The unique this about
the online learning communities is that the learning is more student focus
whereas within a traditional setting the focus of the learning is with the
instructor. In my opinion, the online learning communities is just that it’s a
community of individuals learning with the student, classmates and instructor
all working cohesively to impact the learning outcomes of the student. Why is
this successful? Students have an impact on their learning its not just the
tradition of the instructor telling the student what is to be learn but its
about the how both the instructor and student are learning together within the
inline community.
·
According to Dr. Rena Palloff, the essential elements of online
community include the people, process, purpose and the method. These elements
help create an effective online learning environment where the student has a
sense of responsibility for their learning through the online community. The
key words are “responsibility and accountability” for your learning; this is
how the online community differs from traditional and why the online community
will continue to grow and sustain because the student is apart of the community
and not “ watching from the outside”. Typically within the learning the
environment the instructor guides the learning experience; now as facilitators
we are looking to build a community of learning where all parts are equal
within the online community.
Lastly, the relationships that
are built now within the community are focused on the student and how to
support the student through the online community. And this is why; online
learning is becoming more effective because facilitators are willing to bridge
the learning gap through the use on the online community.
Reference:
Laureate Education, (n.d.). Online
learning communities. [Video webcast].
Trazana,
ReplyDeleteYour post poses emphasis on the online community and how the elements play an important part in the overall construct. What are your thoughts about social presence? Do you find the responsibility of establishing a social presence coming from the instructor or the learner?
Robin B.
Thank you following me! I think social presence is very important because its how the instructor sets the tone for the course. The social presence helps student get comfortable with the online environment because it helps breaks the barriers and misconceptions of online learning. And I think its the responsibility of the instructor and the learner to establish the social presence in the classroom because the instructor could only encourage the learner but its the learner responsibility to be presence in the classroom.
DeleteTrazana
Hi Trazana,
ReplyDeleteYou indicated, “the key words are responsibility and accountability for your learning; this is how the online community differs from traditional communities and why the online community will continue to grow and sustain because the student is a part of the community and not watching from the outside”. This is a great insight! From my perspective the online community meets more of the needs of students since Boettcher & Conrad explain, “rather than wanting to listen to lectures, students want to be doing and creating” (2010). Additionally, each student brings personal and professional experiences to the learning environment and each student may have different perceptions on the concepts learned. When each student is required to impart their learning with classmates and when classmates are required to build upon that learning, and supporting the insights shared with the materials from class, students will learn exponentially more than if students passively attempt to retain information from an instructor in a physical and traditional classroom environment. Boettcher & Conrad indicate, “a well-planned course balances the three dialogues: faculty to learner, learner to learner, and leaner to resources” (2010).
References
Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Thank you for following! I totally agree with you! Honestly, this is why more and more students are choosing online because the instruction format meets their needs. Time, society is all about time and using time efficiently and this is why online instruction has continue to grow and become more successful.
DeleteTrazana
You mentioned that online learning communities are more student-centered, rather than teacher-centered, where as traditional classrooms are the opposite. I believe that many teachers in face-to-face classrooms are moving to more student-centered approaches, as in an online learning environment. Perhaps it works so well in the online learning environment because students in an online environment usually expect to take responsibility for their own learning much more so than in many traditional classrooms.
ReplyDeleteTiffany