for Effective Teaching through Online Environments

Workshop: Mind the gap
Jane Harris, Pamela Howe, Nikolas Hunnicutt, University of North Carolina Greensboro

Overview

Have you observed some of your silent, seemingly passive students glued to Facebook or clustered around a computer, talking animatedly? How many of your students have cited a Wikipedia article as a reference? When you want to know something these days, where do you look first? Do you notice differences between how people learn outside versus inside the classroom? If so, what are these differences and what does this mean for learning in higher education? In this brief hybrid workshop, we will explore ways students learn outside the classroom and what it might mean for in-class learning.
Note: This may be used as the first part of a two-part series, with The Connected Student.

Initial Activity

Write down a brief response to the following question:

If you had to find information on one of the following questions, where would you go first?

  • How has the snow cap on Mount Kilimanjaro changed in the last 50 years?
  • Why did Penelope unravel her shroud each night?
  • Who was the most valuable player in the 1957 World Series?
  • How would you find information on the Ku Klux Klan’s activities in North Carolina over the past 50 years?

eClip - A View of Students Today

Watch this e-Clip by Michael Wesch.

Reflection Activity

Take five minutes to think about the questions below. Then discuss your answers with a partner and share your thoughts with the group .
These questions (the first, in particular) might be provided to the participants before they watch the e-Clip.

  1. What points does the video make?
  2. How are the differences between learning methods in the classroom and those outside affecting teaching and learning in your classroom?

To explore this area further, see the Brief Hybrid Workshop on The Connected Student.

Follow-up Resources

Michael Wesch
Presentation: A Portal to Media Literacy (06-17-08) (1:06:12)
http://mediatedcultures.net/ksudigg/?p=174
(Explains the concepts behind the video A View of Students Today. Well worth watching. )

Horizon Report 2009
http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2009-Horizon-Report.pdf
(An annual report of emerging technologies, trends, and challenges. Contains many examples. Co-sponsored by The New Media Consortium and the Educause Learning Initiative.)
Horizon Project Main Page: http://horizon.nmc.org/wiki/Main_Page

What is Web 2.0? Ideas, technologies, and implications for education. (Feb 2007)
Paul Anderson
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/techwatch/tsw0701b.pdf
(A fundamental paper that contains information in the following pertinent areas: definition of web 2.0; web 2.0 tools; concepts behind web 2.0; educational and institutional issues; and the future of web 2.0.)

Social software for learning: What is it, why use it?
Leslie, S., & Landon, B. (Jan 2008). London: The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education (OBHE). Retrieved October 10, 2008, from http://www.obhe.ac.uk/products/reports/
(Discusses social software in the context of socio-constructivist learning. Builds on Anderson's article above. Copiously referenced.)
(It is necessary to register for a trial [free] membership which gives you access to a few of their reports, including this one. It may take a few days to be notified of approval.)