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Barrie Jo
Price We asked Barrie to tell us more about himself and his work, and his particular interest in being part of WAOE, after coming across the richness of resources for online education to be found at the emTech Consulting site which he and some colleagues look after. So, in his own words ... Web Editor |
I am Barrie Jo Price (bjprice@emTech.net), a professor of Instructional Technology at The University of Alabama and a partner in emTech Consulting. I do consulting in staff development, working this year in Chile, Peru, Spain, Italy, Russia, Poland, Morocco, Germany, and Mexico, not to mention here in the U.S.A. as well. I also teach an online course for The University of Maryland in their online masters degree programs.
I have been involved in the application of technology to teaching and learning since 1978. That year, one of my partners, Dr. George E. Marsh II, and I were in San Jose, California doing joint research with faculty at San Jose State University. In the course of our stay, we discovered that our colleagues were using an Apple Computer to run their data while we waited at the Computer Center for our "run"! We returned to our institution with our own Apple Computer! We immediately began trying to figure out ways to use it for teaching and learning, not just for analyzing data.
At the time, 1978, microcomputers were unique. Ours was one of the first ones available on our college campus, and we began to work with it as a way to address specific educational problems. However, the microcomputer was disdained by many, who were invested in mainframes at the time, and the micro seemed like a silly toy. In our field of teacher education, there was no interest in the use of computers. Of course, this would all change as time passed but in the beginning we thought we could use the micro in ways to benefit children and teachers.
In 1979 we were funded by The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation to examine ways in which we could use the microcomputer to aid K-12 schools. Subsequently, we were funded for four years to develop interactive multimedia courseware in calculus, physics, trigonometry, and chemistry, to be used in rural schools where there were no teachers for these classes. We used the Apple, a CAVRI card, and SONY BETA for the video.... so you know we started a LONG time ago!
Our first approach was to develop software and video tape to teach science and mathematics to students in rural areas in a form that today would rely on videodisc or the Internet and would be called asynchronous learning. We created lessons with 48K Apple computers, Betamax video players, and controlled the system with a card installed in the computer, which enabled the computer to control the video player. Students could see and hear video presentations which were connected to specific problems and activities generated in the software. Remember, this was 20 years ago and long before the development of videodisc or general access to the Internet.
The programs were used in several rural schools with students who were so isolated that qualified teachers were unavailable. Despite the primitive nature of the software, the programs were quite successful. The students succeeded in learning the content of courses such as trigonometry or physics that were otherwise unavailable to them. From that time forward, we have worked on ways to use technology for teaching and learning, moving obviously into what we now call distance education.
With George and another colleague, Anna C. McFadden, I formed emTech Consulting in 1980, when we began to work with technology with an interest in educational applications. Actually, emTech, which stands for emerging technology, was the result of complications in blending our professional interest as professors with technology in a university setting. A number of problems were encountered in the culture of the university and the school community. We were criticized for attempting to replace teachers and most of our colleagues did not accept the notion of using technology in this way. It is curious that these problems still exist in many schools and universities today, even with the significant advances that have been made in the uses of technology. We used to say, "A good idea ahead of its time is a bad idea." Using stand-alone technology for high school instruction 20 years ago was a good idea way ahead of its time, and we paid a personal and professional price for our endeavors.
Because of all of the struggles over the years, it was a real pleasure to join WAOE. For the first time, I felt I was going to be able to connect to others who had pioneered and were continuing to pioneer ( you can tell the pioneers by the arrows in their backs!). It was even more appealing because of the international nature of the group. There has been so much accomplished outside of the USA in the area of distance learning, so it makes sense for all of us to join forces through this organization. Why reinvent the wheel?!!?
I expect to be in contact through WAOE with many who are also dealing with the unknown in terms of "the next technology" and its implications within traditional organizations. This group is an ideal forum for us to share our concerns, our knowledge, our unanswered questions, and our visions. To do so with many other groups, especially within traditional, brick-and-mortar institutions, is a waste of time; you spend all of your time getting them on the same page you are on, so there's no time to truly discuss. That need for professional, in-depth discussion is what drew me to this group.
My current research interests and activities include streaming audio and video. We just bought REAL AUDIO/READ VIDEO and have it on our own Sun server so we will be including streaming video in our fall courses. We are also participating in a conference in Morocco in November using streaming video to extend the impact of the conference to those who cannot attend.
I am looking forward to working within the group as we all struggle not just to meet the present challenges but to also RECOGNIZE THE NEW CHALLENGES COMING AND ANTICIPATE THEM!
For those readers especially interested in online higher education, here are the addresses for some of the online courses Barrie offers for The University of Alabama for my university:
Computer Education: http://www.bamaed.ua.edu/bct400
Integration of Technology in Education and Training: http://www.bamaed.ua.edu/ail600
Technology in the Social Context: http://www.bamaed.ua.edu/ael697
In each issue of WEB a different member introduces him- or herself and talks about experiences and interests in online education and training. Drawing on the information and URLs provided on their registration forms, the WEB Editor is targetting individual members who are doing especially innovative and exciting things in online education with requests to provide a brief profile.
But why wait to be asked? All WEB readers are urged to use the Member’s Profile to help flesh out the person behind the impersonal email address you’re known by in WAOE. We are a member's organisation - reMEMBER!! Just a short piece will do. As well as giving us some background information, we’d like you to tell colleagues why you joined WAOE, what you hope to gain from your involvement, and what you would like to contribute.