Response to "Distant Voices" by Chris M. Anson

As this article was written a few years ago, some of the advancement in technology he predicated has already occurred, like the half inch notebook (Apple’s latest is probably thinner). Likewise, the use of technology in the classrooms of universities has increased. However, I hope the extent to which he promotes the use of technology does not occur in the near future. I feel that decreasing the face-to-face instruction in classrooms would cheat students out of a pertinent part of the learning experience. I remember reading of study that had found watching television burned fewer calories than doing nothing. Apparently, this means less brain activity. I can’t help think there is enough similarity between watching television and viewing historical lectures on a screen as to prove that the activity requires less brain activity and concentration than attending a traditional classroom. In addition, like storytelling, the delivery of information is part of the learning experience. Maybe I’m old fashioned. Does anyone else have similar thoughts? I do agree with the author that a motivator for distance learning is to cut costs and increase profits.