Education at distance: between the knowledge and the practices

Education at distance: between the knowledge and the practices

When we refer at the present time to Education at distance, we can observe that in many opportunities he/she associates it to the New Technologies of the Information and Communication.Today of virtual environments of learning it is spoken, of new scenarios for the Education, of and-learning, teleformación, virtual education, learning on line. Different denominations for the same meaning in that one makes reference to educational contexts that include the insert of the TIC.

In their origins the Education at distance used the media traditionally to take its projects (postal mail, radio, TV) supplemented with printed, audio materials ahead - marries you, videos, among other.It is interesting from a retrospective panorama, to analyze how different projects of Education they have been gestated at distance using these means.The educational radio, for example, occupied an important place during the period among wars, while the educational television made it starting from the second world war. At the present time, all the countries almost declare to use the radio, the television, or both means in the teaching at distance, especially in those contexts where one doesn't still have access to the TIC.Let us think for example of the applications of the radio and the educational TV for literacy programs and for the rural population, in our country and in Latin America that you/they stayed with the support of international such organisms as OAS and UNESCO during many years. The Education at distance in Europe extended its influence to the University, among those that can mention Open University (Open University) of Great Britain, starting from 1969 and the National University of Education at distance (UNED) of Madrid, from 1972. In the first one it was used like half main the Television, in narrow collaboration with BBC of London.

In Latin America interesting experiences of Education were developed at distance in the university environment and in other levels and modalities of Continuous Education.

This way to offer some examples, in Mexico we can mention the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the Technological Institute of Monterrey, pioneers in Continuous Education, of Adults and at distance.In Venezuela, the National University Open of Venezuela; in Brazil, the Federal University of Matto Grosso; in Argentina the National University of Buenos Aires with the Project XXI UBA and the National University of Mar del Plata, alone to mention some examples. In Peru and Costa Rica they were carried out projects of this modality in Education of Adults, Continuous Education, Programs of Literacy and Education of the Peasants.

In the last years they have incorporated the Technologies of the information and Communication for the Education at distance, AND these make us think of possibilities different from access to the information and communication (in their synchronous and asynchronous modalities), of connecting us on time real or differed with other people of diverse cultures, of elaborating collaborative works, in team, of constituting alumn@s nets, educational and investigators. Today we see a range of diverse situations so much regarding the access possibilities to the Technologies of the Information and Communication, like to the use that is made of them. But we have left it a lot to travel. ..y existe una gran desigualdad ya que gran parte de la población mundial aún no tiene acceso a aquellas ( la denominada brecha digital),al decir de Ignacio Ramonet los “inforicos y los infopobres”, “enchufados y desenchufados” según Cebrián.On the other hand, this evolution of the New Technologies in teaching contexts and learning is subject to how these are inserted in the educational practice and in the socio-economic and cultural context of the denominated global village" and the metaphor of the "classroom without walls", when saying of Mc Luhan.

Let us think for example of the possibility of acting from the local thing, the "glocal" in front of the phenomenon of the globalization, building our own projects of Education at distance, preserving our educational and cultural identity.In all proposal an educational politics, an ideology underlies...And in this sense to speak from Education to distance implies to open new possibilities for the access to the Education, to give opportunities so that people can be educated beyond the space and temporary barriers, to favor those who work that they can be formed and to be enabled without necessity of going presencialmente to study regularly in an educational institution...From the educational profession, to propitiate the teletrabajo, to think of the changes in the organization and administration of the educational institutions: of rigid schedules to give place to instances semipresenciales, of more flexibility horaria, with instances of tutorships. Also of the combination "blended learning", or articulation of present systems and at distance.

It is convenient to clarify that from the pedagogic point of view those denominated "New Technologies" don't assure, per you, an improvement in the learning and the teaching.When thinking of Education at distance, it is necessary to install a reflection space on the educational practice, of the election of the didactic pattern that we sustain and this has an essential paper. On the other hand, if we analyze some proposals of Education at distance, we will be able to observe that they are used the TIC with ends "reproductivistas", in a model transmisivo, instead of contributing to the significance and production of knowledge. Could we wonder, is entonces: ¿Cuál the list of l@s aumn@s and the faculty? Are New Technologies used to develop old practical?With what will pedagogic and didactic models, learning conceptions and teaching work? what paradigms do they sustain our proposals of Education at distance?The participation of the fellows that you/they learn, the formation of the subjectivity, is outstanding when to think and to design projects.It owes dársele to the fellow-addressees, the possibility to be building, producing of languages and meanings: to consider them convincingly main characters, from the emirec conception, when saying of Jean Cloutier. Originator and receiver exchange lists, they have the possibility to share and to build the knowledge.This also demands the digital literacy of educational when designing a didactic project at distance with the New Technologies. It is interesting to analyze how they are used the TIC in a proposal of Education at Distance, how they are inserted in the context, how the curricular diverse components are articulated, how it is developed the educational communication, the production of materials, the tutorships, the resources, the evaluation. Of each one of these components we can include indicators of quality. The medullary points, to my approach are on one hand in the professor-tutor's figure or advisory at distance (that it is fundamental and for there is it to be formed, to be enabled) and in the strategies, the didactic materials that facilitate constructions dialógicas.That is to say, that encounter among the mediator, the fellows that learn and the knowledge through discursive interaction forms and by means of the use of didactic digital materials.

Everything represents it a complex plot of relationships vinculares of shared learning and it takes us to think of a conception of individual learning but construído among tod@s: to the autoaprendizaje and the learning like a social, collective construction. Paulo will Fry, Mario Kaplún like likewise Vygotsky, among other authors, offer us important contributions in this respect.The tutor's topic deserves a since special attention with the advance of the New Technologies in Education nowadays they settle courses in the net and in them the tutor's figure appears but...is it really enabled to exercise this list?. When selecting a course, for example, we suggest to investigate who their authors are, tutors, what formation they have, so much in their previous own experiences through Graduate degrees carried out at distance like in their Qualification and acquired competitions as Formadores in Education at distance (tutors' qualification to work in Education at distance). Lately they have proliferated in the web many platforms, with offers of Education at distance for Internet of all type, hence it is important to analyze their academic quality. On the other hand, in the media it is spoken from Education to distance like one of the topics of validity at the present time. In this sense another point to assist is since the treatment of the information that is made on these topics through them, the messages that are transmitted, many times distortions, fallacies or deceiving thoughts they take place on the meaning from the Education to distance.

Y para ello invito a l@s lectores- internautas, a pensar y reflexionar juntos ¿Recuerdan el cuento “El traje del emperador” de Andersen?

In this story the history of a conceited king is narrated that made boast of its wealth before the citizens; until a good day, two merchants, by means of deceits, offer him/her a dress of precious stones, very expensive, but with a magic property: the fools could not see it. The king, the same as their consultants, it doesn't sight it, but it hides this fact...Until a good day he/she decides to make a presentation in public, dress with him. Then a boy puts in evidence the truth: the emperor is naked.

The same as with the emperor's suit, the information that comes from Internet settles and it is not even doubted or it criticizes its content. Hence it is important to know who their originators are. There is much@s "vendedor@s of smoke" that I lower the seduction and the power they try to sell their products, with a commercial end, with the risks that it implies it for the Education.

On the other hand, in the imaginary one collective, they appear many times erroneous concepts, suppositions, myths, on those that we could meditate. Let us see some examples: In Education at distance "the figure of the educational one will be replaced by the machine", or he/she will memorize easily and in little time" ....o “la incorporación de las TIC acortará la brecha digital ...” , "the TIC improves the capacity to learn and to teach ", "if a Power Point is used or you navigates for Internet they have already incorporated the TIC in Education..."From another angle in this analysis, if we locate ourselves in contexts of non formal education, the possibilities to consent from any PC to offers of continuous Education can be an interesting alternative. Let us think of those people that want to learn from their house, a "cyber coffee", the work. Not alone with regard to courses but to all the information and communication that Internet offers. As Formadores of Formadores we do have the commitment of guiding for the prosecution of the information, of promoting the critical reading, of to evaluate the productions of the TIC and to wonder how we make so that this information becomes knowledge? It is necessary to prepare the addressees for the election, to wake up the analysis capacity, of inquiry, of doubt, of critic. It can also be of help to improve the proposals of Education at distance, centered in the quality and in the Right that we have all of learning, of learning how to learn with the New Technologies.And in this constant process that settles at great speed in the net, it is fundamental to make a high one and to include the conception of evaluation of the quality and the permanent supervision, in charge of specialized personnel, of these projects and of these educational actions. On the other hand, it is important when to design or to carry out projects of Education at distance with TIC, to have gone previously by the experience of being alumn@s, to develop that empathy feeling, to know the interests, to understand the necessities of the addressees, to know their capacities, their levels of development cognitivo, their talkative competitions...

Which will the dimension be, then that will be given to the Technologies of the Information and the Communication, to the Education at distance in the public spaces, in the educational institutions in general and particularly in the University?

He/she behaves us to meditate on the ethical dilemma that you/they outline us the TIC in the education, the culture and the society.

And maybe from this micro-story, Apocalypse of Marco Denevi, we can come closer to think and to elaborate our own constructions.damos acercarnos a pensar y elaborar nuestras propias construcciones.

In this reflection itinerary on the Education at distance that we have begun, is a lot to investigate and to build. This is one of our objectives, in this sense we are working and we propitiate to continue in a communication space and exchange.