RSA#3 Online Learning Communities
In this 21st
century, hearing the term “online learning community” is not a surprise, especially
if you are an educator. As technology becomes more advanced with easier access
and more capabilities, the world of learning communities turns online. There
are positives and negatives to every different learning and collaboration
style. In the book, Building Online
Learning Communities authors Palloff and Pratt state, “It takes a unique
individual with a unique set of talents to be successful in the traditional
classroom; the same is true for the online classroom. The ability to do both is
a valuable asset in today’s academic institutions” (p7). In the first three
chapters of this book, the authors describe how teaching and learning occurs
online, the importance of a sense of community when it’s online, and the human
components of everyday learning online. (Palloff
& Pratt, 2008)
The article,
Building an Online Learning Community,
by Kevin Wilcoxon provides many different images and charts that help describe
online learning communities. The article describes three elements of a learning
community: teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence. Each
element is broken down and descriptions are given of what specific components
need to belong to make each successful. Also, a flow chart describes ways teachers can structure the cognitive presence
based on the amount of members. A key component of the cognitive presence is managing
discussions, as they are important for an online learning community. The
article ends with “One thing is certain, learning communities are more engaging
and members more engaged than is the case with traditional instruction.” (Wilcoxon,
2011)
The book Building Online Learning Communities by
Palloff and Pratt and the article Building
an Online Learning Community, by Kevin Wilcoxon both describe the benefits
of online learning communities. They describe some essential components to
creating an online community, as well as, give examples of different ways they
can be created and ways they can be run. Both resources validate the benefits
for people who join or create online learning communities.
References
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2008). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub.
Wilcoxon, K. (2011, october 03). Building an online learning
community. Retrieved from
http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/761/building-an-online-learning-community
Why not just learn in an online learning community?
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