for Effective Teaching through Online Environments

Workshop: The Connected Student
Jane Harris, Pamela Howe, Nikolas Hunnicutt, University of North Carolina Greensboro

Overview

The research on the efficacy of active learning strategies is well-established. Many have found that technology not only supports, but requires active learning by students. This brief hybrid workshop explores the link between active learning and current online technologies, the instructor and student skills that are necessary to support active learning online, and mentions a few of the current technologies being used.
Note: This may be used as the second part of a two-part series with Mind the Gap.

Initial Activity

While watching the eClip below, consider the following questions:

  • What are the skills the student needs to have or to develop?
  • What is the role of the teacher?

 

eClip - Networked Student

Watch this eClip that describes a real high school learning activity.

Reflection Activity

Take five minutes to think about one or more of the questions below. Then discuss your answers with a partner and share your thoughts with the group.

  1. Are the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education demonstrated in this clip? If so, which ones and how?
  2. How would you design a learning activity based on this model in one of your courses?
  3. What might be some of the benefits? What might be some of the challenges?

This Brief Hybrid Workshop might be preceded by Mind the Gap, a BHW that explores the divergence between student learning inside and outside the classroom.

Follow-up Resources

Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age (12-12/2004; updated 04-05-05)
George Siemens
http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
(George Siemen's concept of learning known as Connectivism has been adopted by many influential thinkers. This is the seminal article.)

E-Learning 2.0 (~2005?)
By Stephen Downes
eLearn Magazine
http://www.elearnmag.org/subpage.cfm?section=articles&article=29-1
(Articulate statement about the present state and future trends of e-Learning.)

Minds on Fire: Open Education, the Long Tail, and Learning 2.0
John Seely Brown and Richard P. Adler
EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 43, no. 1 (January/February 2008): 16–32.
http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Review/MindsonFireOpenEducationt/45823?time=1232813818
(Main points: Web 2.0 supports social learning; learning is a process of becoming an able participant - in a community; this model supports continual learning and the ability to respond to our constantly changing environment.)

Examples of use of Web 2.0 tools to enhance learning.