ИСТИНА

When education ‘adopted’ modern technologies, the most impressive outcome was the creation of Interactive Distance Learning. In DL it is not the learner coming to education but rather education coming to the learner. This existed before in DL. Importantly, the striking feature of DL based on ICT is the immediate and unlimited access to any necessary information and — due to the inherent interactivity — quick (or even immediate) contact with a teacher / tutor. ICT makes teaching and learning at a distance comparable in many respects to traditional F2F education, due to its inherent properties and special didactic principles and the strategies and methods based on them. DL with modern technologies can provide unprecedented access to education for those who for some reason cannot or do not want to have it in more traditional formats. Traditional education can also use technologies, profiting from DL by adapting its principles and approaches and enriching its own learning environment. The addition of an online component to a traditional F2F mode results in Blended Learning, a new format of education. Nonetheless both forms — distance and blended learning — despite having a lot of advantages, are not devoid of problems. What are these problems? How can they be overcome? What is the role of the teacher in a class using technologies? What are the commitments of the learner? How can we teach successfully with technologies? The author of this talk will answer these questions, relying on her experience and knowledge.