Activity #4: Philosophy for Building Online Community
Suggested Time: ~3 hours (to review course materials, seek out additional resources as needed, create assignment product, and review and provide feedback on another cohort member’s assignment product).
Due Date: Philosophy posted to G+ by Wednesday evening (February 6). Feedback provided on another cohort member’s philosophy project by Thursday evening (February 7).
Due Date: Philosophy posted to G+ by Wednesday evening (February 6). Feedback provided on another cohort member’s philosophy project by Thursday evening (February 7).
The goal in activity 4 is to give you time to synthesize what you have read and viewed this week and in previous seminar weeks and consider how you can apply what you have learned about building online community in your own teaching context. Please begin this activity by reading pages 125-126, and 142-154 of Lessons from the Virtual Classroom: The Realities of Online Teaching by Rena Palloff and Kieth Pratt. This text is available as an e-book from the VIU library. Also, consider viewing the related Youtube video, Building Online Learning Communities w/ Rena Palloff.
Based on what you have read, viewed and experienced, both as a learner and as an online facilitator, in this course and your outside experiences, what would your online course strategy for building community look like? How would you build instructor presence and social presence in your own online course?
Your assignment:
Based on what you have read, viewed and experienced, both as a learner and as an online facilitator, in this course and your outside experiences, what would your online course strategy for building community look like? How would you build instructor presence and social presence in your own online course?
Your assignment:
- Build and communicate your own philosophy of, and plan for, building virtual community. In doing so, think about and describe at least 2-3 specific strategies that you might use. Be sure to consider the potential benefits of these strategies, but also consider any potential drawbacks of them too. You may reference your own experiences as well as the course and/ or additional materials.
- Possible assignment presentation formats include (but are not limited to) a recipe for building online community, a sketchnote, a video explanation (approximately 3-5 minutes), a podcast style audio description (3-5 minutes), or a written description (~500 words). Feel free to get creative or use whatever tools will work best for you.
- Please share your completed philosophy project with the class by posting to Seminar 4 in our G+ community by Wednesday, February 6th. Please title your post, "YourName's Philosophy for Building Online Community" to make it easy for others to find it.
- After completing your own project, please take time to review and provide feedback on the presentation of at least one other cohort member by Thursday, February 7th. Consider using either a video or audio comment to provide your feedback.
For questions or support on this activity, please feel free to contact Melissa Mullis ([email protected]).
Recommended Resources:
Palloff, R.M. & Pratt, K. (2013). Lessons from the Virtual Classroom :The Realities of Online Teaching. San Francisco, CA; John Wiley & Sons Inc. pp 125-126 and 142-154.
Human MOOC. (2015, March 24). Building Online Learning Communities w/ Rena Palloff. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umcz0QIAWMQ&t=1448s
Optional Additional Resource Suggestions:
Center for Online Innovation in Learning. (2014, December 3). Building Online Learning Communities featuring Rena Palloff. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2kDCAIDxes
O’Malley, S. (2017). Professors share ideas for building community in online courses. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2017/07/26/ideas-building-online-community
Pacansky-Brock, M. How to humanize your online classes. Retrieved from https://brocansky.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Humanize-Infog-Letter-Size-for-Printing.pdf
Pacansky-Brock, M. (2013). Student voices: what makes an online class feel more human? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=255xC5js8G4&index=43&list=PLxmp2OnJJbw5rScSeMx6Dos0bbgrvUd4Q
Talbert, R. (2015). How student video presentations can build community in an online course. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/how-student-video-presentations-can-build-community-in-an-online-course/57435
Lowenthal, P.R. & Dunlap, J.C. (2010). From pixel on a screen to real person in your students’ lives: Establishing social presence using digital storytelling. Internet and Higher Education (13), p. 70-72.
Palloff, R.M. & Pratt, K. (2013). Lessons from the Virtual Classroom :The Realities of Online Teaching. San Francisco, CA; John Wiley & Sons Inc. pp 125-126 and 142-154.
Human MOOC. (2015, March 24). Building Online Learning Communities w/ Rena Palloff. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umcz0QIAWMQ&t=1448s
Optional Additional Resource Suggestions:
Center for Online Innovation in Learning. (2014, December 3). Building Online Learning Communities featuring Rena Palloff. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2kDCAIDxes
O’Malley, S. (2017). Professors share ideas for building community in online courses. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2017/07/26/ideas-building-online-community
Pacansky-Brock, M. How to humanize your online classes. Retrieved from https://brocansky.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Humanize-Infog-Letter-Size-for-Printing.pdf
Pacansky-Brock, M. (2013). Student voices: what makes an online class feel more human? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=255xC5js8G4&index=43&list=PLxmp2OnJJbw5rScSeMx6Dos0bbgrvUd4Q
Talbert, R. (2015). How student video presentations can build community in an online course. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/how-student-video-presentations-can-build-community-in-an-online-course/57435
Lowenthal, P.R. & Dunlap, J.C. (2010). From pixel on a screen to real person in your students’ lives: Establishing social presence using digital storytelling. Internet and Higher Education (13), p. 70-72.