Building an Electronic Community

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Education put together a National Technology Plan titled Transforming American Education Learning Powered by Technology (2010) with a list of goals, rationales and plans to reach each goal. Each goal was established to aide school districts, teachers and parents to increase the use of technology in education and to develop 21^st Century skills in students in grades Kindergarten through 12^th Grade. One goal is that “All learners will have engaging and empowering learning experiences both in and out of school that prepare them to be active, creative, knowledgeable, and ethical participants in our globally networked society” (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology, 2010, p. 9).  Recently, the website Mind Shift published an article that listed 21 things we currently see in education but are predicted to be obsolete by 2020 (Barseghian, 2011). Many of these predictions relate to the use of technology, including more computers or mobile technology, homework and student learning happening 24/7, and the physical change in where learning happens. The role of educators is changing and the way we engage our students in learning needs to change as well. Providing authentic learning opportunities within the classroom and by engaging our students outside of the classroom we can provide them with the skills to expand their learning in a more meaningful manner.

While face-to-face classroom teachers can physically observe student engagement and active involvement in learning, online instructors have more limitations and must evaluate student engagement in a different manner. Online instructors need to be prepared to teach an effective course that encourages students to become self-motivated learners who collaborate with others while developing 21^st Century skills. Palloff and Pratt (2005) state that online instructors must “continuously search for ways to improve student-to-student interaction in their courses, to create more personal and relevant learning experiences, and to promote the development of active and engaged learners” (p. 4). While face-to-face learning is often delivered by lecture, demonstration, and the incorporation of some forms of technology, online learning is delivered through the Internet using Course Management Systems (CMS), video and audio files, electronic textbooks and course readings, and synchronous and asynchronous discussions. While face-to-face learning is more about teacher and student interactions and the interactions between the students and the course materials, online learning is more about the interaction between the students and between the students and instructor than the lecture, video, audio, or required readings.

It is vital to the success of the online student that the instructor designs activities that support the online learning community, which provides for more engaged students (Draves, 2007). Collaborative and interactive activities, including the use of online synchronous and asynchronous discussions, help to creative an active learning environment.  According to Palloff and Pratt (2005) involvement in a collaborative activity during an online course can provide multiple benefits to the student and their learning. Palloff and Pratt (2005) state

The more we engage our students in a process of ongoing evaluation of their own performance, the more meaningful the online course will be to them. The more we engage them in working with one another in both collaborative activity and collaborative assessment, the more likely they are to engage in a learning community that will sustain them beyond the end of the course. The more meaningful the course, the more likely it is that they will become empowered and lifelong learners. (p. 53)

Palloff and Pratt (2007) suggest that activities that support collaboration also provide “students with a deeper understanding of the subject they are studying, allow them to develop greater facility with online research, and create connections that can serve them long after a course ends” (p. 180).

Collaboration in an online environment encourages the idea of establishing student presence and participation and is a central theme found in texts related to online learning. Draves (2007) describes education as a two-way street “with the learners contributing ideas and experience, learning from each other, and sharing” (p. 103). Palloff and Pratt (2005) discuss the importance of collaboration in both online and face-to-face classes because it promotes the following:

• Development of critical thinking skills
• Co-creation of knowledge and meaning
• Reflection
• Transforming learning (p. 4)

The four skills described by Palloff and Pratt (2005) are similar to Marian University’s School of Education’s five themes identified in the Conceptual Framework. These five themes include: Values and Ethics, Knowledge, Reflection, Collaboration, and Accountability (Marian University, 2011).  The School of Education defines collaboration “as a process of working with diverse groups, utilizing effective communication to address current issues and practices” (Marian University, 2011, para. 6). When writing activities, assignments and discussion forums used in the Educational Technology courses, instructors are required to include a description of the relationship between the activity and the conceptual framework.

Online instructors need to establish a learning environment that encourages collaboration, interaction, self-reflection and the desire to be life-long learners.  Draves (2007) states, “[that] by creating a learning community you enhance the learning of all your participants” (p. 131).  He continues to justify establishing a community early stating “the creation of the learning community takes place from the student’s first contact with the course at registration to about the second week of the course” (p. 133). Draves (2007) encourages the online instructor to “build the foundations of [the] learning community” beginning at least two weeks prior to the start of an online course and continuing through the second week of the course (p. 133). Palloff and Pratt (2007) discuss the students’ need for human contact even in an online course. They shared a story of a student who dropped out of class because she felt as if she was not being acknowledged. In the Educational Technology courses students are encouraged to post a picture so that the instructor and other students in the class are able to “see” whom they are talking to online. The last line of the directions to discussion forums used in the Educational Technology program often reads “make sure to reply to at least two peers every week, but try not to leave anyone out of the discussion.” This way, students can begin to develop an online relationship, feel welcome and a part of the online community. Acknowledging each other and providing feedback even as simple as “what a wonderful activity to do with your family” can provide a basis for connection and trust in an online classroom. “Online discussions are a social process and the development of mutual trust between group members is essential. […] Although face-to-face meetings may be impossible, the initial development of the learners into a social group is still important” (Sanders, 2006, p. 591).

Ideas that must be considered when planning activities and choosing the technology to use include: social presence, community, coalescence and belonging.  Palloff and Pratt (2007) describe social presence as the way a student personally addresses their peers, including the use of acknowledgement, expression of feelings, the use of humor, use of emoticons, and even the use of colors, fonts, and symbols to express themselves in the online environment.  While the idea of community is very broad, in an online environment it is described as the virtual environment created by the individual student and is a result of their own social presence (Palloff and Pratt, 2007). The virtual space in which the course occurs is also part of the online community and just as the face-to-face classroom environment has rules and expectations, so must the online classroom. Palloff and Pratt (2007) suggest basic steps to build a community that encourages social presence, establishes a sense of belonging and coalescence for the individual students. These basic steps are (Palloff and Pratt, 2007):

• Clearly define the purpose of the group
• Create a distinctive gathering place for the group
• Promote effective leadership from within
• Define norms and a clear code of conduct
• Allow for a range of member roles
• Allow for and facilitate subgroups
• Allow members to resolve their own disputes. (p. 34)

By setting cultural norms and expectations, students are able to establish their social presence as well as have a sense of coalescence and belonging to the virtual world in which they are learning and living. When online instructors provide resources, activities and technology that support collaboration, it helps to establish social presence, community, and a sense of coalescence and belonging and will help the online student to feel successful in the online classroom environment.

The Educational Technology Masters Degree program at Marian University provides a variety of tools and technology that follow the basics steps as described by Palloff and Pratt (2007) and help establish the online community. Some of the tools used within the program include Voice Thread ®, asynchronous discussion boards within the Moodle ® Course Management System, and the synchronous chat during the instructors online office hours, also hosted within the Moodle ® course shells. Each one of the courses in the masters program provides an opportunity for asynchronous, threaded discussions. Instructors post questions that encourage higher level thinking skills, challenge student beliefs, and provide an opportunity for open, honest dialog.  In the EDT 672 course, the instructor holds online office hours through the synchronous chat forum. The online office hours and chat forum allow students to interact in real time with the instructor and with each other, asking questions, getting clarification on assignments and bouncing ideas off of each other with immediate feedback.  In their first course students build a wiki that is used in every one of the 10 courses of their masters program. The wikis allow the students to collaborate on projects, share ideas and expand their learning beyond the Moodle ® course shells. A new community building activity that was added to the Online Teaching Practicum is the use of a Blog. In this forum, practicum students post their weekly journals and reflections while other students are able to comments, offer suggestions and support each other through the practicum experience. The Educational Technology Masters degree courses are designed to encourage learners to take the tools they learn and apply them to their own K-12 classrooms. One example is the use of Voice Thread ® in the EDT 652 and EDT 704 courses. Students are required to comment on ideas and topics, provided by the online instructor, using the Voice Thread ® website or the application on their iPads. Students also reply to each other in the various topic threads, encouraging ideas, challenging beliefs, and expanding the knowledge and understanding of the chosen topics.  Through these methods, the students and teachers are able to communicate in an online environment, building relationships, establishing class norms and a social presence, while building 21^st Century skills in teachers that grew up in the 20^th Century.

Technology and e-learning used in face-to-face or online classrooms helps to create 21^st Century learners using 21^st Century ideas. Marian University students, who are all K-12 teachers, are learning how to incorporate technology in their own classrooms by learning and experiencing by sharing, collaborating, and creating. “Good education, whether face-to-face or online, should be meeting the needs of the individual learners; connecting them with content, resources, and the ideas of others; ‘making it real’ by providing authentic assignments and projects; and providing guidance with independent learning skills” (Kachel, Henry, & Keller 2005, p. 17).  Lombardi and Oblinger (2007) sum up the idea of learning as a way for K-12 and Higher Education teachers to use the “Internet and a variety of emerging communication, visualization, and simulation technologies [making] it possible to offer students authentic learning experiences ranging from experimentation to real-world problem solving” (p.1). The use of technology is important to creating valuable learning experiences, establishing online learning environments and preparing our students to be effective 21^st Century learners.

Resources

Barseghian, T. (2011, December 30). 21 things that will be obsolete in 2020. Mind shift: How we will learn. KQED [Website]. Retrieved from http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/12/21-things-that-will-be-obsolete-in-2020/#more-17738

Draves, W. A. (Ed). (2007). Advanced teaching online. River Falls, WI: LERN Books.

Kachel, D. E., Henry, N. L., & Keller, C. A. (2005). Making it real online: Distance learning for high school students. Knowledge Quest, 34(1), 14-17. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Lombardi, M.M., and D.G. Oblinger. (2007, May). Authentic learning for the 21^st century: An overview. Educause Learning Initiative, 1-12. Retrieved from Ebscohost.

Marian University. (2011). School of education: Welcome. Retrieved from http://soe.marianuniversity.edu/

Palloff, R.M. & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating online: Learning together in community. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Palloff, R.M. & Pratt, K. (Ed.) (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Sanders, J. (2006). Twelve tips for effective online discussions in continuing medical education. Medical Teacher, 28(7), 591-593. doi:10.1080/01421590600879455

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology. (2010). National Education Technology Plan. Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology. Washington: D.C.