These are some of the papers I have written during my MDE courses. I have included many of those works that have helped me develop my interest in dialogic interaction in DE. (Click on the picture to access the paper.)
Traits of Distance Education
This first paper in my portfolio is also the first paper in my program and it shows where I began to think about dialogue. The attached paper was my first one on the program, written in OMDE601. I was introduced to Borge Holmberg's thoughts on empathy which brought my attention to the importance of dialogue.
Transactional Distance
In OMDE601 I was introduced to the concept of transactional distance. This paper is my awkward attempt to develop a model that places dialogue in structure and autonomy. The model isn't notable but my curiousity about how dialogue plays a part in online learning is evident here.
Synchronous & Asynchronous
OMDE603 allowed me to consider the impllications of environment on dialogue. Asynchronous and synchronous technologies provide different venues for dialogic interactions. This paper offers a brief discussion of dialogue.
The Written Word
In a group project for OMDE603, I continued to show interest in dialogue. We studied the written word as dialogue in DE but still treat dialogue as a commodity, not a process.
Leadership in Modern DE
Plato & Aristotle
Leadership in modern DE is the topic of this paper from DEPM604. The connection of today's education with centuries of tradition teased my interest in dialogic tradition.
Multimedia Project
This was a fun project that was written for DETC620. It is not directly related to dialogue, but the interest of the DNREC agency in reaching a wide audience demonstrates the problem of structuring a public dialogue.
Teacher Training in Sub-Saharan Africa
Schools in Africa present a unique challenge for educators. I knew nothing about this topic but I tackled it for DEPM625. I have become quite interested in this subject.
Estimating Costs of Education
This article from OMDE606 has nothing to do with dialogue, but I propose a structural model for estimating costs. That was fun.
Reflection
OMDE607 is a course in Instruction Design. Jill Fresen and Olaf Zawacki-Richter were excellent at guiding us through a personalized project.Sine my project was particular to an institution, I won't post it here but I have posted my relfection on the course.
Animation using Flash
IMAT639 taught me to design websites using the Dreamweaver Creative Suite. There were no papers to write and the website has been deleted but I did learn how to create animations. This is an example.
Case Study - Art Department, UMUC
This group project was a case study for OMDE608. We investigated the use of the virtual world, Second Life as an educational support tool for a class at UMUC.
The Chameleon in the Garden
Plagiarism is a popular topic but it is more complex than we might expect. This paper, written for OMDE608, challenges the simplistic approach to this topic.
My Teaching Philosophy
In OMDE610 I was asked to express my teaching philosophy. This article shows my concern that dialogue plays in the learning experience.
CAPSTONE PROJECT Dialogic Interaction in Online Distance Education: A Bakhtinian Perspective
Mikhail Bakhtin
This culminates my experience in the MDE program. I have examined dialogue from the perspective of Mikhail Bakhtin. This is an interestingly different approach to the discussion of dialogue in online distance education.