Start a discussion!

Are you interested in the topic of social presence in online learning environments?

Are you aware that research indicates that a social presence is necessary to foster community and build relationships in online learning environments?

Would you be willing to share your experiences with others and help grow the body of information?

Post what sort of activities, actions, or technology tools have helped promote social interaction in your program or online learning experiences?

There are no wrong answers, only ideas we can share to make online learning enjoyable and effective. By sharing ideas, we work together to enhance online classes.

Lets get started!

Text messaging and cell phones

Check out this neat study concerning Text Messaging to Improve Social Presence in Online Learning. I had never heard of or thought of this approach in online learning, however text messaging was used in a new effective way in the past U.S. Presidential election so maybe it is a new medium to try. People of all ages text these days, but anyone with teenagers or are around college age students know that their fingers are constantly keying on a cell phone. Therefore, this may become the most effective method of communication. Maybe soon we will have cell phone-based distance education that involves podcasting for lectures and text messaging for discussions. So that with Internet accessibility (thus able to view web-based materials and email) on the cell phone the entire course can be delivered and completed via cell phone. Hmmmmm....just a thought...wait, here is a 2004 study concerning distance learning with cell phones and news in 2008 about Community-College System Offers Distance Education by Cellphone.

Any thoughts on any of this?

Purpose of this blog

Current research supports the importance of a social presence in online learning environments. The understanding is that a social presence is necessary to foster community and build relationships in online learning environments that compare to face-to-face learning environments.

Stephen R. Aragon, in Creating Social Presence in Online Environments, noted a new body of emerging research that investigates the relationship between student satisfaction and learning outcomes. Aragon went on to say that learners who have a higher level of social presence are more satisfied with online learning.

My purpose for this blog is to start a discussion with online learners, as well as online educators, to determine how to promote social connections in an online learning environment in order to foster community and relationship building.

Typical posts might include answers to the following questions. What sort of activities, actions, or technology have helped in your program or online learning experiences? Chat rooms (audio, video, and/or text) that are or are not class related, message boards, instant messaging (IM), text messaging (cellphone), email, face-to-face socials (if so how often), etc.? There are no wrong answers, only ideas we can share to make online learning enjoyable and effective. By sharing ideas, we work together to enhance online classes.

Reference
S. R. Aragon, Creating Social Presence in Online Environments, New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education (San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2003), p. 57–68.