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Category: Online

Random thinking about discussion

Published June 6, 2020

In various conversations about online courses recently, I’ve shared some of my random thoughts about online discussion. Such as… When done well discussion has great value. Engaging in a discussion can help students: explore a diversity of perspectives recognize and investigate their assumptions increase their intellectual agility show respect for others’ voices and experiences develop students’ capacity for clear communication and so on. When planning for a discussion I tend to complete four steps: Start by thinking about the purpose of the discussion. What is my instructional goal? How does it relate to helping students achieve the learning objectives/outcomes. Then…

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“Getting to Know You” Activities

Published June 6, 2020
“Getting to Know You” Activities

“Getting to Know You” activities are an important consideration when establishing social presence in courses. My students are educators and learning experience designers so my “getting to know you” activities are sometimes design oriented — serving two important goals: social presence and design thinking/exploration. In addition these activities serve as low-stakes opportunities for orienting students to various tools and platforms (e.g., Flipgrid). I use these activities at the start of a semester as well as throughout the course for reconnection purposes because I don’t think one getting-to-know-you activity during the first week of a course is sufficient. Establishing social presence…

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Reliance on visual cues during web conferencing

Published July 23, 2018

Every time I facilitate a live web conference / webinar, I am reminded of how much I rely on the visual cues from the audience. People nodding, taking notes, talking to a neighbor, or even glaring at me with arms crossed across their bodies…those cues give me information that encourages me, informs me, and often redirects me. I am not a good multitasker. So, my other challenge — one commonly expressed by people working in synchronous technology-mediated spaces — is that I want to deliver a smooth presentation while at the same time attend to the high volume of text-based…

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Three-pronged approach to online discussions for learning

Published July 20, 2018

In my experience, designing and facilitating online discussions for learning requires a three-pronged approach. The three prongs are: relevance, expectations, and preparation. Relevance Students are busy folks…they don’t have time for busywork and resent activities that feel like phluff. An online discussion for learning needs to be relevant and have a clear purpose for students to attend to it in personally, professionally, and/or academically meaningful ways. If the online discussion they are being asked to participate in is seen as irrelevant then they will fail to contribute to the discussion as hoped, and will fail to take anything of value…

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