Meet Me at the Water Cooler

1. Meet Me at the Water Cooler June Davids UH MANOA PhD student

2. “The students in American high schools may have much in common, but unless they interact, they do not form a community of practice.” Wenger (2001) • http://www.creni.org/images/homepage-photo01.jpg

3. When distance learning online classes were first offered, generally it was accepted that students would be working as an isolated unit. • http://www.rhodesstate.edu/images/distance/Dustin.jpg

4. As the number of on line courses increases across the states, theorists and instructors are realizing that for e-learning to maintain a meaningful presence the use and appreciation of technology must be connected to a sense of community.

5. Face to face classroom teachers know that a sense of community among class members increases the commitment to group goals, and increases the level of cooperation among members, and eventual satisfaction with their group efforts.

6. Collaboration is a best-practice educational technique allowing the “student” to gain a better understanding of a subject.

7. Face to face classroom instructors work at creating a sense of community within their classroom. These teachers may make it seem effortless to create a sense of shared community between students and themselves within the walls of their classroom.

8. To fully maximize the benefits of distance education and online instruction, it is important to create active cooperative learning experiences to enhance the meaningfulness of content knowledge. • Students need to be encouraged to be engaged to become active participants in the class and productive consumers of the information they are being exposed to.

9. The question is of how to foster community among learners who are physically separated from each other. • http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/Disted/world.gif

10. Back to the Master “ Many communities start as conversations. So providing a conversation utility where people can open a discussion is a good place to start.” (Wenger 2001).

11. Asynchronous Online Discussion Boards • The most widely used forums that can facilitate computer-mediated communication is a course discussion board, which is used to facilitate learner to learner, learner to instructor, and learner to content online interactions.

12. On line discussion forums are virtual social gathering spaces within communities, the equivalent of the office water coolers. http://www.hyperborea.org/journal/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/water_cooler.png

13. “The Watering hole became a place where we learned from our peers — where we shared the news of the day. The learning at the watering hole was less formal. It was peer teaching, a sharing of the rumors, news, gossip, dreams and discoveries that drive us forward. Each participant at the watering hole is both learner and teacher at the same time.” (Thornburg,2007)

14. Benefits of Asynchronous discussions • Can occur in a variety of formats: whole class, small group, instructor-student, and or student-student. 2. Can document mandatory participation of all students.

15. 3. Students have the ability to reflect before responding over e-mail, and may have a higher level of confidence that comes with writing rather than public speaking.

16. Instructors must design activities to meet multiple learning objectives. Teachers must consider the content and an appropriate topic and must determine what roles the instructor and learner(s) are to play.

17. 5. Critical thinking does occur within online discussions. Smaller groups seem better designed for this.

18. There are restrictive factors in online discussions. • Many students may not feel as comfortable or as able to contribute to a written discourse. • Lacking the immediate continuous feedback through social interaction that would be present in a face-to-face classroom.

19. 3. Students fail to participate either by posting or by responding to other students

20. Current research indicates that again it may be time to shift to synchronous discussions • Evidence the asynchronous chats are less successful for students • High achieving students respond better to sychronous dialogue • All students follow this pattern

21. Technological Innovations: Synchronicity • Blogs , not just for personal use anymore • Wikis students can work together on projects and essays

22. Programs such as Skype, Elluminate and Live Classroom

23. Students can use these tools to talk, hear and see each other. • Mood icons and hands raised simulate what happens in a face to face classroom • The students can converse and share ideas just as they can in a synchronous chat but now they can hear each other’s voices.

24. Disadvantages • With a large number of students it can be hard to follow the dialogue • confusion • Students must be on line at the same time • Belies one of the reasons why they took the class

25. Next? • Hand held devices • doing class work while lying on the beach or in line at the movie theatre

26. Student satisfaction • Sense and ease of contact • With instructor • With other students • Top the list on positives about on line classes.

27. Online learning classes will continue to touch the lives of even more individuals. The need to create a sense of belonging between these students and their course content and to other students increases. It seems that technology is improving at the same pace and is ideally designed to help educators implement this unique brand of education.

28. References • http://www.creni.org/images/homepage-photo01.jpg • http://www.defl.ca/images/hands_color_ang2.gif • http://www.chabotcollege.edu/distanceed/faq/imgs/pic_generaluse.jpg • http://www.rhodesstate.edu/images/distance/Dustin.jpg • http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/Disted/world.gif • http://www.educ.ttu.edu/itss/images/appmouse.GIF