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The student to student model is always a good reminder about peers teaching peers, but the importance of the teacher "checking" that knowledge, vetting it, to ensure that the knowledge is correct.
While I'm a fan of interacting with students and peers through blogging and vlogging, I have noticed that self-conscious students shy away from being on camera and will even take point deductions in order to not have to record a vlog assignment. Use of an avatar or photo for the visual while recording voice has been one alternative solution, but I'm curious if other instructors have encountered this shrinking violet phenomenon, and what they've done to try to help student overcome this aversion to being "seen". --TG/ACC/LA
It's nice to see there's an acronym for what I've been doing instinctively: ADDIE. And now I'm off to spend more time with ADDIE...
The concept of the "guide on the side" shows that the teacher is paying attention but not trying to steer the conversation. That said, providing feedback or insight can help bolster student interaction and confidence, especially if the student tends to be more introverted -- various techniques like the open question help to draw them out of their shell and join in the discussion.
Lead by example, and make sure that there isn't any badgering or bullying going on within posts and online forums/chats. I also learned a new acronym: ADDIE = Access, Desing, Develop, Implement, Exectute!
The Frequently Asked Questions forum sounds like a good way to address questions that continually come up, while reducing the amount of time needed to respond to each student asking a similar question. FATQ also applies.
A lot of the advice and guidance harkens back to lessons learned in the previous century... was 1996 really that long ago? The "think before you speak" reminds me of advice from my father, along with the "communicate with control" i.e., don't let your emotions run rampant (reel it in) and make every effort to be courteous -- this netiquette reminder is a good way to start the class, and to refresh if students lose sight of the community spirit.
I liked the idea of using social networking to help the students better learn, interact, and "network" with their peers -- the difference between social networking and social media was also a good observation, with the former being more focused to those with similar interests, and the latter being the broader medium with a wide audience of varying interests and goals. Although this might seem like a "no brainer" THIS brain didn't think about it until reading this lesson.
This time around I gained a stronger sense of the importance of community within the student body, and the various online approaches which lean into chat boards and collaborative projects. The importance of closure also was a key "aha!" moment -- a sense of an ending. Wisdom as old as Aristotle that always makes me wonder, "Why didn't I (already) think of that?"
If students do not self-identify, it is difficult to know whether a learning disability exists. In past, I've always checked with the dean/director of education if a student has mentioned that they have a learning disability but has not self-identified to the powers that be. Their needs are important, but the disability needs to verified to ensure that the student is not "gaming the system."
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