Lesson 2: Collaboration Activities

Overview

In Lesson 1, you explored what you know about interaction and collaboration and read some experts' opinions. In Lesson 2, you practice what you've learned by engaging in a small-group discussion, a student-led discussion, and if you choose to attend, a whole-class discussion.

Additionally, please note that we will talk about the technology tools that can assist your online community collaborations. We will use and discuss both asynchronous tools and synchronous tools along with their role and the interactions that make it possible to communicate, create, and collaborate within online learning communities.

 

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 provides online leadership in a manner that promotes student success through regular feedback, prompt response and clear expectations.
• The teacher models, guides and encourages legal, ethical, safe and healthy behaviour related to technology use.
• The teacher understands and is responsive to students with special needs in the online classroom.

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 online learning community leader
• engage in and discuss individual and collaborative online activities
• explore what others have written or said about online interaction, collaboration and online learning
• apply what you've learned to brainstorm a discussion activity for this online learning community

 

Assignments

1. Watch Fearless Learners, Courageous Teachers by Alan November. Approx. 55 minutes. http://ali.apple.com/presentation/novemberpreso.html
   • As you watch, think about the following questions and take notes:
     • What did you already know?
     • What suprised you?
     • What upset, annoyed, or otherwise bothered you?
     • What did you agree with and why?
     • What did you disagree with and why?
   • Note: this is an asynchronous learning activity. :) Not all asynchronous activities have to involve discussions.
2. Group discussion assignment 1: Post a response. Approximately 20 minutes.
   • This is a small group discussion. Each small group has their own WebCT Discussion Topic
     • Group 1 - Sandy, Phylllis, Ed: Topic: Group 1 Discusses Fearless Learners
     • Group 2 - Vicki, Bruce, Nacona: Topic: Group 2 Discusses Fearless Learners
     • Group 3 - Vern, Jacque, Jo: Topic: Group 3 Discusses Fearless Learners
     • Group 4 - Kelly, Hal, Armando, Dabareh: Topic: Group 4 Discusses Fearless Learners
     • If you are not in a group and would like to join one, just pick one, introduce yourself, and join one.
   • Post your responses to the questions asked of you as you watched Fearless Learners, Courageous Teachers (questions are listed above)
3. Group discussion assignment 2: Reply to other learners . Approximately 20 minutes to complete.
   • In your small group's WebCT Discussion Topic: Group Discusses Fearless Learners, review the answers of at least two others and reply to them. Based on your experiences and the readings thus far, 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
     • use new vocabulary that you have encountered over the last three weeks
   • 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.
4. Discussion assignment 3: Maintaining discussion threads . Approx. 20 minutes to complete.

   A discussion thread is a series of posts in a topic area that all have the same subject. Whenever someone uses the Compose Message button to start a discussion, that is the beginning of a new thread. Using the Reply button adds to the thread. In online environments, sometimes the hardest thing to do is to remember when to use the Compose Message button and when to use the Reply button. This activity gives you an opportunity to practice creating and maintaining discussion threads as well as discuss topics near and dear to your heart.

   • In WebCT Discussions, Topic: Learners' Choice Discussion, use Compose Message to begin a discussion thread with a topic you would like to discuss - Put an enticing subject in the subject line so that others will know what the subject of the thread is.
     • Make sure to scan the posts of the learners who have already posted, try not to repeat topics. Some recommended topics include, but are not limited to:
       • Balancing content and technology
       • Internet safety
       • Ethics for high school online courses
       • Netiquette
       • The social space phenomenon
       • The arts and online learning
       • Copyright and intellectual property
       • Addressing students with special needs
       • The fun factor in online learning
       • Asynchronous tools and online learning
       • Synchronous tools and online learning
       • Multimedia and online learning
     • Facilitating discussions (keeping discussions going and on topic) is tricky business. You don't want to dominate a discussion; neither do you want to ignore it. Reply to others as necessary to keep the discussion going on topic. Replies should help others engage in deeper thinking about the subject.
       • Facilitate your discussion by asking intriguing questions, debating, or role playing
   • This discussion will last for the next three weeks. A final, summarizing post for your discussion will be due at the end of Unit 3.

    

Optional Centra event information

The Centra event at the end of Unit 2: Lesson 2 is going to be fun. Use the survey monkey poll to vote on which day and time you would like for the Centra event to occur. Please note that any important topics not covered by Learners' Choice discussions will be discussed in this Centra event using a Jigsaw activity. Additionally, we will discuss icebreakers and fun activites for synchronous events.

 

Next step

Continue to Unit 3, Lesson 1 Assessment and Evaluation

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