Preparing for Learning!

Originally posted 03/09/2006 on the Journaldoodledastic blog

I have spent the previous week when traveling to work on the train, identifying the subject areas, that I believe will be important for me to have knowledge and understanding of in order to effectively support my assertion that online collaborative technology can enhance adult distance learning(if this is my finalized area of study). Note that the writing of my learning contract is forcing me to think harder about what I really want to learn about and how to tailor my learning to be a focused and useful piece of work.

My broad area of study is online, collaborative, adult distance learning. I have identified twelve areas of interest in relation to this area of study. These are:

1. Definitions and explanations of terms in this field of study.
   
2. Barriers and problems to distance learning.
   
3. Models of distance learning. (Frameworks)
   
4. Theories of learning (maybe approaches – is it the same)
   
5. Types of adult learning (undergraduate, postgraduate, further education, work based, personal development and others)
   
6. Principles of Good Practice in Education.
   
7. Teaching and Learning.
   
8. Research Methods.
   
9. Evaluating Learning.
   
10. The Learner.
    
11. Technical issues.
    
12. Specific Educational Technologies.
    

I have read briefly a couple of articles on barriers and problems to distance learning. I shall return to this in more detail at a later date. The area I chose to look at more closely over the weekend was Models of Learning. Read more about this in my next blog.