OLTD 503 - Online Communications
OLTD Learning Outcome: Engage in building learning communities and communities of practice; and Share engagement strategies and tips
Evidence to support outcome: Exploring Online Communities
Reflection to Support Evidence:
I created this Prezi to show that learning about online course and program development is really a journey that explores not only how we learn, but that learning needs to be centered on relationships. The relational needs that all of us have cannot be overlooked when designing online learning environments. This initial focus in OLTD 503 helped to define some of my thinking around how my personal learning theories are reflected in the ideals of learning in communities.
As I examined my own thinking about how students best learn, my subsequent research led me to feel validated in how many successful approaches to online design reflected that thinking. The major impact on that validity has come from the Community of Inquiry Framework (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer. 1999). In looking at how the relationships between the student, the teacher, and what needs to be learned form a dynamic environment, I could readily make the connections to those learning theories by Kolb (Experiential Learning) and Siemens (Connectivism) that have been foundational in my own teaching development. The Prezi tries to show how the development of best-practice in all learning environments revolves around relationships rather than isolation, and that although students can benefit from asynchronous learning time, this must be balanced with healthy, interactive synchronous learning time.
This particular learning outcome has been instrumental in supporting the notion of communities of learners for me. It has been through the development of a learning community as part of this particular cohort of colleagues, that has reinvigorated my own passion for learning. Further, it has affirmed my belief that online learning cannot, nor should not, be relegated to the world of isolated learning found in many DL schools where students try to learn in digital versions of old fashioned correspondence schools. The only practical way keep people sharing good ideas, good dialogue, and deep thinking, is when they can also receive these same things from their peers. This can only happen in some form of community.
OLTD Learning Outcome:
Undertake engagement with environments through online facilitation for effective learning.
Evidence to support outcome: Building Virtual Communities: A Seminar
Reflection to Support Evidence:
This particular artifact was the result of a major learning activity that I undertook with the help of Thomas D., Kim C., and Maria S. The activity focused our efforts on learning how to facilitate a week-long seminar incorporating asynchronous and synchronous class activities as well as an exploration of the technologies that support each of these aspects. Our whole focus was to look for ways to build a community of learners.
The process we went through to prepare the seminar helped us find ways that allowed us to communicate and work together in a variety of synchronous and asynchronous formats. Our explorations led us to rely quite heavily on Google applications like Docs, Sheets, Hangouts, and G+ Communities. In terms of preparing us to become facilitators of online learning environments, this activity was very successful. The trial and error methods we used helped to underscore the value of risk taking and working in a supportive and non-judgmental atmosphere. The discoveries we made served us well as we presented our week-long seminar to the rest of our cohort. They in turn, found that the fun we had became infectious and we all drew closer together as a community. This was clearly evident in the tremendous participation in our own cohort G+ Community that my group initiated.
This particular learning outcome has become somewhat of a mantra for me as I progress though this whole program. My digital footprint has always been quite small and although I have always incorporated technology into my own teaching, I have always avoided what I say as too non-private. The depth of possibilities that I have discovered through this program continues to amaze me. In taking on the job of building a new virtual school, this particular learning outcome has become top of the list as I encourage my staff, and myself, to explore the tools that will make online learning engaging for both the students, and ourselves. This has definitely led to tremendous growth as a learning community both online and face-to-face.
Evidence to support outcome: Exploring Online Communities
Reflection to Support Evidence:
I created this Prezi to show that learning about online course and program development is really a journey that explores not only how we learn, but that learning needs to be centered on relationships. The relational needs that all of us have cannot be overlooked when designing online learning environments. This initial focus in OLTD 503 helped to define some of my thinking around how my personal learning theories are reflected in the ideals of learning in communities.
As I examined my own thinking about how students best learn, my subsequent research led me to feel validated in how many successful approaches to online design reflected that thinking. The major impact on that validity has come from the Community of Inquiry Framework (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer. 1999). In looking at how the relationships between the student, the teacher, and what needs to be learned form a dynamic environment, I could readily make the connections to those learning theories by Kolb (Experiential Learning) and Siemens (Connectivism) that have been foundational in my own teaching development. The Prezi tries to show how the development of best-practice in all learning environments revolves around relationships rather than isolation, and that although students can benefit from asynchronous learning time, this must be balanced with healthy, interactive synchronous learning time.
This particular learning outcome has been instrumental in supporting the notion of communities of learners for me. It has been through the development of a learning community as part of this particular cohort of colleagues, that has reinvigorated my own passion for learning. Further, it has affirmed my belief that online learning cannot, nor should not, be relegated to the world of isolated learning found in many DL schools where students try to learn in digital versions of old fashioned correspondence schools. The only practical way keep people sharing good ideas, good dialogue, and deep thinking, is when they can also receive these same things from their peers. This can only happen in some form of community.
OLTD Learning Outcome:
Undertake engagement with environments through online facilitation for effective learning.
Evidence to support outcome: Building Virtual Communities: A Seminar
Reflection to Support Evidence:
This particular artifact was the result of a major learning activity that I undertook with the help of Thomas D., Kim C., and Maria S. The activity focused our efforts on learning how to facilitate a week-long seminar incorporating asynchronous and synchronous class activities as well as an exploration of the technologies that support each of these aspects. Our whole focus was to look for ways to build a community of learners.
The process we went through to prepare the seminar helped us find ways that allowed us to communicate and work together in a variety of synchronous and asynchronous formats. Our explorations led us to rely quite heavily on Google applications like Docs, Sheets, Hangouts, and G+ Communities. In terms of preparing us to become facilitators of online learning environments, this activity was very successful. The trial and error methods we used helped to underscore the value of risk taking and working in a supportive and non-judgmental atmosphere. The discoveries we made served us well as we presented our week-long seminar to the rest of our cohort. They in turn, found that the fun we had became infectious and we all drew closer together as a community. This was clearly evident in the tremendous participation in our own cohort G+ Community that my group initiated.
This particular learning outcome has become somewhat of a mantra for me as I progress though this whole program. My digital footprint has always been quite small and although I have always incorporated technology into my own teaching, I have always avoided what I say as too non-private. The depth of possibilities that I have discovered through this program continues to amaze me. In taking on the job of building a new virtual school, this particular learning outcome has become top of the list as I encourage my staff, and myself, to explore the tools that will make online learning engaging for both the students, and ourselves. This has definitely led to tremendous growth as a learning community both online and face-to-face.