Distance Education and Health Education works! What roles and competencies are needed by the Educator?

Distance Education and Health Education works! What Roles and Competencies are needed by the Educator?

Distance Education opens the world to our students – don't be left out! Here are the real Roles and Competencies needed.

Abstract Form

1. Program Objectives: a. The audience will develop an understanding of the many hats a Distance Educator must wear. b. The audience will learn what it really takes to be a teacher that uses Distance Education in public schools. c. The audience will see that expertise in technology is not the most important competencies that teachers need to be successful in Distance Education.

2. Abstract:

Distance Education and Health Education works! What roles and competencies are needed by the Educator?

In the public schools around the country we find that Distance Education is beginning to take a strong hold. In our Health Education classes there are many opportunities to use this medium to bring expertise and experiences that until now have been impossible. It is becoming more and more essential that our High School teachers need to be able to use this medium, but what do they need to know and what do they need to be able to do in order to take advantage of Distance Education technology? You might be surprised!

A select group of high Texas school distance educators were surveyed resulting in significant data regarding what roles and competencies are “really” needed to be a successful distant educator. Most high school Health educators are still teaching students in the old ways due somewhat to the fact that distance education professionals for high school education are not being sufficiently trained for this job. A large number of the people in the field do not yet have the competencies needed. Higher Education take note!

Why do we lack the competencies? Many of our educational institutions have not yet caught up with new educational methodology which uses state of the art technology and distance education processes to teach teachers and trainers to be technologically competent and to use technology in their jobs.

Using a computer mediated Delphi instrument, public school educators were surveyed, results tabulated and reported. Both qualitative and quantitative information was collected. Findings are somewhat surprising. The 10 most important roles are reported matched to competencies needed to be successful. Administrators and health educators alike need to know what roles and competencies are necessary for successful distance educators.