RSA4: Skepticism to Success: Meeting Critical Workforce Needs through Innovation and Collaboration

Resource Online: http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/EJ909884.pdf

In this week’s reading, the overall experience of online learning with meeting course goals and objectives is fostered by having meaningful collaboration communities. Palloff and Pratt state, “The more that participants can relate their life experience and what they already know to the context of the online classroom , the deeper their understanding will be of what they learn” (Palloff and Pratt 2007). The authors suggest that having online learners relate as much of their own experiences and background into the course will provide a more meaningful experience for the student.

New technologies and teaching modalities are shaping the lives of students and instructors in higher educa­tion. One thing is recognized for sure and that is the enrollment of online courses continues to increase among college students as well as high school offerings. With the increased need of online classes, schools must make sure that they have staff that is able to provide an online learning experience that still addresses collaboration among staff and students.

Anderson, Maier, and Shepard identify indicators that students have a sense of community include “active interaction, collaborative learning, socially constructed meaning, sharing of resources, and expressions of support and encouragement” (2006).  Being able to feel that you are still connected to the instructor with an online learning class is most important to keep students motivated and keep students feeling as if someone is still present to help assist when struggling.  

References
Anderson, M.,  Maier,  L., and M. Shepard. Skepticism to Success: Meeting Critical                            Workforce Needs Through Innovation and Collaboration. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 14( 3) 2006.

        

         Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (2007). Building Online Learning Communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom, (2nd ed.). San Franciso: Jossey-Bass.

RSA 3: Beyond Blackboard and into Virtual Communities

Resource Online:http://web.ebscohost.com.cucproxy.cuchicago.edu/ehost/detail?vid=11&hid=7&sid=0b9adbdf-36b4-46c1-a603-cd7b8e38fe76%40sessionmgr15&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWNvb2tpZSxpcCxjcGlkJmN1c3RpZD1zODQxOTIzOSZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmU%3d#db=eric&AN=EJ818962

Building online learning communities that are successful can be designed differently based on the environment given. Two perspectives that I am most familiar to is the blending of online learning communities as a teacher in my classroom using blackboard, as well as a graduate student completing a master’s program through a blending of online learning and face to face meetings within eight week courses. One thing is for sure, that online learning in the last ten years has moved to greater experiences for the student if the online learning community has been developed successfully using best practices and following online learning standards.

Through the experience as a teacher using an online learning community as Blackboard for my students, at this time I am at the early stages of having a successful online learning community. At this point my students are using the online community to receive additional resources to the already given, in class curriculum. As some may say this is practical at this time for students who must attend school on a regular basis, I feel that I need to add some additional applications for my students to become more successful in the real world of day-to-day technology. When speaking as a student in an online learning program I have had a difficult time at the beginning adjusting to the new problem-solving methods I must use when I am not in the classroom to ask questions for clarification. You rely more on yourself as well as the virtual online learning community you are paired up with. Once you are able to navigate your issues with assistance this environment becomes easier and for me the positives are exemplified as to why I choose this program. I am able to learn additional information on technology and I can complete my course work on a semi-individualized time frame.

I am reminded by Palloff and Pratt (2007) the physical, emotional, and psychological issues that come with online learning communities. The one that seems to detect the most hardship among students is social presence. Students at the high school level could be having a difficult time finding themselves in person as well as have a completely different affect to the online learning communities. For some this may show positive ways in which ones that do not feel strong enough to participate or share ideas in the classroom setting will be able to show creativity and excitement through the virtual world. Dr. Meg Benke reminds me that, “there is a generation of kids that already get this immersive chat-based, synchronous pretend environment,” and those kids “are going to be savvy to the point of expecting integration with learning management systems” (Diverse: Issues in Higher Education). This is very important as an educator of high school students; all around us sits this generation of students.

I think the best way at this point to include online learning communities to students in a high school setting is using a blended approach with staff focusing on what is most appropriate for the student to learn through an online learning community. As for college students obtaining credited classes, online learning communities must include teaching to the student that is not sitting in front of you on many different levels. Staff will need to become accountable for still providing a sense of presence online like the classroom in addition to meeting curriculum goals!

References

Cleaver, S. (2008 ). Beyond Blackboard and into Virtual Communities. Diverse: Issues in

Higher Education, 25(18). Retrieved from

http://web.ebscohost.com.cucproxy.cuchicago.edu/ehost/detail?vid=11&hid=7&sid=0b9adbdf-36b4-46c1-a603-cd7b8e38fe76%40sessionmgr15&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWNvb2tpZSxpcCxjcGlkJmN1c3RpZD1zODQxOTIzOSZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmU%3d#db=eric&AN=EJ818962

Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (2007). Building Online Learning Communities: Effective strategies for

the virtual classroom, (2nd ed.). San Franciso: Jossey-Bass.