Modules

Online Learning is Dead; Long Live Online Learning

This Module will introduce the concepts of Digital Literacies, Participatory Culture, and Social Presence, which are integral elements in online communities (Session 1). The module also explores the pandemic-related popularity of online learning communities such as YouTube’s #withme videos and Reddit’s IamA subreddits (Session 2). 

In this Module, you will be introduced to the concepts of Digital Literacies, Participatory Culture, and Social Presence, which are integral elements in online communities (Session 1). You will also explore the pandemic-related popularity of online learning communities such as YouTube’s #withme videos and Reddit’s IamA subreddits (Session 2). Through a Mini-Ethnographic Research Assignment, you will apply the Community Indicators Framework to an online community of your choice by exploring attributes of a popular virtual community, such as participation, cohesion, authenticity, creativity, practicality, or necessity.

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

  • Define the key concepts related to online communities
  • Identify Community Indicators in a community of your choice

 

 

  1. Lecture 1: Online Learning Communities- Some Shared Qualities 
  2. Reading 1: Henry Jenkins, Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century, The MacArthur Foundation (pp. 1-11)
  3. Reading 2: Rena Palloff, Collaborating Online: Learning Together in Community, Academia (pp. 3-18)
  4. Reading 3: Rebecca Galley, Grainne Conole and Panagiota Alevizou, Community Indicators: A framework for Observing and Supporting Community on Cloudworks, Interactive Learning Environments
  5. Video 1: “As the Coronavirus Forces Faculty Online, It’s ‘Like Drinking Out of a Firehose”
  6. Video 2: “Inclusive Teaching in the Online Classroom”
  7. Podcast: The Pulse: The Science of Adult Learning
  8. Questions to Consider:
  • Against the backdrop of Jenkins’ (2006) definition of participatory culture on p.7, briefly describe an example from your own experience and say what made you feel connected (or not connected). (Reading 1)
  • According to Palloff and Pratt (2010), elements of effective online groups include the roles that must be played, guidelines for the group, and methods of evaluating progress and needed change. Please provide an example of an effective group experience and state why it was effective. If you do not have online experience, imagine what you think might work best and why. (Reading 2)
  • In contrast, Palloff and Pratt (2010) also list challenges for collaboration such as trust issues, resources, leadership, time management technical difficulties, or cultural differences. What are the top elements based on your own experience? Are these amplified during the pandemic? Why/why not? What are some activities you have participated in or conducted with others – or can imagine participating in or conducting – in the online classroom to foster these elements? (Reading 2)
  • Galley et al. (2012) have identified and defined four community indicators: Participation, cohesion, identity, and creative capability (pp. 6-7). Based on your own experience in virtual spaces, which ones have you encountered? Which ones were absent? (Reading 3)
  • The term “situated practice” refers to “immersion in meaningful practices within a community of learners who are capable of playing multiple and different roles based on their backgrounds and experiences” (The New London Group, 1996, p. 87). What kinds of “situated practices” are meaningful to you? Why? (Reading 3)
  • In your experience, what approaches provide a high quality online experience for learners? (Video 1)
  • What are some effective strategies that you may have experienced in your own instruction or learning for inclusive teaching in the online classroom? (Video 2)
  • What have we learned so far about the brain? How instruction and course design need to be approached? (Podcast)
  • Have you experienced any cognitive bias in your own learning (or instruction) experience? (Podcast)
  • Please answer the “Myth or Fact” questions. Which answers surprised you? Why? (Podcast)
  • The presenter makes the point that choice, interest, and relevance are crucial factors. Do you have any examples from courses you have taken – either online or on ground?  (Podcast)

 

 

  1. Reading 1: David Deming, “Online Learning Should Return to a Supporting Role,” The New York Times
  2. Reading 2: Doug Lederman, “Virtual Learning Will be Better this Fall. Right?,”  Inside Higher Ed
  3. Reading 3: Steve Lohr, “Remember the MOOCs? After near-death, They’re Booming,” The New York Times
  4. Reading 4: Parmy Olson, “Coronavirus Lockdowns Spark Boom in Online Learning for Adults, Too,” The Wall Street Journal.
  5. Reading 5: Julia Alexander, “With me” Videos on YouTube are Seeing Huge Spikes in Viewership as People Stay Home,”  The Verge
  6. Podcast:  How Reddit’s Coronavirus Community Became a Global Lifeline 
  7. Video 1: “StayHome and Help Save Lives #WithMe”
  8. Video 2: “Designing Notebook + Sketchbook Covers · Commission Time E.3”
  9. Video 3: “Read With Me (Real Time) + Timer | 10 Day Personal Growth Challenge”
  10. Video 5: “Shuffle Dance Tutorial | EASY Step By Step Footwork Tutorial”
  11. Video 5: “Yoga for Vulnerability | Move #withme | Yoga With Adriene”
  12. Video 6: “What Is Bipolar Disorder?”
  13. Lecture: Learning Outside of the Institution
  14. Questions to Consider:
  • Regarding remote learning, Lederman (2020) admits that “there may be no way for colleges and instructors to meet the expectations of students and parents,” while Deming (2020) suggests that “the best education continues to be intensive, expensive, and done in person.” In a brief paragraph, consider these assertions. Do you agree or disagree? Why? (Reading 1 and 2)
  • Both Lohr (2020) and Olson (2020) report on exceptional enrollment increases for online learning companies (like Coursera, Udacity, edX, and Udemy). What reasons do they give for the increases? Can you think of any other reasons? (Reading 3 and 4)
  • The article from The Verge and the Endless Thread podcast each highlight communities (YouTube, Reddit) that people participated in during the pandemic. Clearly, there are some obvious reasons why people might reach out to and/or form virtual communities during a quarantine, but consider how this participation is related to learning. What learner needs might such platforms fulfill? Have you participated in either of these communities to learn something? (Reading 5 and Podcast)
  • After you watch the #StayHome#withme video and sample some of the examples posted, note some qualities or conventions that they share. What do they do well? Less well? Is one of them particularly effective for you? Can you articulate why? (Video 1 and Videos 2-6)

Through a mini-ethnographic project, participants will have the opportunity to choose and explore attributes of a popular virtual community, such as participation, cohesion, authenticity, creativity, practicality, or necessity against the backdrop of fostering community and participatory culture in online instruction. For this mini-ethnography, your goal will be to explore and participate in one of the following:

Option A) YouTube’s #withme videos

Your participation can include one of the following depending on your interest and expertise:

  • Learner: Choose something manageable to learn and watch 2-3 YouTube videos
  • Instructor: Create a brief #withme video

1) Identify what you want to learn (i.e. drawing something in particular, playing a song, accessorizing your outfit, prepping a snack) or teach (what do you do really well?), and write a short description. Describe why you want to learn/teach this.

2) Learners. Take notes on this process and consider the questions that follow.

Choose 2-3 videos to watch. Before watching, consider your expectations for viewing and for learning. What do you think you’ll learn? How do you think you will learn it? Watch the videos. Note how the “instructor” engages the viewer/learner in each. Did you practice/participate along with the video? Did you pause, rewind, or fast forward the video? Did you need to watch it more than once? Did you learn or practice something you were interested in? Did you feel like you were part of a community? Did the videos meet your expectations? Would you consider using this platform for other learning opportunities? What are the benefits to learning something through YouTube? What are the drawbacks?

Instructors. Take notes on this process and consider the questions that follow.

Plan what you want to share and how you will share it. Collect props and any notes you’ll need to record. Will you explain your expertise in a lecture-style, demonstrate it, or some combination of approaches? Record a run-through and watch your video. What do you notice? Are there areas that need clarification? Would a different example be more effective? Were there challenges or benefits to this method? What outcome did you plan and did you achieve it?

3) Using the notes you took on your process and what we’ve learned in this module, write (or film) a reflection that addresses and analyzes your own participatory literacy. What can learn from these videos as online instructional settings? You might organize this reflection around Galley et al.’s (2012) Community Indicators Framework:

  • Participation: How do you participate? Why? How do others engage? What do you observe? What skills are needed for successful participation?
  • Cohesion: What are the performances users must enact to be considered a part of this community? What are the patterns of interactions in this community? What is effective? Why?
  • Identity: How do you perceive your place within the community?
  • Creative Capability: To what extent does the community create shared artifacts, knowledge, and/or understanding?

Option B) “Ask Me Anything” or AMA Reddit Group

Your participation can include one of the following depending on your interest and expertise:

  • Researcher: Research the AMA Reddit archives and find 1-2 of interest
  • Participant: Participate in 1-2 AMAs as audience
  • Expert: Offer 1 AMA as expert

1) Identify and describe your AMA and your role in this virtual community.

Write a short description (about 100 words) that identifies the virtual AMAcommunity you will explore. Describe why this particular virtual community is interesting and detail two research questions (the ‘big things’ you want to find out).

2) Collect resources about your virtual community

Find and read 3-5 academic articles related to your topic and collect data in the community by visiting the group online and by writing down your experiences or impressions of the community. You might tell a story about what you did and what you realized when trying to engage with or become a part of the community.

3) Analyze community indicators and your own participatory literacy and that of others against the backdrop of what we can learn from these open communities for online instructional settings. Decide on at least two clear research questions (the ‘big things’ you want to find out) as they relate to Galley et al.’s (2012) Community Indicators Framework:

  • Participation: How do you participate? Why? How do others engage? What do you observe? What skills are needed for successful participation?
  • Cohesion: What are the performances users must enact to be considered a part of this community? What are the patterns of interactions in this community? What is effective? Why?
  • Identity: How do you perceive your place within the community?
  • Creative Capability: To what extent does the community create shared artifacts, knowledge, and/or understanding?

Try to answer your questions by looking at the resources you have gathered. You might find themes across your resources, looking for common topics, common discussions, that lend insight into the group and your research questions. Develop conclusions (answer your research questions using the analysis).

4) Showcase your findings (without identifying information regarding participants):

Present your data in form of a Word document or Power Point presentation, including: the resources you gathered) and your analysis (show themes, patterns, trends or case studies) and formulate some easy to understand conclusions (in relation to your research questions).

Instructor