ENGAGING LEARNERS WITH NEW STRATEGIES AND TOOLS

We can bring technological tools that learners are using outside of the classroom into the classroom and engage these tools as an integral part of the educational process. Some of the tools and strategies that would enhance education are cell phones, iPods, Web Cams, and emails. Cell phones are practically glued to the hands so we may as well use them to make learning more in tune with everyday activities. We can text out a group question or put the question on an Infocus. The learners will text an answer back to the instructor, and the first to answer can get a prize or extra points. The iPods can be utilized to allow students to view video or listen to audio from the instructor. Web Cams can be used for letting the students and instructor meet and discuss the learning. Safe emails can be set up by using Gaggle.net for students to communicate with each other and the instructor. These strategies create an excitement and familiarity for the learners in this digital age. They are continuing to engage in the learning objective and at the same time, they are keeping in touch with technology.~~C. Penny Penagraph

Anderson, T. (2008). The Theory and Practice of Online Learning. (2nd ed.). Edmonton, AB: Athabasca University Press.

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

Wiley, D. (2007). Online self-organizing social systems. In Luppicini, R. Online learning communities: Communities in distance education (pp. 289–291). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

Assessing Collaborative Efforts

According to the Siemens video “Assessment of Collaborative Learning,” participation in a collaborative learning community can be assessed by the peers, by feedback from online communities, and from the educator. Additionally, Siemens stated that assessment by the educator is going to be fair and direct, based on the stated outcomes, and equitable. The assessment should be based on where the student started and what skills did the student has upon entering the collaboration. If a student enters the collaboration and has not been exposed to the subject matter before, the assessment should be based on the growth that the student makes from entry point to assessment point. The assessment should go beyond mark-based and should include some type input that helps the student know what was well done and what could be done to improve.

When a student does not want to network or collaborate in a learning community for an online course, the other members of the community should inform the instructor and highlight the importance of each individual piece for the success of the community. According to Hurst and Thomas, a common counterbalance to release pressure is a conference call between members where team members work through obstacles together. The instructor should play the role of facilitator and request documentation showing what each person contributed to the success of the assignment or project. According to Palloff and Pratt, the instructor should retain the determination about what to assess, how to assess and how to respond to any evaluation material gathered through material submitted by the collaborative group. Anderson's summary of a teacher's role was divided into three areas. In the first area, the teacher's role is to design and organize the learning experience and maintain the course contents by inputting expert opinions and personal experiences. Secondly, the teacher's role is to devise and implement various activities that encourage dialogue between the online students and the teacher. Finally, the teacher's role is to moderate the online learning experience and add subject-matter expertise. ~~C. Penny Penagraph

Ref:
Anderson, Terry (2008). The theory and practice of online learning. Edmonton, AB: Au Press.
Hurst, D. & Thomas, J. (2008). The theory and practice of online learning. Edmonton, AB: AU Press.
Palloff, R.M. & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating online: Learning together in community. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Palloff, R.M. & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Siemens, G. (2010). “Assessment of Collaborative Learning” & “Learning Communities.”