Activity #2: Icebreakers Collaborative Mind Map
Suggested Time: ~30 minutes
Due Date: Ongoing throughout the week.
Due Date: Ongoing throughout the week.
In the Zoom session we looked at the Community of Inquiry (COI) conceptual framework which proposes the interrelationships of three elements as the foundations for the creation of successful online learning programs: social presence, teaching presence and cognitive presence (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 2000). The teaching presence element involves the design and the facilitation of the educational experience, both of which should aim to support the development of the other two elements, social and cognitive presence (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 2000).
This activity aims to focus on some strategies that teachers or instructors can implement in order to help facilitate the development of social presence in the beginning of their online classes, which can in turn also enhance the cognitive presence. Kear, Chetwynd and Jefferis explained that, "Social presence relates to the need for users of technology-based communication to perceive each other as real people” (2014, p.1). If using the Five Stage Model for scaffolding online and blended learning experiences presented by Gilly Salmon (2003), this focus on the development of social presence would begin in Stage 2; Online socialization. This stage “involves individuals establishing their personal identities with their learning group and then finding others to work and learn with” (Salmon, 2003). This is the stage at with instructional designers and facilitators are working to build their own mini communities.
Various methods have been proposed by researchers and practitioners, including the use of personal profiles (Kear, Chetwynd & Jefferis, 2014) and icebreakers (Mansbach, 2015) at the beginning of a course. Most of our courses in the OLTD program so far have made use of icebreaker activities. We are going to take a bit of time to think back on some of these activities and create a collaborative mind map listing the ones that have been used in our OLTD courses, those that you may have experienced on other online post-secondary or professional development courses, and any additional ideas that you may think of throughout this seminar week.
Coggle Collaborative Mind Map Instructions
Optional Extension:
References:
Garrison, D.R., Anderson, T. & Archer, W. (2000). Critical Inquiry in a text-based environment: computer conferencing in higher education model. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2-3), 87-105. Retrieved from http://cde.athabascau.ca/coi_site/documents/Garrison_Anderson_Archer_Critical_Inquiry_model.pdf
Kear, K., Chetwynd, F. & Jefferis, H. (2014) Social presence in online learning communities: the role of personal profiles. Research in Learning Technology, 22, 1-15.
Mansbach, J. (2015, July 28). The importance of icebreakers in online classes [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://dl.sps.northwestern.edu/blog/2015/07/the-importance-of-icebreakers-in-online-classes/
Salmon, G. (2003). The Five Stage Model. Retrieved from https://www.gillysalmon.com/five-stage-model.html
Coggle Collaborative Mind Map Instructions
- You should each have received an email with a link to the Icebreakers Coggle mind map. If not, please click here to access it.
- Click on the "click to edit" box at the end of the desired branch. To add a new branch, hover over the end of the main branch and click the + symbol. Add a brief description of an icebreaker activity that has been used in one of your OLTD courses, any other online course you have taken, one you have facilitated, or one you would like to try.
- To delete an entry: Mouse over spot where the branch connects to the text box. When the + symbol appears, hold down the control (ctrl) key on your keyboard (or Command key on a Mac), then click the - symbol. Please note, you can use the Control-Z shortcut to Undo (or Command-Z on a Mac) if you accidentally delete something. The mind map autosaves.
Optional Extension:
- Using the “Icebreakers” thread in the G+ Community, Seminar Week 4, share your thoughts on icebreaker activities. Some possible questions to consider include: Which of the icebreakers used did you find most successful at building a sense of community for you? Which ones the least successful? Are there any cautions to consider when creating and using icebreaker activities with our students, and might these be different in online vs f2f?
References:
Garrison, D.R., Anderson, T. & Archer, W. (2000). Critical Inquiry in a text-based environment: computer conferencing in higher education model. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2-3), 87-105. Retrieved from http://cde.athabascau.ca/coi_site/documents/Garrison_Anderson_Archer_Critical_Inquiry_model.pdf
Kear, K., Chetwynd, F. & Jefferis, H. (2014) Social presence in online learning communities: the role of personal profiles. Research in Learning Technology, 22, 1-15.
Mansbach, J. (2015, July 28). The importance of icebreakers in online classes [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://dl.sps.northwestern.edu/blog/2015/07/the-importance-of-icebreakers-in-online-classes/
Salmon, G. (2003). The Five Stage Model. Retrieved from https://www.gillysalmon.com/five-stage-model.html
For questions or support on this activity, please feel free to contact Melissa Mullis ([email protected]).
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