I chose to read chapters 4 & 5 which discusses Phase 2 of the R2D2 model, reflective and observational learners. The project I am designing is an online mentoring community for our nursing students. These two chapters contain specific information for using the online features I am including in my community. Bonk and Zhang state that Online reflection is one of the key advantages of online learning; especially when using asynchronous discussion, which is a major function of my community. If learners are able to contribute at their convenience, they have more opportunity to think deeply about an idea and organize their data/thoughts, opposed to being asked to answer on the spot. Students can read and analyze the posts from other students or instructors before participating to get a better understanding of the content. With my community some students may only read what others are posting and be able to get the understanding they need. Others may need to ask questions, etc. Students will be able to use the site in a way that best fits their needs. The book also lists a few disadvantages to this additional time students receive with this type of instruction that I had not thought much about.
1. Students may waste too much time trying to reach perfection in their answers and not post until they absolutely have to.
2. Other students may feel the need to keep posting beyond what would have been enough.
3. Students who procrastinate will not get the full benefit from this type of learning.
Reflective and observational learners may greatly benefit from an online mentoring site due to the options to observe, view, watch, and then reflect on the content. Their behavior is explained by Bandura, who stated that individuals can learn vast amounts of important information from observing others model their own strategies or learned behaviors first. They learn by watching others interact or by being praised or reprimanded for their opinions and ideas. As stated by the authors, writing is referred to as a tool for thinking. My project will allow free expression in this form and hopefully will facilitate this type of learning. Blogging or journaling will be utilized in this community for this purpose. The book pointed out different way that Blogs can be used in my community which are; blogs for personal reflection, dyad blogs for paired activities, team blogs, instructor blogs, and class blogs. I just learned about blogs this semester so this information was very helpful. Blogs also provide access to resources via hyperlinks. Also , the book suggests requiring students to give feedback to one another stating that peers are a free resource. I hope we are able to facilitate the peer interaction in this community, I think it will be a great help to the students. My project will also incorporate online conferences, podcasts, and webinars. Thsi can allow exposure to and expert or professional that they may otherwise not have been able to see.
Chapter 5 lists 25 learning activities for reflective and observational learners. I will discuss the ones relevant to my project. Modeling is part of establishing a community of learners. Nursing students should be familiar with modeling because we do this everyday with them in face-to-face settings. Online modeling can include access to previous students work as an example of what is expected (I know I like this one), post exemplary work after an assignment is graded to motivate other students, or post model answers for assignments.Reuse chat transcripts is another thing I did not know I could do, but is an excellent idea that I may incorporate. It is simply what is says. Save and post the chat session transcripts for all students to be able to read or re-read. This way students who where not able to participate can still benefit from the exchange of info. Self-check quizes and exams are going to be made available to our students in several different areas. They will be optional (for now) and can be used for students to decide if they know the content in particular areas well enough or not. Discussion forums are a big part of my project. All faculty members are involved and trying our best to keep students engaged in the discussion. The book states to make rules for participating, which I am working on because participation in parts of this community is optional. I am hoping we can engage enough students fo that the ones who do not feel comfortable posting, can at least get good info from the others postings.This is also an activity in itslef called lurking. I use it quite often. I did incorporate and online resource library that contains several nursing weblinks, library links, organization links, and just links to helpful tip sites. Social networking linkages is something I have not incorporated yet, but would love to based on what I have learned this semester. I think it would fit nicely with what I am trying to accomplish with this site. I just need to figure out the best way to do this on Blackboard. I think Social networking will help make the 3 campuses feel more like one especially with the more personal sites. Last for my project is small-group case creations. This is where student design cases for other courses or students to solve. We use case studies a lot here. I think this would be a wonderful way to engage students and a great tool for the designing students as well as the solving students. These two chapters have given me several ideas to use with my project that I had not thought about. Thanks, Tomi.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Week 10 Blog
According to Morrison, Rosss, and Kemp (2007), designing good instruction cannot be done without first completing a Task Analysis. They state that a task analysis solves three problems for the designer:
1. Defines the content required to solve the performance problem or need.
2. Forces the subject-matter expert (SME) to work through each step, making steps more easily identified.
3. Designer can view the content from the learner’s perspective and gain insight into teaching strategies.
The methods and individuals involved in a task analysis will vary depending on the circumstances, but usually a designer works with a SME who can provide accurate information for the instructional unit. An instructor is often the SME and the designer in educational settings.
“A topic or content analysis is used to define the facts, concepts, principles, and rules that will make up the final instruction” (Morrison, Kemp & Ross, 2007, p. 78) This analysis identifies the content that is the focus of the instruction and the structure of the components. There are six structures; facts, concepts, principles and rules, procedures, interpersonal skills, and attitudes.
To analyze each task, the designer must perform a procedural analysis by identifying the steps required. This is done by “walking” through the steps with the SME in the task environment. For example, in nursing we would walk through the steps of giving an injection with a syringe, bottle of saline, alcohol wipe, and a manikin. The steps of this analysis answer three questions:
1. What does the learner do?
2. What does the learner need to know to do this step?
3. What cues inform the learner that there is a problem, the step is done, or a different step is needed?
Information can be recorded using outlines, tables, or flowcharts.
The critical incident method is used to analyze a process. This method identifies commonalities of various approaches in a process and can be combined with a procedural analysis to define content for the instruction. This works well for analyzing interpersonal skills and attitudes.
Instructional objectives:
• Help select and organize activities and resources to facilitate effective learning
• Provide a framework for devising ways to evaluate learning
• Guide the learner
These objectives are grouped into three domains; cognitive, psychomotor, and affective, and are organized/classified by various methods. Writing objectives is a lot more involved than I thought. I knew they were difficult and I plan on using this book to learn how to write them.
After writing objectives you must sequence the instruction to be presented to the learner. This must be done to help the learner achieve the objectives. The chapter discusses three sequencing schemes that designer can choose from. The first one is based on student-learning concepts and what the learner must logically learn first to be able to comprehend and move on. The second on is based on the “real world”, content that represents objects, people, and events being presented in an order consistent with how it must be performed. Third is concept-related sequencing meaning presented consistently with how a learner organizes the world conceptually or logically, such as content that is in a similar group or related in some way.
Next we must actually design the instructional strategies. This involves using research and modifying based on experience. Strategies should motivate learners to connect the already known information with new information. Jonassen (1988) uses four categories for generative strategies; recall, integration, organizational, and elaboration. Prescriptions are sequences and methods of instructions used to achieve a desired result. There are prescriptions for; instructional strategies, teaching facts and concepts, teaching principles and rules, teaching procedures, teaching interpersonal skills and teaching attitudes. Hope this helps, there was a lot of good information in these chapters that I think will truly help me at work. Looking forward to reading your blogs. Thanks, Tomi
1. Defines the content required to solve the performance problem or need.
2. Forces the subject-matter expert (SME) to work through each step, making steps more easily identified.
3. Designer can view the content from the learner’s perspective and gain insight into teaching strategies.
The methods and individuals involved in a task analysis will vary depending on the circumstances, but usually a designer works with a SME who can provide accurate information for the instructional unit. An instructor is often the SME and the designer in educational settings.
“A topic or content analysis is used to define the facts, concepts, principles, and rules that will make up the final instruction” (Morrison, Kemp & Ross, 2007, p. 78) This analysis identifies the content that is the focus of the instruction and the structure of the components. There are six structures; facts, concepts, principles and rules, procedures, interpersonal skills, and attitudes.
To analyze each task, the designer must perform a procedural analysis by identifying the steps required. This is done by “walking” through the steps with the SME in the task environment. For example, in nursing we would walk through the steps of giving an injection with a syringe, bottle of saline, alcohol wipe, and a manikin. The steps of this analysis answer three questions:
1. What does the learner do?
2. What does the learner need to know to do this step?
3. What cues inform the learner that there is a problem, the step is done, or a different step is needed?
Information can be recorded using outlines, tables, or flowcharts.
The critical incident method is used to analyze a process. This method identifies commonalities of various approaches in a process and can be combined with a procedural analysis to define content for the instruction. This works well for analyzing interpersonal skills and attitudes.
Instructional objectives:
• Help select and organize activities and resources to facilitate effective learning
• Provide a framework for devising ways to evaluate learning
• Guide the learner
These objectives are grouped into three domains; cognitive, psychomotor, and affective, and are organized/classified by various methods. Writing objectives is a lot more involved than I thought. I knew they were difficult and I plan on using this book to learn how to write them.
After writing objectives you must sequence the instruction to be presented to the learner. This must be done to help the learner achieve the objectives. The chapter discusses three sequencing schemes that designer can choose from. The first one is based on student-learning concepts and what the learner must logically learn first to be able to comprehend and move on. The second on is based on the “real world”, content that represents objects, people, and events being presented in an order consistent with how it must be performed. Third is concept-related sequencing meaning presented consistently with how a learner organizes the world conceptually or logically, such as content that is in a similar group or related in some way.
Next we must actually design the instructional strategies. This involves using research and modifying based on experience. Strategies should motivate learners to connect the already known information with new information. Jonassen (1988) uses four categories for generative strategies; recall, integration, organizational, and elaboration. Prescriptions are sequences and methods of instructions used to achieve a desired result. There are prescriptions for; instructional strategies, teaching facts and concepts, teaching principles and rules, teaching procedures, teaching interpersonal skills and teaching attitudes. Hope this helps, there was a lot of good information in these chapters that I think will truly help me at work. Looking forward to reading your blogs. Thanks, Tomi
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Week 7 assignment
Chapter 5
How can 3-D technologies be used to create online social environment and support social interactions among community members? What are the theoretical rationales underlying the pedagogies of using 3-D environment for the benefits of learning and to achieve educational goals?
Knowledge, according to social constructivists, is the artifact of decisions made by people in groups, based on their ongoing interactions. What differentiates those who “know” from those who do not is the process of learning that happens when one participates in a community with both more and less experienced peers. Social learning environments provide opportunity for learners to interact with experts, peers, content, and activities in formal or informal ways. This interaction is how participants learn. Cognitive scaffolding is a form of incentive or help adapted to the student’s ability level, intentionally provided to help a student perform some task (Jonassen, Mayes, & McAleese, 1993). The 3D environments provide a framework for the learner, and supports cognitive scaffolding by allowing students to move into new areas of learning based on their own level. This is referred to as being situated. Learners move and interact with the environment, not just view each scene. Learners are part of the environment not just existing separately. 3D environments can provide a wide range of activities and situations that are inaccessible in the traditional classroom. 3D environments allow students the feeling of actually meeting with peers and instructors through their created “avatar”, which has been found to be more satisfying. This type of teaching requires instructors to think differently about several issues:
1. Their role as instructor
2. The different ways students will interact in a 3D space
3. Class structure
4. Class processes
5. The environment
6. Feedback
7. All the different activities
8. Teaching students learning at varying levels
Some of the goals of this type of learning are:
· Student responsibility for their own learning
· Students ability to build upon own background and experience
· Developing scaffolding that works for each student
· Creating a more fulfilling learning experience
Chapter 13
How was the game “Reliving the Revolution” designed and PDA used to support collaborative problem solving activities?
This chapter discusses a new reality game called “Reliving the Revolution” (RtR) that allows students to simulate the activities of a historian. The game functions as a virtual analogue to the Battle of Lexington, which precipitated the American Revolution. The game allows collection and analysis of evidence, testing of hypotheses, and formulation of conclusions. This allows students to learn about specific history, construct their own views, and consider alternative views. Participants walk around the physical site of the battle and use a PDA to interact with virtual figures and gather evidence. This uses Global Positioning Software. Development of RtR stems from:
· Reforms in history standards to include “doing history” activities
· Teaching critical thinking as it relates to history
· Handheld devices are becoming more present in the classroom
Augmented reality games allow students to “do history” and encourage collaborative learning by encouraging physical and social interaction and the sharing of ideas with collaborative decision making.
The creator of RtR designed it by taking on multiple roles: designer, writer, researcher, tester, and educator. He immersed himself in the town to learn and studied other AR games considering how to translate them to a historical setting. PDA s are used to interact with pre-scripted virtual experts and gather information. He used an iterative process where the game develops through a meaningful dialogue between the designers and the participants. He prototyped elements of the game for a year then tested the full-scale game. Results of his testing suggested that RtR could engage learners in a historic moment and place, and in the practice of history.
Thanks, Tomi
How can 3-D technologies be used to create online social environment and support social interactions among community members? What are the theoretical rationales underlying the pedagogies of using 3-D environment for the benefits of learning and to achieve educational goals?
Knowledge, according to social constructivists, is the artifact of decisions made by people in groups, based on their ongoing interactions. What differentiates those who “know” from those who do not is the process of learning that happens when one participates in a community with both more and less experienced peers. Social learning environments provide opportunity for learners to interact with experts, peers, content, and activities in formal or informal ways. This interaction is how participants learn. Cognitive scaffolding is a form of incentive or help adapted to the student’s ability level, intentionally provided to help a student perform some task (Jonassen, Mayes, & McAleese, 1993). The 3D environments provide a framework for the learner, and supports cognitive scaffolding by allowing students to move into new areas of learning based on their own level. This is referred to as being situated. Learners move and interact with the environment, not just view each scene. Learners are part of the environment not just existing separately. 3D environments can provide a wide range of activities and situations that are inaccessible in the traditional classroom. 3D environments allow students the feeling of actually meeting with peers and instructors through their created “avatar”, which has been found to be more satisfying. This type of teaching requires instructors to think differently about several issues:
1. Their role as instructor
2. The different ways students will interact in a 3D space
3. Class structure
4. Class processes
5. The environment
6. Feedback
7. All the different activities
8. Teaching students learning at varying levels
Some of the goals of this type of learning are:
· Student responsibility for their own learning
· Students ability to build upon own background and experience
· Developing scaffolding that works for each student
· Creating a more fulfilling learning experience
Chapter 13
How was the game “Reliving the Revolution” designed and PDA used to support collaborative problem solving activities?
This chapter discusses a new reality game called “Reliving the Revolution” (RtR) that allows students to simulate the activities of a historian. The game functions as a virtual analogue to the Battle of Lexington, which precipitated the American Revolution. The game allows collection and analysis of evidence, testing of hypotheses, and formulation of conclusions. This allows students to learn about specific history, construct their own views, and consider alternative views. Participants walk around the physical site of the battle and use a PDA to interact with virtual figures and gather evidence. This uses Global Positioning Software. Development of RtR stems from:
· Reforms in history standards to include “doing history” activities
· Teaching critical thinking as it relates to history
· Handheld devices are becoming more present in the classroom
Augmented reality games allow students to “do history” and encourage collaborative learning by encouraging physical and social interaction and the sharing of ideas with collaborative decision making.
The creator of RtR designed it by taking on multiple roles: designer, writer, researcher, tester, and educator. He immersed himself in the town to learn and studied other AR games considering how to translate them to a historical setting. PDA s are used to interact with pre-scripted virtual experts and gather information. He used an iterative process where the game develops through a meaningful dialogue between the designers and the participants. He prototyped elements of the game for a year then tested the full-scale game. Results of his testing suggested that RtR could engage learners in a historic moment and place, and in the practice of history.
Thanks, Tomi
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Case Study 1
I chose to explore the Flickr website @ www.flickr.com. I had no previous knowledge of any of the listed sites, so I just picked one from the list. I was actually surprised to see how this community works and that it exists. I have had family send me photos in this manner, but never knew how they were able to do so.
A knowledge based learning community seeks to advance the collective knowledge in a subject or field of inquiry, and to do so in a way that supports the growth of each of the individuals in the community. (Kling & Courtright, 2004). Flickr encourages members to increase each others knowledge in the area of photography.
Flicker is an online photo management and sharing application, where individuals can upload, edit, organize, and share their photos with whomever they choose. The tour took me through eight steps to learn how Flickr works. The steps are as follows; what is flickr, upload, edit, organize, share, maps, make stuff, and keep in touch. Each activity was explained in detail with visual aids. While exploring the community, I was able to look at many different types of photos in “the commons” area. This is where individuals post pictures by category or “tag” (keyword or label) and members are allowed to view the photos and make comments to each other about them. Almost like a photo museum, where anyone can post the photos they are proud of. Flickr was the first online photo sharing site to recognize itself as much more than a hosting service for personal photo albums. It has features inspired by the latest fashions in online-software design an image-tagging code. It's not just for self-display, but for visual conversation between members.
The purpose and goal of the Flickr community is to help people make their content available to others and to provide members with new ways of organizing photos and video. Flickr accounts are intended for personal use, for members to share photos and video that they themselves have created. The purpose of the commons area is “to increase access to publicly-held photography collections, and to provide a way for the general public to contribute information and knowledge. (Then watch what happens when they do!)”. Many Flickr users have chosen to post their work under a Creative Commons license, and you can browse or search through content under each type of license in the “creative commons” area. The “Places” area is a map of the world where members can post photos they have taken according to where they live. I was able to search for my hometown, but the search stated that no one has taken a picture from Stratford and posted before.
The community has several guidelines for members to follow. They include content about respect of others and being polite as well as copyright guidelines. Photo content must be flagged as "safe", "moderate" or "restricted." Video on Flickr may only include "safe" or "moderate" content -- "restricted" video content is not allowed on Flickr and will be removed. According to Flickr administration, in most circumstances they will give second chances after violations. They will send you a warning if you violate any of the guidelines, and subsequent violations can result in account termination without warning. The site has two founders and 48 team members that monitor site activity. This team has a blog where they can post comments about photos or groups of photos, make comments to members, or post updates about Flickr.
In conclusion, I found this site to be very interesting and user friendly. The guidelines are clear and I did not see anything inappropriate. The instructions are easy to understand, so it should be easy for anyone to navigate. I am not particularly interested in taking photos to post for others to comment on, but can see how this would be great if you like photography. I am considering joining just for the ability to organize, edit, and share my photos with friends and family.
For Part B, I chose to visit Tapped In @ http://tappedin.org/tappedin/. I also just picked this one off the list; I had no prior knowledge of any of these sites.
Tapped In is a Web-based learning environment where educators and organizations can develop, implement, and manage online courses, workshops, seminars, mentoring programs, and other collaborative activities that supplement, or function in lieu of, face-to-face activities. Tapped In is a task-based learning community, where the learning takes place both online, facilitated by many different forms of distant communication, and through interaction that takes place locally as a direct result of either sending or receiving the messages. The technology is used to create both technical and social environments (Kling & Courtright, 2004) where members
depend on one another and are asked to incorporate different worldviews into their frame of perception.
Online activities take place within custom virtual buildings within the Tapped In environment. Each organization gets their own building, which typically has 3 floors:
1. A ground floor with a reception (where members find help desk staff and news) and other public rooms (conference rooms, etc.).
2. A second floor with group rooms, which can be open to the public, moderated, or totally private. Group owners can assign moderators and permissions to group members.
3. A third floor with personal offices for members affiliated with the organization.
Members communicate through text-based chat, private messaging, threaded discussion boards, conversation transcripts that are automatically emailed, and messages that can be saved for someone who is not logged in. Members can:
· plan and conduct learning projects with colleagues and students
· participate in or lead topical discussion and groups
· manage and attend online courses offered by providers
· mentor other educators
· try out new ideas in a safe, supportive environment
Tapped In has nine team members who routinely partner with education organizations, school systems, and technology companies, and also engage in participatory design of new learning technologies with their user communities. The administration team helps by offering online orientation and tutorials, help via e-mail and chat, support and publicity for provider activities, daily hosted events, monthly newsletter emailed to members, experienced online meeting facilitators, customization, data collection, and training.
This site is well organized, and seems to be full of helpful information. It is a little overwhelming at first to see all of the different rooms and postings available, but I think with more time it would be easy to navigate. The information I was able to access as a guest was very educational. I read several discussions where teachers had questions and their peers were able to give advice based on their own experiences. Overall this was a good experience.
A knowledge based learning community seeks to advance the collective knowledge in a subject or field of inquiry, and to do so in a way that supports the growth of each of the individuals in the community. (Kling & Courtright, 2004). Flickr encourages members to increase each others knowledge in the area of photography.
Flicker is an online photo management and sharing application, where individuals can upload, edit, organize, and share their photos with whomever they choose. The tour took me through eight steps to learn how Flickr works. The steps are as follows; what is flickr, upload, edit, organize, share, maps, make stuff, and keep in touch. Each activity was explained in detail with visual aids. While exploring the community, I was able to look at many different types of photos in “the commons” area. This is where individuals post pictures by category or “tag” (keyword or label) and members are allowed to view the photos and make comments to each other about them. Almost like a photo museum, where anyone can post the photos they are proud of. Flickr was the first online photo sharing site to recognize itself as much more than a hosting service for personal photo albums. It has features inspired by the latest fashions in online-software design an image-tagging code. It's not just for self-display, but for visual conversation between members.
The purpose and goal of the Flickr community is to help people make their content available to others and to provide members with new ways of organizing photos and video. Flickr accounts are intended for personal use, for members to share photos and video that they themselves have created. The purpose of the commons area is “to increase access to publicly-held photography collections, and to provide a way for the general public to contribute information and knowledge. (Then watch what happens when they do!)”. Many Flickr users have chosen to post their work under a Creative Commons license, and you can browse or search through content under each type of license in the “creative commons” area. The “Places” area is a map of the world where members can post photos they have taken according to where they live. I was able to search for my hometown, but the search stated that no one has taken a picture from Stratford and posted before.
The community has several guidelines for members to follow. They include content about respect of others and being polite as well as copyright guidelines. Photo content must be flagged as "safe", "moderate" or "restricted." Video on Flickr may only include "safe" or "moderate" content -- "restricted" video content is not allowed on Flickr and will be removed. According to Flickr administration, in most circumstances they will give second chances after violations. They will send you a warning if you violate any of the guidelines, and subsequent violations can result in account termination without warning. The site has two founders and 48 team members that monitor site activity. This team has a blog where they can post comments about photos or groups of photos, make comments to members, or post updates about Flickr.
In conclusion, I found this site to be very interesting and user friendly. The guidelines are clear and I did not see anything inappropriate. The instructions are easy to understand, so it should be easy for anyone to navigate. I am not particularly interested in taking photos to post for others to comment on, but can see how this would be great if you like photography. I am considering joining just for the ability to organize, edit, and share my photos with friends and family.
For Part B, I chose to visit Tapped In @ http://tappedin.org/tappedin/. I also just picked this one off the list; I had no prior knowledge of any of these sites.
Tapped In is a Web-based learning environment where educators and organizations can develop, implement, and manage online courses, workshops, seminars, mentoring programs, and other collaborative activities that supplement, or function in lieu of, face-to-face activities. Tapped In is a task-based learning community, where the learning takes place both online, facilitated by many different forms of distant communication, and through interaction that takes place locally as a direct result of either sending or receiving the messages. The technology is used to create both technical and social environments (Kling & Courtright, 2004) where members
depend on one another and are asked to incorporate different worldviews into their frame of perception.
Online activities take place within custom virtual buildings within the Tapped In environment. Each organization gets their own building, which typically has 3 floors:
1. A ground floor with a reception (where members find help desk staff and news) and other public rooms (conference rooms, etc.).
2. A second floor with group rooms, which can be open to the public, moderated, or totally private. Group owners can assign moderators and permissions to group members.
3. A third floor with personal offices for members affiliated with the organization.
Members communicate through text-based chat, private messaging, threaded discussion boards, conversation transcripts that are automatically emailed, and messages that can be saved for someone who is not logged in. Members can:
· plan and conduct learning projects with colleagues and students
· participate in or lead topical discussion and groups
· manage and attend online courses offered by providers
· mentor other educators
· try out new ideas in a safe, supportive environment
Tapped In has nine team members who routinely partner with education organizations, school systems, and technology companies, and also engage in participatory design of new learning technologies with their user communities. The administration team helps by offering online orientation and tutorials, help via e-mail and chat, support and publicity for provider activities, daily hosted events, monthly newsletter emailed to members, experienced online meeting facilitators, customization, data collection, and training.
This site is well organized, and seems to be full of helpful information. It is a little overwhelming at first to see all of the different rooms and postings available, but I think with more time it would be easy to navigate. The information I was able to access as a guest was very educational. I read several discussions where teachers had questions and their peers were able to give advice based on their own experiences. Overall this was a good experience.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Week 3 Discussion
For the week 3 activity, I read chapters 9 & 10. I am amazed by the amount and types of virtual communities that exist and that I did not know it until now. I have surfed the net a million times, but guess I looked past them. The only ones I knew anything about were Facebook and MySpace and that knowledge was limited to what my nieces and nephew told me. As far as thinking about the web as a replacement for self and/or social support, I definitely had not made it to that point until this week. It makes perfect sense; I guess I just needed it pointed out. As far as a summary of the readings, here goes.
Chapter 9 discusses how society has switched its way of thinking, from worrying about natural occurrences and how they will affect us, to how we have affected nature and what we may have caused through science and technology. This idea means we have become a risk society. Reflexive modernization is a process of modernization that is characteristic of a risk society. In this type of society, progress is achieved through reorganization and reform by re-evaluating what is already being used by society. According to Renninger and Shumar (2002), a risk society feels the need to assess for and calculate potential risks in their lives. Individuals will seek out information for varying issues by way of self-help guides, manuals, and other guides for living. The authors believe that the internet has accelerated the spread of such activities and virtual discussion groups. With this change, individuals are researching issues on their own and asking advice from various sources, no longer relying on the “expert”.
Chapter 10 discusses the life-cycles of learning communities and states that learning communities go through a series of phases. The phases are:
· The first phase-idea is proposed to network-people respond or the life cycle for this
activity dies.
· Refinement phase-people exchange ideas to refine the idea
· Organizational phase-exchange of time-schedules, procedures, and software tools.
· Pursuit phase-activity is actually carried out.
· Wrap-up phase-person who proposed idea thanks participants and if successful
participants congratulate each other.
· Publication phase-activity is published for people who have not been involved in the
process.
Knowing about the different phases allows participants to integrate them more effectively with other educational needs/roles, and it helps participants to understand their role in the group.
Thanks, Tomi
Chapter 9 discusses how society has switched its way of thinking, from worrying about natural occurrences and how they will affect us, to how we have affected nature and what we may have caused through science and technology. This idea means we have become a risk society. Reflexive modernization is a process of modernization that is characteristic of a risk society. In this type of society, progress is achieved through reorganization and reform by re-evaluating what is already being used by society. According to Renninger and Shumar (2002), a risk society feels the need to assess for and calculate potential risks in their lives. Individuals will seek out information for varying issues by way of self-help guides, manuals, and other guides for living. The authors believe that the internet has accelerated the spread of such activities and virtual discussion groups. With this change, individuals are researching issues on their own and asking advice from various sources, no longer relying on the “expert”.
Chapter 10 discusses the life-cycles of learning communities and states that learning communities go through a series of phases. The phases are:
· The first phase-idea is proposed to network-people respond or the life cycle for this
activity dies.
· Refinement phase-people exchange ideas to refine the idea
· Organizational phase-exchange of time-schedules, procedures, and software tools.
· Pursuit phase-activity is actually carried out.
· Wrap-up phase-person who proposed idea thanks participants and if successful
participants congratulate each other.
· Publication phase-activity is published for people who have not been involved in the
process.
Knowing about the different phases allows participants to integrate them more effectively with other educational needs/roles, and it helps participants to understand their role in the group.
Thanks, Tomi
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Community is defined several different ways in our readings. Shumar and Renninger state that a physical community is understood to exist in contiguous space and to be temporally synchronous. They share concerns, resources, quality of life, help etc. Bruckman and Jensen define community as a group of people interacting with one another in some fashion.
A virtual community is defined as involving virtual interaction, social imagination, and identity using communication via websites.
A virtual community differs from a physical community because it is not defined by proximity but by it's contents of individual interest and can extend the range of physical community. They are alike in the fact that people interact with each other and share interests.
I think common interests, a sense of belonging, and the need to interact and have a voice is what brings people together in a community, physical or virtual. The virtual world enables imagination, identity, and value.
The internet has altered our sense of boundaries, participation, and identity by allowing for recasting of self and community, meaning that a person or group can revise their sense of possibilities.
As far as my experience with a virtual community, it is limited to classes at OUHSC. In this case I believe 100% that the people learn and construct knowledge by sharing with others in this type of community. I look forward to learning more about other virtual communities this semester. I have never been involved with any of them.
Thanks, Tomi
A virtual community is defined as involving virtual interaction, social imagination, and identity using communication via websites.
A virtual community differs from a physical community because it is not defined by proximity but by it's contents of individual interest and can extend the range of physical community. They are alike in the fact that people interact with each other and share interests.
I think common interests, a sense of belonging, and the need to interact and have a voice is what brings people together in a community, physical or virtual. The virtual world enables imagination, identity, and value.
The internet has altered our sense of boundaries, participation, and identity by allowing for recasting of self and community, meaning that a person or group can revise their sense of possibilities.
As far as my experience with a virtual community, it is limited to classes at OUHSC. In this case I believe 100% that the people learn and construct knowledge by sharing with others in this type of community. I look forward to learning more about other virtual communities this semester. I have never been involved with any of them.
Thanks, Tomi
Friday, January 23, 2009
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