Some great comments were posted concerning face-to-face meetings in online distance learning programs. Most agreed that while f2f meetings are a nice addition, they are not always practical and not the only method of fostering community. The reason that most online learners choose the online format is due the fact that f2f is not possible for them.
So the idea of a “synchronous component” was mentioned as a way that “students and teachers can share their worlds with each other without the need to physically visit.” This is a good transition into my next area of interest...synchronous sessions in online programs. I have personally used Centra, Wimba, and Skype as synchronous tools in online situations. I have used them for mainly classroom needs, but a little for social activity.
So, more questions to ponder and hopefully get some input to...Have you (as student or facilitator) used synchronous tools to develop social interaction (beyond academic needs) between students and/or faculty? What did you do? How did it work it out? What tools did you use? Recommendations and other comments on this subject...there are no wrong answers...these are your opinions.
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Social networks (Facebook / MySpace) have been really useful in developing social interaction with and between students, although we have used these asynchronously to a greater extent for academic and non-academic purposes, including students posting their status as working on a particular assignment.
ReplyDeleteThis leads to commentary between students about the shared experience - 'being in the same boat', as well as discussing the work itself.
Much of this dialogue is generated without the tutor's direct encouragement, but nonetheless is a tool that can be (and I have) usefully harnessed.
I had an experience as an online tutor in a preparatory English course for 10-11 graders. In fact, I did my PhD focusing on the issues of online language learning. In my practice, I used both syncronous (Skype, MSN Messenger, chats) and asynchronous tools (forums, blogs) to foster the feeling of social and teaching presence and had my students interact using a variety of communication channels (I mean they had a choice of how to communicate with one another when not online in real time).
ReplyDeleteThe students loved the feeling of the tutor being available, sharing resources and ideas. Feedback between the tutor and the students was more personalized, which helped bridge a gap that is often felt when students don't even have a chance to see their tutor in the physical domain.
Reflecting on my online tutoring experience, I can say that the sense of social presence, the online community being out there, is not easily built, unless special tasks (ice-breakers) are devised by the tutor and the students are taken through a series of stages helping them get closer to one another(through group contact, one-to-one contact, communicative games in small groups) at the very initial stage of the online learning process . The more students interact with one another (not the tutor) around common interests and motivating tasks using a variety of channels, the better. Grouping students to work on group projects that also help develop research and organization skills is an important way to involve students and make them feel part of the online classroom.
Of course, there are many more implications than written here, but I hope these were of some help.