My Twitter PLN

I've been an avid user of Twitter since 2011, and I've participated in a few chats --but for the most part, I just lurk. I think it's because I'm not sure that what I have to say is important or sounds smart enough. This week, I wanted to participate in the #engchat on Monday night. Unfortunately, I missed that one, but found #edchat instead. This chat is for all things education; the moderator, Tom Whitby, tweeted out a quick survey of topics last week for participants to vote on. The topic chosen was teacher autonomy. 

Here's my first thought: I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT TEACHER AUTONOMY!!! 

Then, I was scared that I was going to be stupid -- these are probably college professors, not K-12 teachers. So, I lurked for a few minutes until I could get a feel for the people who contributed. 

They were normal people!! ;-)

The chat wasn't as populated as some I've seen; I'm not sure how many were talking. And then, there were other people posting to the hashtag who weren't in the chat at all, so that was fun to maneuver around. This is really the first time I've paid attention to TweetDeck, and I'll have to admit, it makes life much more fun, especially for the specific conversations I want to follow. I will definitely keep that open and use it more.

Although I feel like I have a PLN -- other educators I follow and authors I love -- I'm not sure any of them would "know" me. I do tweet and have fun doing that, but like I said, I haven't been a big chat participant. That should definitely change, since I saw with this experience that my voice matters (I mean, I tell my students that every day, so I should start believing it for myself!).

Below are some examples of my time in the chat:

Critiques of Online Learning

Introduction

Online learning has opened avenues to courses that were never believed possible before. A quick Google search shows Ivy League universities such as Harvard have many courses that are self-paced -- and free--  for those who want to know more about politics, education, technology, and science, just to name a few (Harvard University, n.d.). The future of e-learning through Learning Management Systems (LMS), Massive Open Online Courses (Moocs), and hybrids (part face-to-face; part online) has exploded in recent years, forcing educators to reexamine their teaching methods and what it means to be a student in this environment.

Can Community Happen?

Researchers have sought to define how online learning works; one design was to determine the ways that students engage as a community of learners (Journell, 2010). The researcher found that students wanted to feel like they were part of learning together; however, due to inadequate training on the instructor's’ part the opposite happened. When both teachers and students see an online class as just a way to “get an A” community probably won’t happen. With no community, then, students may begin to feel that their social/emotional needs aren’t met (Zembylas, Theodorou, & Pavlakis, 2008). Why might instructors care about the emotions of their students, if they don’t meet face-to-face? Researchers showed that if the students believed they could talk with the professor and/or other students, that their stress levels were lowered and course completion rose. It is difficult to learn when all you’re doing is worrying about deadlines and your work. Peer reviews also help students and educators create community in online courses (Kloepper, 2017). Here, students share feedback on assignments and through discussion forums, creating a support system through a semester. Building a community is not only important in the learning process (especially if you believe in the constructivist view of education), but it also a most positive method of ensuring students will enjoy and learn from the course.

Planning/Implementation Is Key

Dixson (2010) asked the question, “What engages students in online courses?” and found that the biggest measure was whether the instructor implemented the course in an effective manner. If instructors only use the online course to replay the worksheet phenomena, no one will be given a positive review! Yes, the student has a responsibility to engage in the course; however, no one wants to rewrite notes from a Powerpoint, no matter if it’s on the computer or not. Learners want to see that what they are supposed to learn matters to the world outside their course -- are we discussing intriguing concepts; applying a topic to a novel situation at work/home; trying to find ways to connect globally? In other words, does the instructor plan for critical thinking and creativity? How has the instructor been trained? How can the instructor be supported to increase his/her skills in the new world of online teaching? (Bernard & Abrami, 2004)

Online Learning's Future

Online learning’s potential is incalculable. Using technology to show students the many ways they can connect to communities outside their own is just one way to open minds to the larger world. According to the following TEDTalk (Collier, 2013), online learning should be accessible to as many people as possible, especially given the problems of equity in access. And, instructors should be aware of how their students’ roller coaster of emotions will impact their learning and satisfaction with the course.

References

Bernard, R. M., & Abrami, P. C. (2004). How Does Distance Education Compare With Classroom Instruction? A Meta-Analysis of the Empirical Literature. Review of Educational Research, 74(3), 379-439. doi:10.3102/00346543074003379

Collier, A. (2013, June 20). TEDxStanford: The Brave New World of Online Learning [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/TRl9kmpNc6A

Dixson, M. (2010). Creating effective student engagement in online courses: What do students find engaging? Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 10(2), 1-13.

Harvard University • Free Online Courses and MOOCs | Class Central. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.class-central.com/university/harvard

Journell, W. (2010). Perceptions of e‐learning in secondary education: a viable alternative to classroom instruction or a way to bypass engaged learning? Educational Media International, 47(1), 69-81. doi:10.1080/09523981003654985

Kloepper, H. (2017, March 29). Peer Review in Online Education – Learning With and From Each Other - iversity Blog. Retrieved from https://iversity.org/blog/peer-review-in-online-education/

Zembylas, M., Theodorou, M., & Pavlakis, A. (2008). The role of emotions in the experience of online learning: challenges and opportunities. Educational Media International, 45(2), 107-117. doi:10.1080/09523980802107237