Discussion with Ulrich Bernath

Topic: Industrialization theory and Distance Education Parts 1-4

Professor Bernath if the whole idea of distance education is a humanitarian
one, why do you think it is seen by some with such negativity?
From an economical perspective I have heard various discussions from
teachers and administrators that DE is a very costly business. But on the
other hand so is illiteracy. I agree that this concept of DE is very complex in
trying to develop it for all. I do think it can be done, but it will take time to
legitimize the concept of online distance education as a major form of
educational reform.
I dont think that the industrialization of distance education should only apply
to DE. In order for major changes to happen the industrialization will take
place in every facet of our lives, the media we use, time spent on
preparation and study, teaching materials and presentation, and of course
new training methods for teaching certifications. The questions to ask if this
new concept is fully adopted is, will this be the beginning of the end of faceto-face instruction? And will this new pedagogy have to be implemented into
the teaching curriculum in our universities secondary and elementary
schools all over the world. Some states have fully online schools already, but
some co-exist with the face-to-face classrooms as well.
Also, there are some that think that DE is not an accredited form of
education and learning is not productive as face-to-face, so that means
through this epistemological breakthrough of new ideas for online
education we will be calling on stakeholders to help support the DE effort of
industrialization for DE education.
I think that the theory of industrialization and DE is a challenging concept for
many, and that the educational community is trying to grasp this new
educational endeavor that is evolving very fast from the 20th century
theories, and that the 20th century of online collaborative learning is taking
place by leaps and bounds in our educational communities. So in in order to
get our children reading at appropriate grade levels, educational
stakeholders, parents and teachers must jump on board of the DE train,
because this is going to be a new kind of industrialized revolution.
Peters, O. (2011, December 2). Industrialization theory and distance education, Parts 1-4. [Video
interviews.] Haag, Germany. Available from:
Part1: http://vimeo.com/33107755 (Transcript: http://www.box.com/s/76m3lv2baa3n63vm0bjn)
Part2: http://vimeo.com/33523216 (Transcript: http://www.box.com/s/q3f6nuh98mtdydti8b92)

Part3: http://vimeo.com/33525745 (Transcript: http://www.box.com/s/8jzx6qm65lgj8kt0aep7)

Part4: http://vimeo.com/33109477 (Transcript: http://www.box.com/s/cnl0nmio1je707iaekmx)