Last week's online class was my first experience as a student using online posts and discussions. I was surprised at how my reaction was different as a teacher verse a student. I have used online forums to host student discussions based on what we have done in class or based on their research. I found it to be a great way to get students to express their ideas. Students who rarely/never talk in class have a lot to say online and add valuable information to the discussion.
As a student, it was interesting to read everyone's thoughts about the mindtools and how they would use online lessons such as webquests. However, I found myself focused so much on the number of required response posts and trying to squeeze out a fresh idea for each of my postings that the process was very time consuming. It was also difficult to find a quiet spot where I had computer access and would not be bothered as I reviewed the posts and posted my reflections. I was intellectually engaged, but felt more estranged from the other students than I thought I would.
In Chapter 17, Jonassen notes it is important to keep these things in mind as online discussion boards are developed. He states that good rubrics and a well developed classroom culture go far when using discussion boards. The learning environment must encourage and embracing challenging each other. I would argue the classroom culture must also encourage authentic responses within the discussion board. It will be good for me to keep my own experience in mind and also follow Jonassen's advice when using discussion boards in my classes. While you can get greater responses from some students in online discussion boards, there is an element of communication and social interaction that is missing. Perhaps Web 3.0 will be all about making the virtual world even more lifelike (more than what is offered in secondlife.com).
Connections to Wallflower
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As I delve more deeply into my independent reading book, I find that I am
more like the character then I thought. He has developed relationships with
peopl...
15 years ago
4 comments:
Please.....not WEb 3.0 yet!!! I'm still working on implementing Web 2.0!
Jim, I totally felt the same way about coming up with fresh ideas for the required posts! Maybe it was just because it was my first time trying the online thing, but I found it took an awful long time for me to complete the work. And it was pretty hard for me to stay focused, not so much because of noise, but maybe just because of who I am.
My house was quiet while I was listening to the lecture, but it was also dirty. Now, when I'm in class at PSU (or where ev) I can't just stand up and start straightening up the room while Dr. Fritz is speaking (although I would love that since it's really hard for me to do just one thing at a time), but I sure did it at home. I guess in a sense it was good that I could multi-task while working on class work, but the online format for a person with my short attention span may not be the best style of learning.
One point you made that I agree with was trying to come up with a fresh response for each person. Many comments or ideas were similar, so I felt like I was saying the same thing in a different way. I guess this is life...there are pros and cons. They should be weighed out.
For me, that online class was the first time as a student or teacher. I really believe there are many educational ideas that I can plan with my students using discussion boards and blogs. Now I just need to take the process to implement it.
I too had difficulties coming up with new reflections to add to your posts. But as with anything new to me, it took me a little time to adjust.
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