De la educación a distancia a la educación virtual, by Lorenzo García Aretio (coord.)

Abstract

This book, written by García Aretio, Ruiz Corbella and Domínguez Figaredo, provides a clear insight into distance education within the context of the Internet. The line of argument focuses on the idea that distance education in no way excludes the traditional classroom, although this does not mean that both levels have similar logics. The communication channels and resources that have been the cornerstone of distance education from the very beginning took the space-time separation for granted, whereby interaction between the principal agents was extremely limited. Hence, non-presential methodologies were considered by many to be a second-rate form of education. Physical separation does not necessarily imply a functional disassociation when the framework of operation is transferred to cyberspace. Virtual education can thus occur anywhere and at anytime without specific or enclosed venues, and without the temporal and geographic aspects becoming an obstacle: a concept that is present throughout the entire book.