#13 Eponymous Hieronymous - Paul H. and How Local DLAs Can Change the Learning Landscape

Show Notes

In this episode, Seth, Allyson, and Tami welcome Paul Hieronymus, chairman of the Ohio Distance Learning Association (OhioDLA). We discuss golden moments, the current state of distance learning in Ohio, and persistent challenges in distance learning that may account for why the medium is not more popular than it is. He explores strategies for engaging non-tech-savvy learners (and teachers), and shares insights on converting more individuals to this educational approach, emphasizing the pivotal role  Ohio DLA plays. The conversation touches on ongoing issues in distance learning, post-pandemic enrollment trends, and the virtual vs. in-person schooling debate. Throughout, Paul masterfully underscores the enduring relevance and importance of distance learning in today's educational landscape.

Paul Hieronymus is in his third year as the chairman of the Ohio Distance Learning Association (OhioDLA). He is one of the founding members of the organization, initially serving on their board when they formalized as a state chapter of USDLA. Paul is the Director of Information,Technology & Integration for the North Ridgeville City Schools. Prior to OhioDLA and North Ridgeville, Paul served as president of ISTE’s Special Interest Group for Interactive Video Distance Learning and as a core volunteer for ISTE’s National Conference, running video operations from 2008-2013. He has been very active with Google Apps for Education and was one of Ohio’s first Google Certified Educators. Since 2004, he has worked with teachers from the US, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia to establish classroom to classroom collaborations.

Relevant links:
1. Laura Tarshis's I Survived Series
2. John Chen's Engaging Virtual Meetings

Get to know more about Ohio DLA here: https://ohiodla.org/

Browse amazing virtual learning opportunities at CILC.org

Seth's Banyan Global Learning provides live virtual learning series in Character Education

Creators and Guests

Host

Allyson Mitchell

SF

Host

Seth Fleischauer

TM

Host

Tami Moehring

What is Why Distance Learning??

Why Distance Learning? is a podcast about the decisions, design choices, and assumptions that determine whether live virtual learning becomes shallow and transactional—or meaningful, relational, and effective at scale.

The show is designed for education leaders, instructional designers, and system-level practitioners responsible for adopting, scaling, and sustaining virtual, hybrid, and online learning models. Each episode examines the structural conditions under which distance learning actually works—and the predictable reasons it fails when it doesn’t.

Through conversations with researchers, experienced practitioners, and field-shaping leaders, Why Distance Learning? translates research, field evidence, and lived experience into decision-relevant insight. Episodes surface real tradeoffs, near-failures, and hard-won lessons, equipping listeners with clear framing and language they can use to explain, defend, or redesign distance learning models in real organizational contexts.

Hosted by Seth Fleischauer of Banyan Global Learning, and Allyson Mitchell and Tami Moehring of the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration, the podcast challenges outdated narratives about distance learning and explores what becomes possible when live virtual education is designed intentionally, human-centered, and grounded in evidence.