Today, we continue OnPoint, our bi-weekly series from Jason Ohler, an international keynote speaker, teacher, writer, researcher and Professor Emeritus of Educational Technology, who has been teaching online since 1982.
The following post is excerpt from Jason's latest book, and highlights one of the many guidelines for teaching an effective online class and engaging people socially via electronic means. The book, Digital Community, Digital Citizen (you can check it out here), explores how the internet and technology affect the very nature of learning, relationships, and schooling in the digital age.
This is part of a series about guidelines for effective online teaching.
- Part 1: An Introduction
- Part 2: Communication Venues
- Part 3: Teach the Unfamiliar In Terms of the Familiar
- Part 4: Use Many Social Setting Metaphors
- Part 5: Use Multimodality When Developing Online Communities
Thanks for reading,
- Brad
Guideline 6- Blend media and personalize space
A specific application of the above point is using blended media to personalize and extend personal space. We alleviate mind void by using artifacts from real-life. Beyond metaphors that remind us of places and things in physical space, we can use images, audio introductions, video, and other kinds of media that tell about who we are. As always, caution needs to be observed with regard to school policies about posting personal information. I find that any kind of real-life contact, whether live meetings at the beginning of a class, or live conferencing during the course, helps to fill in the blanks caused by mind void.
I also find that using common meta-reference points, like resources or news reports, helps create a sense of shared awareness of the world and thus a sense of community. If you work at a site-based school that also serves online students, then find ways to include online students in some of the activities of your school. One idea from my experience as a virtual teacher at the University of Alaska: We recorded visiting lecturers and concerts and made those available via the Internet. Opportunities like this are abundant.
- Jason
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