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.
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