Module 4

Module 4 BLOG Post by Tawana Stiff

Please See the following Graphic Organizer at the following Link:  http://educ7101-diffusion.wikispaces.com/Tawana+Stiff

Reflection on Module 4 Graphic Organizer: Online learning environments are just as effective as face-to-face environments when there is a balance between all of the key components. As I indicated in my Module 4 Discussion post, Anderson's 'Community of Inquiry' Model (2008) suggests that there are 3 components necessary to facilitate an effective online learning environment: social presence, cognitive presence and teaching presence. By creating these presences in an online learning environment, facilitators are not only setting the stage for success; but are also leading students to take technological tools used in their everyday lives and apply them to  classroom experiences. For example, if an online instructor aspires to establish cognitive presence and build the content knowledge of his students, he can provide them with a multitude of resources. These resources can be hardcover textbooks or they can be e-books that the students can access on their e-readers, tablets, or even cell phones. In addition, course videos that were once only available on a dvd, are now available as a podcast - - which can be uploaded and played on an ipod. The advantage to being able to access a multitude of resources on various technological devices is that it allows students to take everyday technologies -- like readers, tablets, cell phones and ipods, and use them to access online professional development and content related information. While meanwhile, the instructor is simply the concierge, or guide that directs the students to these valuable learning resources.

To enhance the student communication, the online instructor must establish a social presence in which the students feel comfortable sharing their thoughts with one another. There are many ways in which this collaboration can take place. Within the online classroom structure, there can be a common meeting place established for all the students. This can be in the form of a classroom café or discussion forum. And just as students may share their thoughts on everyday controversies or topics of interest in general, they may also participate in a blog site or wiki page for the same purpose regarding their course topics instead. In addition, students may use common social networks or interactive video tools such as skype to communicate with online colleagues as well.

Last, online instructors must facilitate authentic learning experiences to ensure their students reach their ultimate goal of acquiring new knowledge for the purpose of learning. So rather than placing the emphasis on the instructor, the facilitator may wish to create a student centered environment in which students focus on their role as individuals and as members within a learning community. By establishing such communities, the facilitator is encouraging the students to take accountability and ownership over their own learning.  In this sense, the facilitator acts as a guide by creating the guidelines or path; But  it is the learner who constructs the knowledge by creating the experience or the collaborative discourse that yields new knowledge (Siemens 2008).

References

Anderson, T. (Ed.). (2008). The theory and practice of online learning (2nd ed.). Edmonton, AB: Athabasca University Press

Durrington, V. A., Berryhill, A., & Swafford, J. (2006). Strategies for enhancing student interactivity in an online environment. College Teaching, 54(1), 190−193.

Siemens, G. (2008, January). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. ITForum.