Week 12
Blog # 6
Shelly Wright
What does learning mean? What does it mean if you say that “students have learned”? How do you assess learning outcomes? Respond to this question based your understanding of the readings.
I found several different definitions of learning while surfing the net:
Wikipedia defines Learning as the acquisition and development of memories and behaviors, including skills, knowledge, understanding, values, and wisdom. It is the goal of education, and the product of experience.
Marilyn vos Sanants in “Train Building”, states that learning is what allows us to make sense of the confusing array of stimuli that reach us from every part of our environment, So, essentially learning is what allows us to be who we are, and live the lives that we live.
Probably my most favorite definition and I don’t remember where it came from is:
It is through learning that we are able to define who we are and what we want to accomplish with our lives. If we were unable to learn, then we would be unable to gain anything significant from the experiences that we all have each day. Everything that happens to us on a daily basis would lose all significance if we were unable to learn from it. Every tiny little thing that happens to you in the course of your day is in fact a learning experience, whether you realize it at the time or not.
So, if a student has learned, it means that the student was able to take newfound information and incorporate it into their life. An example would be by taking this class, we have learned that there is much more to creating an online learning environment than just putting a syllabus and lecture notes online, and by taking this knowledge and being able to apply it in “real” life, I feel as if we (I), have learned.
Assessing learning outcomes is more than just a test at the end of a unit. I feel that students need multiple opportunities to demonstrate their learning. Scott Howell, speaks of using a test blueprints to help ensure that the outcomes are in line with the instruction. He speaks of the importance of reconciling test items with learning objectives to ensure accountability.
In a excerpts from Good Teaching is Good Teaching: An Emerging Set of Guiding Principles and Practices for the Design and Development of Distance Education by Lawrence C. Ragan, he states that assessment should be aligned with the learning goals and objectives, and should be utilized as integral parts of the learning environment, both formative and summative opportunities should be provide in order to enable learners to assess their progress, identify areas that need review and revise lesson goals or create immediate learning goals.
Based on your review and synthesis of the readings, what does “quality” of online learning mean to you? Please backup your statement with references.
Quality of online learning means different things to different people, but basically includes aspects of learning effectiveness, student and faculty satisfaction, as well as cost effectiveness and access. Others aspects of quality include course structure, teaching and learning and support from your institution. I personally think that quality of online learning means that the student is able to comprehend and apply the material that was taught. To me this means that the instructor and the teaching theories are the most important part of online learning.
In reading Quality On the Line, Benchmarks for success in Internet-Based Distance Education, which was prepared by The Institute for Higher Education Policy states that there are several benchmarks that are essential to the success of an Internet-Based education program: These benchmarks can also be considered quality measures.
Institutional Support Benchmarks: including electronic security measures, reliable technology delivery system is as failsafe as possible, and a centralized system provides support for building and maintain the distance education infrastructure.
Course Development Benchmarks: guidelines regarding minimum standards are used for course development, design and delivery, while leaning outcomes determine the technology being used to deliver course content, instructional materials are reviewed periodically to ensure they meet program standards, and courses are designed to require students to engage themselves in analysis, synthesis, and evaluation as part of their course and program requirements.
Teaching/learning Benchmarks: students have interaction with faculty and other students, and it is facilitated through a variety of ways, feedback to assignments and questions is constructive and provided in a timely manner, and students are instructed in the proper methods of effective research, including assessment of the validity of resources.
Course Structure Benchmarks: Students are instructed regarding the minimal technology required by the course design, they are provided with supplemental course information, they have access to sufficient library resources, and faculty and students agree upon expectations regarding times for student assignment completion and faculty response.
Student Support Benchmarks: Students are provided with hands-on training and information to aid them is securing material through electronic databases, etc., throughout the course, and their questions are answered accurately and quickly, as well as have a structure in place to address student complaints.
Faculty Support Benchmarks: Faculty members are assisted in the transition from classroom teaching to online instruction, they have proper training and assistance, including peer mentoring, and are provided with written resources to deal with issues arising from student use of electronically-accessed data.
Based on your review and synthesis of the readings and discussions this semester, brainstorm a conceptual framework to evaluate the quality of an online learning community. What dimensions and factors would you consider?
I agree with the Quality Matters Rubric Standards that came from the Quality matters website. They have a rubric stands with assigned point values that address all of the quality features of on online learning environment. They cover the following areas, course overview and introduction, learning objectives, assessment and measurements, resources and materials, learner engagement, course technology, learner support and accessibility.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Week 9, Blog #5
What is the role of learning theories and instructional designing principles? And what is the role of technology in online learning? What are the interrelationships of learning theories, instructional design and technology?
Mohamed Ally, in Ch. 5, Foundations of Educational Theory for On-line Learning state that both the instructional design principles and the learning theories are very important in on-line learning. He states that the “goal of any instructional system is to promote learning.” In order to be able to develop a sound instructional design, you must understand different learning theories. He also goes on to say it is not the delivery medium, the technology that is the determining factor in the quality of learning but it is the design of the course that determines the effectiveness of the learning.
The role of learning theories is the backbone of instructional design principles. The design can include more than one learning theory and is probably better if it does. Ally, quotes from Ertmer and Newby and suggest that the following three schools of thought can be used together for a better learning design. Behaviorist strategies can be used to teach the “what” facts, cognitive strategies can be used to teach the “how” (processes and principles), and constructivist strategies can be used to teach the “why” ( higher level thinking that promotes personal meaning and situated and contextual learning.
The role of technology in learning is in the assistance of accessing learning materials, promoting interaction with content, instructor and other learners, and helps with obtaining support during the learning process. I do think that in order for technology to be effective, it should be guided and driven by learning theories. In a nursing article, Benchmarking Best Practices in Web-Based Nursing Courses, the authors, Billings, Connors, and Skiba state that “We much accept the fact that technology alone, no matter how futuristic or exciting, does not automatically improve the learning process.” They go on to state, that “In order to be successful, the focus must be on the teaching and learning and not on the technology.” If this course has taught me nothing else, it is that. Technology is great but without sound learning paradigms and instructional design principles it does nothing to enhance learning and education.
The following is a concept map that hopes to illustrate the interrelationships of learning theories, instructional design, and technology.
Discuss the role of interaction in online learning from the perspective of learning communities and constructivist paradigm.
Mohamed Ally, in Ch. 2, state that the value of another’s person’s perspective, usually gained through interaction is a key learning component in constructivist learning theories.
Interactions that are talked about include:
Student-Student interaction is important in a constructivist theory, working on collaborative projects leads to gains in cognitive learning and increases completion rates and acquisition of social skills. He also points out the student to student interaction is critical to the development of communities of learning, and help develop interpersonal skills.
Student – Teacher Interaction is accomplished in online learning a lot of different ways, examples include asynchronous and synchronous communication, using text, audio, and video
Student – Content Interaction: Online learning supports more student content interaction and provides new opportunities. Examples: exercises in virtual labs, immersion in microenvironments.
Teacher – teacher Interactions: creates the opportunity for professional development and support from other professional. Encourages teachers to take advantage of knowledge growth.
Teacher-Content Interaction: focuses on the creation of content and learning activities by teachers. Allows teachers to monitor and update the content resources and activities.
Content-Content Interactions: New mode of educational interaction in which the content interacts with automated information sources, and it refreshes its self constantly.
The chapter goes on to say that in order to have deep and meaningful learning you must have at least one of the three forms of interaction:
Student – Teacher, Student – Student, or Student – Content
What is the role of learning theories and instructional designing principles? And what is the role of technology in online learning? What are the interrelationships of learning theories, instructional design and technology?
Mohamed Ally, in Ch. 5, Foundations of Educational Theory for On-line Learning state that both the instructional design principles and the learning theories are very important in on-line learning. He states that the “goal of any instructional system is to promote learning.” In order to be able to develop a sound instructional design, you must understand different learning theories. He also goes on to say it is not the delivery medium, the technology that is the determining factor in the quality of learning but it is the design of the course that determines the effectiveness of the learning.
The role of learning theories is the backbone of instructional design principles. The design can include more than one learning theory and is probably better if it does. Ally, quotes from Ertmer and Newby and suggest that the following three schools of thought can be used together for a better learning design. Behaviorist strategies can be used to teach the “what” facts, cognitive strategies can be used to teach the “how” (processes and principles), and constructivist strategies can be used to teach the “why” ( higher level thinking that promotes personal meaning and situated and contextual learning.
The role of technology in learning is in the assistance of accessing learning materials, promoting interaction with content, instructor and other learners, and helps with obtaining support during the learning process. I do think that in order for technology to be effective, it should be guided and driven by learning theories. In a nursing article, Benchmarking Best Practices in Web-Based Nursing Courses, the authors, Billings, Connors, and Skiba state that “We much accept the fact that technology alone, no matter how futuristic or exciting, does not automatically improve the learning process.” They go on to state, that “In order to be successful, the focus must be on the teaching and learning and not on the technology.” If this course has taught me nothing else, it is that. Technology is great but without sound learning paradigms and instructional design principles it does nothing to enhance learning and education.
The following is a concept map that hopes to illustrate the interrelationships of learning theories, instructional design, and technology.
Discuss the role of interaction in online learning from the perspective of learning communities and constructivist paradigm.
Mohamed Ally, in Ch. 2, state that the value of another’s person’s perspective, usually gained through interaction is a key learning component in constructivist learning theories.
Interactions that are talked about include:
Student-Student interaction is important in a constructivist theory, working on collaborative projects leads to gains in cognitive learning and increases completion rates and acquisition of social skills. He also points out the student to student interaction is critical to the development of communities of learning, and help develop interpersonal skills.
Student – Teacher Interaction is accomplished in online learning a lot of different ways, examples include asynchronous and synchronous communication, using text, audio, and video
Student – Content Interaction: Online learning supports more student content interaction and provides new opportunities. Examples: exercises in virtual labs, immersion in microenvironments.
Teacher – teacher Interactions: creates the opportunity for professional development and support from other professional. Encourages teachers to take advantage of knowledge growth.
Teacher-Content Interaction: focuses on the creation of content and learning activities by teachers. Allows teachers to monitor and update the content resources and activities.
Content-Content Interactions: New mode of educational interaction in which the content interacts with automated information sources, and it refreshes its self constantly.
The chapter goes on to say that in order to have deep and meaningful learning you must have at least one of the three forms of interaction:
Student – Teacher, Student – Student, or Student – Content
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Blog # 4, Week 7
In summary of last weeks chat I felt that we are all understanding the importance of the design of our learning courses. I feel that we are all starting to understand the difference between the positivist and the constructivist paradigms, and it seems that we all lean toward the constructivist. We covered the difference between an instructor/facilitator and the actual designer. Dr. Ge stated that even as instructors we could learn to design a great class. We discussed the importance for the instructor to be a good coach, esp. in the constructivist paradigm and the importance of evaluating the learner’s ability. We got off course a little but can say that even that was very helpful. Dr. Ge assisted the students in discussing the class project and I believe we have a little better understanding of what will be expected of us. Overall I felt that it was well worth the hour or so we spent online.
As far as what I have learned so far, it is amazing. I never knew so much went into designing a successful online course. It gives new meanings to the things that I have had to do in past online courses, they were not just things to keep the learner busy, and they were designed to promote interaction and deeper learning. I am by history a student that can chew things up and spit them out in order to receive a good grade, this class has made me stop and think about the way I have learned in the past and has also caused me to really think about the way I plan to teach in the future. I have learned the difference between a community and an online community. Both are groups of people that interact to build knowledge learn and shape their respective community, but the virtual community’s area dispersed geographical and interact using the Internet. I learned that the importance of building and designing a virtual community that is successful is not always an easy task. It requires communication between the learners and the leaders, knowing your audience, having specific goals and objectives that is communicated to the members, leadership is very important as well as interface design, the class must be user friendly and technical support must be available. I have determined the difference between content and context. I think the thing that has surprised me the most about the things I have learned through this course is the difference in the paradigms of teaching and learning. The constructivist and the positivist differ in many ways, but what I think is the main difference is the delivery of information. In a constructivist paradigm the instructor’s role is to develop strategies which will support the students understanding, as well as the learners role is to construct meaning from the information. The constructivist calls for assignments that require problem solving and critical thinking, not just memory or reproduction. I have also learned the difference between virtual and reasoning space, and the importance of the instructor or designer to engage learners in activities that use analysis, debate, criticism, and by using discussions, and team projects. I have also learned a whole new vocabulary throughout this course.
I have learned through my readings the importance of social interaction, in making a successful online class. Social interaction includes: involving dialogue, discussion and sharing of ideas in a way that constructs learning as a social process. By creating a safe environment students will overcome shyness, and begin sharing their ideas with others in the course, it is important for the instructor to value students and the little contributions that they make and affirm them as a person. It is also important for lectures to be carefully thought through their planning for learning. The readings all seem to point to a constructivist paradigm, from story telling, to allowing students to be in charge of their own lecture. The common themes include involving the students in communication, whether it is, discussion boards, online chats, or web blogs. They also stress the importance of the instructor being skilled in promoting the discussion and debate.
As far as what I have learned so far, it is amazing. I never knew so much went into designing a successful online course. It gives new meanings to the things that I have had to do in past online courses, they were not just things to keep the learner busy, and they were designed to promote interaction and deeper learning. I am by history a student that can chew things up and spit them out in order to receive a good grade, this class has made me stop and think about the way I have learned in the past and has also caused me to really think about the way I plan to teach in the future. I have learned the difference between a community and an online community. Both are groups of people that interact to build knowledge learn and shape their respective community, but the virtual community’s area dispersed geographical and interact using the Internet. I learned that the importance of building and designing a virtual community that is successful is not always an easy task. It requires communication between the learners and the leaders, knowing your audience, having specific goals and objectives that is communicated to the members, leadership is very important as well as interface design, the class must be user friendly and technical support must be available. I have determined the difference between content and context. I think the thing that has surprised me the most about the things I have learned through this course is the difference in the paradigms of teaching and learning. The constructivist and the positivist differ in many ways, but what I think is the main difference is the delivery of information. In a constructivist paradigm the instructor’s role is to develop strategies which will support the students understanding, as well as the learners role is to construct meaning from the information. The constructivist calls for assignments that require problem solving and critical thinking, not just memory or reproduction. I have also learned the difference between virtual and reasoning space, and the importance of the instructor or designer to engage learners in activities that use analysis, debate, criticism, and by using discussions, and team projects. I have also learned a whole new vocabulary throughout this course.
I have learned through my readings the importance of social interaction, in making a successful online class. Social interaction includes: involving dialogue, discussion and sharing of ideas in a way that constructs learning as a social process. By creating a safe environment students will overcome shyness, and begin sharing their ideas with others in the course, it is important for the instructor to value students and the little contributions that they make and affirm them as a person. It is also important for lectures to be carefully thought through their planning for learning. The readings all seem to point to a constructivist paradigm, from story telling, to allowing students to be in charge of their own lecture. The common themes include involving the students in communication, whether it is, discussion boards, online chats, or web blogs. They also stress the importance of the instructor being skilled in promoting the discussion and debate.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Blog #3, Week 5
I hope the old saying that goes, “better late, than never” will apply here, between some technical difficult with my internet connection and some family health problems I am very late with this blog. Please forgive me.
Question 1
One way to facilitate successful online collaborative learning is to consider the type and complexity of the task and to develop appropriate guidance and strategies. How would you go about doing this?
First you must decide which types of tasks the students are taking on.
If you are trying to provide guidelines for online discussions, the instructor must prompt the students to ask questions, provide explanations, make clarifications, and negotiate meanings, share experience, make inferences, and justifications. By doing this you will prompt students to think critically and direct attentions to important issues. It also encourages active interactions. I feel that through this class this is done both by the weekly discussions and the blogging. I will admit it is much more difficult to try and think of thought provoking questions myself.
If your goal is to provide guidelines for problem-solving tasks you must guide students to engage in cognitive processes such as representing the problem, developing solutions, constructing arguments, and monitoring and evaluations. An example that I have been involved in another class, is the making of teaching guides for the Ayore’ Indians from Bolivia, the instructor presented the class with a problem and we as a class, divided ourselves up into different sections and attacked the problem. We have all posted by way of message board and have collaborated together even though we have never seen each other face to face.
If your goal is guidelines for decisions-making tasks, you should direct students’ interactions in areas of negotiation meaning, reaching consensus, and making justifications.
Question 2
Chapter 10, talks about the Internet being built around key technology design features. What are these, what do they do and what types of approaches will be popular and meaningful for students?
Key technology design features include robustness, decentralization, and open communication. Robustness means that the internet was designed and distributed that could survive attack, failure, or sabotage of any particular part and still function as a meaningful communication system. IT also means that you have the ability to communicate from different locations, using different devices. In terms of decentralization, it means that there are many different connections with no single one being more important than any other. I find this very interesting in the fact that if one system is down, then the information will just find another route. The fact that the internet is an open system means that no one owns or controls it. I had never thought of who owns the internet before, I thought it profound when the author compared the internet to a living organism. Open communication means that the internet is open to the flow of material.
I agree with the author of this chapter in the fact he states that e-learning should always be constructivist in approach. I believe that learning is a collaborative event and should be shared between the instructor, student and peers.
Question 1
One way to facilitate successful online collaborative learning is to consider the type and complexity of the task and to develop appropriate guidance and strategies. How would you go about doing this?
First you must decide which types of tasks the students are taking on.
If you are trying to provide guidelines for online discussions, the instructor must prompt the students to ask questions, provide explanations, make clarifications, and negotiate meanings, share experience, make inferences, and justifications. By doing this you will prompt students to think critically and direct attentions to important issues. It also encourages active interactions. I feel that through this class this is done both by the weekly discussions and the blogging. I will admit it is much more difficult to try and think of thought provoking questions myself.
If your goal is to provide guidelines for problem-solving tasks you must guide students to engage in cognitive processes such as representing the problem, developing solutions, constructing arguments, and monitoring and evaluations. An example that I have been involved in another class, is the making of teaching guides for the Ayore’ Indians from Bolivia, the instructor presented the class with a problem and we as a class, divided ourselves up into different sections and attacked the problem. We have all posted by way of message board and have collaborated together even though we have never seen each other face to face.
If your goal is guidelines for decisions-making tasks, you should direct students’ interactions in areas of negotiation meaning, reaching consensus, and making justifications.
Question 2
Chapter 10, talks about the Internet being built around key technology design features. What are these, what do they do and what types of approaches will be popular and meaningful for students?
Key technology design features include robustness, decentralization, and open communication. Robustness means that the internet was designed and distributed that could survive attack, failure, or sabotage of any particular part and still function as a meaningful communication system. IT also means that you have the ability to communicate from different locations, using different devices. In terms of decentralization, it means that there are many different connections with no single one being more important than any other. I find this very interesting in the fact that if one system is down, then the information will just find another route. The fact that the internet is an open system means that no one owns or controls it. I had never thought of who owns the internet before, I thought it profound when the author compared the internet to a living organism. Open communication means that the internet is open to the flow of material.
I agree with the author of this chapter in the fact he states that e-learning should always be constructivist in approach. I believe that learning is a collaborative event and should be shared between the instructor, student and peers.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Reflections of Week 3
Chapter 9, Why would members rather listen to the experience (or so-called evidence) from non-professionals than the professionals? How did these people view credibility? What are the possibilities for learning and change in this case study?
I was intrigued with the thoughts about “end of tradition”, the fact that we as a society have lost faith in figures such as doctors, fathers, teachers and scientist. As a nurse I can say that I am not surprised by the above fact; I think there are many reasons for our loss of faith. Going to the physician in today’s world consist of waiting for sometimes more than 2 hours to see the Dr., once you do see him he spends maybe 5-10 minutes with you, hands you a prescription, that he may or may not explain and says see you back in 2 weeks. In today’s world of malpractice insurance and the high overhead for the physician, practicing medicine consist of a drive through mentality. I believe that today’s lay person, has many more resources at his hand, the internet being number one. Say you go to the Dr. and he tells you to loose 20 ponds before you come back. You ask him for some pointers and he answers you well you just need to eat salads. If you are like me that is just not going to cut it. You get home and go online and find many chat rooms, or support groups with specific ways to loose weight, you are able to interact with others who are experiencing your same problem. You can share ideas and get support, much like face to face support groups but in the privacy of your own home. I am a Diabetic Educator, and teach patients about their diabetes, but I myself do not have diabetes. I think that if a patient can relate to another who has had the same experiences they have, it will make the self-management much more meaningful.
I think that one of the concerns about all this self-help is credibility. There is just as much bad advice as there is good advice in the World Wide Web. It is up to the consumers to do their own research before one makes up their mind whether to trust information or not. I liked the ideas from Burrows and Nettleton, that although people are better informed, it doesn’t mean that they are any more able to make the choices that they must make.
I believe that we are able to learn and teach in these case studies, but we must give the learners choices, we must present them with the facts, and the potential side effects. I believe that by having support groups that are maybe ran by a person with expert knowledge, they would be able to guide, inform and rebuke false information. I believe that the facilitator should be open to new ideas and explore the ideas with the group.
Chapter10-12 and Riel & Polin. How are the online communities structured and how was the technology designed to facilitate community activities, knowledge building, and learning and change? What are the implications for your design and delivery of the course, if you are the instructional designer, trainers or an instructor?
Chapter 11 in our readings for this week covered four different virtual communities. It dealt with the ways that members of a community encounter, engage, master, use, and transform the knowledge-in-use in the community. It reiterated our readings from last week and the fact that a community has certain purposes and is organized in specific ways to accomplish the expectations or tasks. The chapter covered four examples of on-line community using diverse examples. Each of the different communities was structured in a different way and used different technology to facilitate community activities. The Kindred Spirits (KS) looked for a cultural situation which they identified with the works and life of Lucy Maud Montgomery (LMM); the founders were looking to create a space in a social environment reflecting the world LMM wrote about. KS is an example of a virtual community that was formed with a purpose, its fonder was knowledgeable about the technology, but with the expansion he lost control of the site. It is an example of a community that began with one purpose, but that evolved and changed or time, leading to a splintering off of the original members into other forums. I believe that if I were to design a course, first of all I would enlist help in the technology part; I would also consider the reason for the course, what are the needs of the users. I would make it an easy to follow format, with lots of prompts and help hints. I would try and design the course in a way that novices could negotiate the site without much technical difficulty. My personal experience from last semester showed that there is a whole different learning curve with on-line education and community. Not only did I have to get used to being a student after 10 years, but I had to acquire a new technical skill.
I was intrigued with the thoughts about “end of tradition”, the fact that we as a society have lost faith in figures such as doctors, fathers, teachers and scientist. As a nurse I can say that I am not surprised by the above fact; I think there are many reasons for our loss of faith. Going to the physician in today’s world consist of waiting for sometimes more than 2 hours to see the Dr., once you do see him he spends maybe 5-10 minutes with you, hands you a prescription, that he may or may not explain and says see you back in 2 weeks. In today’s world of malpractice insurance and the high overhead for the physician, practicing medicine consist of a drive through mentality. I believe that today’s lay person, has many more resources at his hand, the internet being number one. Say you go to the Dr. and he tells you to loose 20 ponds before you come back. You ask him for some pointers and he answers you well you just need to eat salads. If you are like me that is just not going to cut it. You get home and go online and find many chat rooms, or support groups with specific ways to loose weight, you are able to interact with others who are experiencing your same problem. You can share ideas and get support, much like face to face support groups but in the privacy of your own home. I am a Diabetic Educator, and teach patients about their diabetes, but I myself do not have diabetes. I think that if a patient can relate to another who has had the same experiences they have, it will make the self-management much more meaningful.
I think that one of the concerns about all this self-help is credibility. There is just as much bad advice as there is good advice in the World Wide Web. It is up to the consumers to do their own research before one makes up their mind whether to trust information or not. I liked the ideas from Burrows and Nettleton, that although people are better informed, it doesn’t mean that they are any more able to make the choices that they must make.
I believe that we are able to learn and teach in these case studies, but we must give the learners choices, we must present them with the facts, and the potential side effects. I believe that by having support groups that are maybe ran by a person with expert knowledge, they would be able to guide, inform and rebuke false information. I believe that the facilitator should be open to new ideas and explore the ideas with the group.
Chapter10-12 and Riel & Polin. How are the online communities structured and how was the technology designed to facilitate community activities, knowledge building, and learning and change? What are the implications for your design and delivery of the course, if you are the instructional designer, trainers or an instructor?
Chapter 11 in our readings for this week covered four different virtual communities. It dealt with the ways that members of a community encounter, engage, master, use, and transform the knowledge-in-use in the community. It reiterated our readings from last week and the fact that a community has certain purposes and is organized in specific ways to accomplish the expectations or tasks. The chapter covered four examples of on-line community using diverse examples. Each of the different communities was structured in a different way and used different technology to facilitate community activities. The Kindred Spirits (KS) looked for a cultural situation which they identified with the works and life of Lucy Maud Montgomery (LMM); the founders were looking to create a space in a social environment reflecting the world LMM wrote about. KS is an example of a virtual community that was formed with a purpose, its fonder was knowledgeable about the technology, but with the expansion he lost control of the site. It is an example of a community that began with one purpose, but that evolved and changed or time, leading to a splintering off of the original members into other forums. I believe that if I were to design a course, first of all I would enlist help in the technology part; I would also consider the reason for the course, what are the needs of the users. I would make it an easy to follow format, with lots of prompts and help hints. I would try and design the course in a way that novices could negotiate the site without much technical difficulty. My personal experience from last semester showed that there is a whole different learning curve with on-line education and community. Not only did I have to get used to being a student after 10 years, but I had to acquire a new technical skill.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Week 1 Communities
What is a community (How is it defined)? What is a virtual /online community? What bring people together and what motivate them to stay together as members of a community? Cite examples from the recent issues of the Time magazine and/or from your personal experience with a real or virtual community you belong to and discuss the concept of a community.
A community can be defined many ways, it can be defined as a group of people who hold something in common, who share a common sense of identify, they share concerns, resources, quality of life, help and so forth. A virtual/online community is also defined as a group of people who have something in common, but without the constraints of the physical, they do not need a defined physical space, such as a city or town. Virtual communities may be considered more flexible, individuals can make their own, or join their own personal communities. I believe what motivates people to stay together as members of a community is the fact that they have a need being meet. It may be a need for shelter, or a need for education. Online it may just be a need for entertainment or companionship. An example that I have recently been involved in is the community of on-line learning. I feel that I have come to know many of my fellow students, even though I have not had a face to face meeting with them. While I was reading on-line bio's the other night, my husband commented that, " In a real class you don't know that much about each other."
How are the real community and the virtual community similar and different at the same time? How do the emerging technologies, specifically the Internet, “alter our sense of boundaries, participation, and identity” of a community (p. 14, Shummar & Renniger)? For some of you who took my EIPT 5533 course last semester, you should be familiar with Pea’s article to answer this question: “Does the virtual community augment people’s thinking, reform their thinking, or do the both? Why?
Real communities and virtual communities are similar in the fact that a need is being met, and people have things in common. In a real community people are joined together, because of where they live or what they do. I am part of the soccer mom community, because I have children that play sports and I am there to support them. During each sport I will become a member of that sport, it may have a diff rent set of people or the same people depending on which child is playing what sport. Whereas in a virtual community I choose where to belong, because of one of my interest, whether it be on-line education or something like my-space or face book. The virtual comm unties differ in the fact that I can stay in Durant and still have a teacher from Ohio, I do not have to be in close physical contact. I do think that the main differences between virtual and real is the boundaries and the possibility of false identities. It is really easy to pretend you are someone you are not if the people in the virtual communities don't know who you are. We warn our children over and over again not to trust strangers in real life, but we must also worry that the person on the other end of the my-space or the WOW is really the person they say they are. I think that people do feel more free to type or write something than to say it. I think that can be good and times and bad at others. I have known of teens to get kicked off the cheer leading squad due to what they wrote in my-space.
From your own experience or other people’s experience of an online community, do you think people learn and construct knowledge by participating in the community? If so, what are the implications of a virtual community for learning and change?
My own experience of an online community is rather limited. I base my knowledge of online communities from that of on-line educational opportunities from a college that I could not physically attend due to distance problems. So I do think people are able to learn and construct knowledge by participation in an online community. I feel very fortunate to be able to complete my masters program online and feel that on-line educational opportunities will only continue to get better.
A community can be defined many ways, it can be defined as a group of people who hold something in common, who share a common sense of identify, they share concerns, resources, quality of life, help and so forth. A virtual/online community is also defined as a group of people who have something in common, but without the constraints of the physical, they do not need a defined physical space, such as a city or town. Virtual communities may be considered more flexible, individuals can make their own, or join their own personal communities. I believe what motivates people to stay together as members of a community is the fact that they have a need being meet. It may be a need for shelter, or a need for education. Online it may just be a need for entertainment or companionship. An example that I have recently been involved in is the community of on-line learning. I feel that I have come to know many of my fellow students, even though I have not had a face to face meeting with them. While I was reading on-line bio's the other night, my husband commented that, " In a real class you don't know that much about each other."
How are the real community and the virtual community similar and different at the same time? How do the emerging technologies, specifically the Internet, “alter our sense of boundaries, participation, and identity” of a community (p. 14, Shummar & Renniger)? For some of you who took my EIPT 5533 course last semester, you should be familiar with Pea’s article to answer this question: “Does the virtual community augment people’s thinking, reform their thinking, or do the both? Why?
Real communities and virtual communities are similar in the fact that a need is being met, and people have things in common. In a real community people are joined together, because of where they live or what they do. I am part of the soccer mom community, because I have children that play sports and I am there to support them. During each sport I will become a member of that sport, it may have a diff rent set of people or the same people depending on which child is playing what sport. Whereas in a virtual community I choose where to belong, because of one of my interest, whether it be on-line education or something like my-space or face book. The virtual comm unties differ in the fact that I can stay in Durant and still have a teacher from Ohio, I do not have to be in close physical contact. I do think that the main differences between virtual and real is the boundaries and the possibility of false identities. It is really easy to pretend you are someone you are not if the people in the virtual communities don't know who you are. We warn our children over and over again not to trust strangers in real life, but we must also worry that the person on the other end of the my-space or the WOW is really the person they say they are. I think that people do feel more free to type or write something than to say it. I think that can be good and times and bad at others. I have known of teens to get kicked off the cheer leading squad due to what they wrote in my-space.
From your own experience or other people’s experience of an online community, do you think people learn and construct knowledge by participating in the community? If so, what are the implications of a virtual community for learning and change?
My own experience of an online community is rather limited. I base my knowledge of online communities from that of on-line educational opportunities from a college that I could not physically attend due to distance problems. So I do think people are able to learn and construct knowledge by participation in an online community. I feel very fortunate to be able to complete my masters program online and feel that on-line educational opportunities will only continue to get better.
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