Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/56537
Virtual T by Tricia Bisoux oday's immersive virtual learning environments are a far cry from the online learning environments of the past. They have progressed beyond chat rooms and instant messaging—beyond even podcasts and MP3 downloads—to include video streams, wikis, and telepresence. Today's technology has taken at least some of the "distance" out of "distance education," says Tracey Wilen-Daugenti, direc- tor of the Higher Education Practice in the International Business Services Group at Cisco Systems. Since earning her mas- ter's and doctorate in busi- ness administration, Wilen- Daugenti has studied the use of technology in higher education and is now a visiting scholar in e-learning at Stanford University in California. In her recent book .edu: Technology and Learning Environments in Higher Education, Wilen-Daugenti discusses how schools can use technology to create new kinds of learn- ing environments that incorporate greater levels of geographically distributed communication and collaboration. "The lines are blurring between distance learning and face-to- face," she says. "These technologies are solving the problem that distance learning has always had—they're closing the gap between people, creating a sense of presence and community." Solutions Two instructional technologists offer their perspectives on how new technologies will transform the classroom. 40 BizEd MAY/JUNE 2009