools that is made available, is the most effective for students.EAD is not just recording teachers teaching classes. Specialists assure that when applied well, the method develops in students a sense of autonomy and responsibility for their own knowledge. The recommendation is that the visual and auditory tools used allow interaction to attract attention and involve students.
For distance learning to work, planning must come before technology, that is, selecting a methodology, organizing the educational process step by step, and thinking about how students will manage their autonomy. Therefore, instead of using long expository videos, it is recommended to divide the class into parts or short modules and exchange the activities.
Regarding the physical separation between students and teachers at the time of the development of the teaching-learning process, although face-to-face interactions disappear, it must be said that in all EAD systems there is not really an absolute separation between them, because There will always be, in an obligatory and necessary way, the realization of tutorials and meetings of one-to-one interaction, technologically mediated. Thus, a controlled two-way communication is established for the feedback process.
Evirtual education.This modality of the teaching-learning process and the e-learning or learning by electronic means, is a form of DAE that uses the internet, virtual platforms, telephone, among others, for its development. Lara (2002) defines it as the educational modality that raises the quality of the teaching-learning process, because it respects its flexibility or availability, that is, it can be channeled for variable times and spaces. It achieves its highest recognition with technology, through asynchronous, synchronous and self-training methods. In this sense, virtual systems can provide different opportunities for multiple participants to act in the same audiovisual environment, thus the interaction can occur in real time simultaneously (synchronous) or in a deferred way (asynchronous).
Some authors point out that since 2000, distance courses and relatively open virtual learning environments have been developed, which allow the interaction of the participants and provide access to a wide range of resources. Likewise, they distinguish between the traditional learning environment, defined by the dimensions of place, time and space, and virtual learning, which expands these three dimensions to three more: interactivity, technology, and control. Regarding the time dimension, virtual education depends on the participant, who will achieve their learning objectives in the time available. As for the place and space, the student is the one who sets them to study.
In this modality, contact with the teacher is through a multimedia platform in which students review and download materials such as documents, slide presentations or videos. Nor it is necessary that teachers and students coincide in the schedule, it is asynchronous. Its platforms have a forum for students to express doubts or concerns, and the teacher, when assigning the activities, establishes a delivery date. When evaluating them, include a feedback so that each one can verify their progress.
Eonline education or classes online.It has all the advantages of the virtual mode but with an extra feature, It is synchronous, that is, teachers and students coincide in the schedule. Platforms that allow the use of video calls are used, therefore, the classes are live and various teaching techniques such as debates or forums can be implemented. The resolution of doubts and feedback is in real time. Within the forms of distance learning, the e-learning, which is also known as learning online is the most successful today. Donna J. Abernathy had already said it earlier this century: “Online learning won’t be the next big thing, it’s already the big thing now.” Learning by electronic means takes advantage of all the resources offered by computers and the Internet to provide the student with a large number of didactic tools that make the course online be more dynamic, easy to follow and intuitive.
In conclusion, everything indicates that once this pandemic is over, the EAD will be a support and complement to face-to-face education, giving rise to a hybrid teaching methodology, since it combines both educational modalities.
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