Distance Learning

[herbgottlieb@juno.com (Herbert H. Gottlieb)]

 Hugh Haskell <hhaskell@mindspring.com>  wrote:
> As Ludwik says, DL is here and we will have to reckon with it, for 
> better or for worse. There are two things that we should bear in mind
while
> thinking about it. First, although the technology being touted today 
> is pretty new, DL itslef is not new. There has been DL since as long as 
> there has been organized mail.

I certainly agree with Hugh's entire message questioning the 
possibility of Distance Learning (DL) to be something that is new 
to education....or a cure all for the ills of education.  But let me
add some of my own experiences and recollections.

I remember when 16 mm silent movies and then movies with sound
promised similar hopes for education.   One teacher with state-of-
the-art apparatus and lots of time to prepare in a well equipped studio 
was expected to produce a flawless lesson that could replace 
thousands of the average teachers  throughout the country.   
 	It didn't happen.

Then along came black and white TV followed by color TV.   
Again it was expected that a master teacher with excellent lighting
and close-ups could replace most of the physics teachers 
with lectures and also have open telephone lines for interactive 
responses and questions from students.
	It didn't happen

Then there was the introduction of programmed learning.
Using special machines the same material was presented 
over and over in different forms.  If the student's response
to a question was incorrect the machine would continue
by presenting information in a different forms by
"branching" sequences built into the program.  According to 
promises every student would achieve mastery, some
more quickly than others.
	It didn't happen


Then along came PC computers with professionally constructed 
lessons on floppy disk sets that might also show carts accelerating 
down ramps  with clocks in the background counting off 
the time in split seconds.  Using these, a student could proceed
at his (or her) own pace until mastery was achieved.
	It didn't happen

If movies, TV, programmed instruction, and programs on  
computer disks did not meet expectations, can we 
expect distance learning and the internet to do any better?

Herb Gottlieb from New York City
(Where we are waiting and hoping that it will happen now....  at last)

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