The Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime Myth:
While claims of learning "anytime, anywhere for anyone" have some merit, there are certainly a number of factors that are ignored or not considered in making such a statement. Yes, learning is available but it does not mean that learning will take place which is the assumption made from reading the phrase anyone can learn anywhere, anytime. "You too will learn in the magical online world!" smacks of the old snake oil salesmen. Many times e-learning just means that paper and pencil tasks have been packaged up and presented online in a worksheet-like format: read this, then answer these. In this format, there is no engagement, no interaction, and many times no feedback. In a classroom, there is at least the likelihood of engagement, interaction and timely feedback. When participating in e-learning, what happens when the participant doesn't understand and needs clarification? Technology such as Elluminate does address this by providing an environment where participants are connected with sound so explanations can be made as long as you are online at the same time. There is also a white board where diagrams and examples can be written. Without such technology, you would be posting a message then waiting for a response. I have also watched as students have simply clicked their way through a program with incorrect answers as the program corrects or ignores the incorrect responses, allowing the student to move on. Has the student been engaged and learning?
Celebrating the "death of distance" and making "prejudices like race and gender a thing of the past" were premature and optimisitc statements. As others have also pointed out, in order to be online, one does need to have access. No computer, no phone/cable means no access. The assumption that everyone has computer equipment and Internet access ignores the socio-economic factors of our world today. "Anyone, anytime, anywhere" implies there is a system of equity in place; some goodwill group working on behalf on the impoverished silently in the background. In reality, poverty is still an issue for a significant percentage of our population in Canada , never mind in developing countries. As well, people living in rural areas often have limited access because companies developing the technology invest in high population areas where a high return on their investment is likely. Small populations in more remote areas may have to solicit the backing of local industry or government in order to build the infastructure needed to gain access. Often there are added expenses and extra time required because of the remoteness of a location. Smaller populations living in remote areas are at a disadvantage.
On the more abstract side, I agree with Norm's comments about being able to be identified while online. The whole "big brother is watching you" theory is true to some extent. Our activities are being tracked while we are online. Websites use cookies to track visits to their sites. We respond to surveys. We add desktop features and toolbars. We shop online and our preferences are recorded. You are no longer anonymous - you have just established an identity through your everyday online activities!
Susan
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Anytime, Anywhere for Anyone:
ReplyDeleteI would like to offer an alternative understanding of this myth. I wonder if the original proponents of this myth never meant it to be taken as more than a promise and an ideal. E-learning certainly offers the opportunity of anytime, anywhere for anyone, if the technology is in place. So if we were to look to an optimistic future, a Star Trek type future, where people (on Earth) have lost that greed that makes them cling to everything for themselves without sharing and far beyond need, then certainly this is a possibility. Technology would be available for all, because poverty would have been eliminated. A person could learn anytime, any place, anywhere if they chose, or they could choose, as I did, a more interactive, face to face form of learning. Admittedly, I am not optimistic that such a future will come, but if we do not allow ourselves to dream of one and work towards one, and develop technology that would allow for one, then we are limiting our humanity.
If we could consider e-learning on its own, without the hardware that has to come with it, then I do not think that anytime, anywhere for anyone is a myth. Motivation and integrity in learning is the choice of the individual, not the responsibility of the medium. There are certainly poor educational programs available for computer use. I would think that these will fall by the wayside because they are poor and the better programs will be further developed, continually increasing the quality of the e-learning experience. I realize that the hardware is an essential feature of e-learning, and for the moment, anytime, anywhere for anyone is not a reality, but we can dream and we can plan.
Hi Susan
ReplyDeleteYour comment regarding... read this, answer this is very telling in that it highlights how e-learning is not used to the best of its attributes. If e-learning simply mimics rote-learning, then in fact it is not exploiting some of the inherent advantages of e-learning. I've taken 9 courses online in and LMS and many of these included the "read this/respond to this" and now once the courses are over, I have very little in the way of artifacts (save for printed articles etc.) because many of the activities (discussions etc.) were contained within the course that I no longer have access to. So to me, this was an example of "at one time during a semester, any one in the course, any where you can get a lot of things printed cheaply" e-learning.
Ah, an idealist meets the realist. Indeed, you do make some good points about the intent of the catch phrase. For those of us who have access to e-learning, it is a viable alternative to face-to-face learning with potential we have not even thought of yet. The very fact that we are able to conduct this running dialogue from various locations at varying times supports the notion of anytime, anywhere. Personally, I have participated in far more learning opportunities than would have been previously possible in a time without e-learning. So the dream is a reality but only for a limited few. The hurdles of making it a reality for all seem formidable but I do agree that the challenges should not impede the development of new ideas and possibilities. Susan
ReplyDeleteThanks for an interesting initial post, and some well thought-out follow-up, everyone.
ReplyDeleteI think Hillary points out an important weakness in my argument when she says that "any -where -time -body" may have been meant more than a promise and an ideal than as a real claim.
I think that "a a a" has been meant at least partially as a kind of ideal and as a kind of reality that is kind of taken granted these days (as Susan perceptively points out): that you can learn at night, at home or work, etc.
-Norm