Re: [xmca] E-Learning article from TC Record

Hi Mike & All

Regarding the expansion of Internet, when we think about Distance
Education we also think about online education and e-learning. This new
way of Educating is suffering a fast diffusion and it’s usually seen as a
business area. These two facts have strongly influenced the discourses and
practices. There are several checklists suggesting ways to offer a
successful online education; we can also find romantic perspectives, which
consider that online education will solve all life long learning problems.
 However, these light points of view do not answer the demands of online
education actors (the same way they have never answered to the
expectations of face to face educational actors).
Metadiscoursive analysis may help to deconstruct some myths related to
online education. Katrina Meyer’s article “Common Metaphors and Their
Impact on Distance Education…(http://www.tcrecord.org) points out some
metaphors that show us another perspective about online distance
education.
In European Universities, “Bologna process” privileges the student’s role
. But we can’t forget that these students belong to cultural and social
networks that construct their identity. Therefore it is important for
online education researches to be developed according to theoretical
references such us CHAT and Sociocultural Theory. As far as Vygotski’s
perspective is concerned it is important to explore how students learn, in
which settings they do it and also their motives, tools… Theoretical
source of neovygotskian research is a promising way to study online
education. How can we reinterpret online education (in University) in a
cultural historical view?

Best regards,
Luísa Aires
(Universidade Aberta, Portugal)

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Received on Sun Dec 16 13:08 PST 2007