Lesson 1: Collaboration in Online Learning Communities

Overview

In Unit 1, you explored online learning communities. You analyzed the attributes of online learning communities and described what it means to be a member of an online learning community. In Unit 2, you will explore interaction and collaboration in online learning communities. You will consider:

1. How do you set the stage (environment and processes) for online interaction and collaboration?
2. What online interactions and collaborative activities can you and your students engage in?
3. What are the challenges you might encounter?

 

Standards and Objectives

The SREB Standards for Quality Online Teaching inform our selection of learning objectives. In this lesson, we are addressing the following standards:

• The teacher has experienced online learning from the perspective of a student.
• The teacher has the prerequisite technology skills to teach online.
• The teacher plans, designs and incorporates strategies to encourage active learning, interaction, participation and collaboration in the online environment.
• The teacher models, guides and encourages legal, ethical, safe and healthy behaviour related to technology use.

To help you meet those standards, we must define a set of specific learning objectives. So, for this lesson, you will:

• define your role as an online learning community leader
• discuss individual and collaborative online activities
• explore what others have written or said about online interaction, collaboration and online learning

 

Assignments

1. Discussion assignment 1: Post a response. Approximately 15 minutes to complete. 5 points.
   • In WebCT Discussions, Topic: Interaction and Collaboration, post your answers to the following using only the information or understanding you already possess:
     • What is your existing role as a learning community leader? Do you think your role is the same or different in an online learning community and how?
     • What types of interactions and collaborations occur in your existing classrooms? Can you imagine how these activities can also occur in your online courses?
     • What are the challenges that you encounter in classroom collaboration activities? How do you think this challenges correlate to the ones you might have online?
   • How the assignment is graded (5 points)
     • There are no right or wrong answers here. We're just exploring, as a learning community, our understanding of the concepts.
     • Your post should be a minimum of 200 words
     • Your post should answer the questions to the best of your ability. Theories and speculations welcome!
     • And, it goes without saying - this assignment should be posted on time (i.e. during the week assigned
2. Discussion assignment 2: Reply to other learners Approximately 15 minutes to complete.
   • In WebCT Discussions, Topic: Interaction and Collaboration, review the answers of at least two others and reply to them. Based on your experience and knowledge, your response should:
     • request clarification of all or part of the learner's answer and/or
     • add additional information to all or part of the learner's answer
   • How assignment is graded (5 points)
     • Again, there are no wrong or right answers here.
     • Reply to at least two learners using above criteria to obtain full credit.
3. Reading assignment Approximately 1.5 hours to complete.
   • Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (2006). Collaborating online: Learning together in community. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
     • Chapters 2 & 3 are the required reading for Unit 2
     • Chapter 1 is not required but is recommended as a good review of Unit 1 info
     • Since you have not received your books yet, we have gone ahead and scanned the first three chapters of the Collaborating Online book for you. This is within the guidelines of educational fair use* and is acceptable because a copy of the book has been purchased for you. Once everyone has the book, we will delete the scanned copies of the first three chapters.
   • Optional but excellent articles :
     • An Updated and Theoretical Rationale for Interaction

       http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/paper63/paper63.htm

     • Toward a Theory of Online Learning

       http://cde.athabascau.ca/online_book/ch2.html

     • Going Virtual: High School on the Web http://www.asbj.com/2005/07/0705coverstory.html
   These readings will contribute to your understanding of concepts for the next lesson and this unit. We recommend you start reading now so you can really take your time and think about what you read.

 

 

*If you would like to debate our use of copies (we always encourage educational debate) or just learn more, see the following articles on copyright and fair use at

• The Educator's Guide to Copyright and Fair Use

  http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr280.shtml

• Fair Use of Copyrighted Materials

  http://www.utsystem.edu/OGC/intellectualProperty/copypol2.htm#distance

 

Next step

Continue to Lesson 2 Collaboration Activities

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