Developing Community

Portfolio Assignment from Developing Community Module

Fostering Digital Literacy through Digital Citizenship

Direct link to Fostering Digital Literacy through Digital Citizenship document: https://goo.gl/yDpchx

Reflection:

After reading this module's materials, in what ways can you best promote the importance of community in various settings...

• Whether in an online forum or a face-to-face professional learning opportunity with only three people.

• What elements from this module will you take forward?

• How might an online, blended, or virtual environment provide better support to participants than a face-to-face environment?

After reading this module’s materials, there are several ways to promote the community in the given settings. For a small group of three people in either an online or face-to-face environment, activities can be set up as a group activities. For example, a jigsaw activity in which each person is responsible for one part of a larger reading and then “teaching” or sharing that information would promote accountability, deepen the understanding of their selected portion, and then provide them an opportunity to teach and learn from others. The end product could be a collaborative slide deck, Google Doc, Padlet, VoiceThread, or an online Voxer chat. I see a rich conversation that could take place as a result of this type of experience. The key is to actively engage each of the participants and provide a variety of opportunities that go beyond a discussion forum to have a discussion.

There are several elements from this module that I will take forward but most important to me is the understanding that the learning does not stop when teachers are not “in class”. Creating non-threatening and inviting ways to connect with participants will be key in getting teacher buy-in as part of a larger PD plan. In our district, online learning will be a new experience for many of our teachers and recognizing this, I must create a learning environment that is safe and respectful with activities that are meaningful and engaging that get at the heart of the content and provide opportunities for teachers to apply the learning to their own classroom. Having goals for each activity makes them purposeful and recognizing what goals each teacher brings to the course makes it more meaningful for their own learning. My ultimate goal is to build community across our school sites, grade levels, and district so that teachers have a trusted and knowledgeable network they can access as needed. Creating these types of courses and workshops will help to model and foster that district-wide community and establish positive norms (and change a culture!).

In an online, blended, or virtual environment, it is easier for the instructor to assess where their students are because each student is accountable to the activities within the course. In a face-to-face environment, it is much harder to draw the reluctant teachers out to engage if they do not want to. It is still possible depending upon how the activities are structured, however, in an online setting, there no place to “hide”. Having this type of accountability in an online environment helps to individualize the support for the students. As an online instructor, I have witnessed struggling student and was able to reach out, understand the issue they were struggling with, and provide additional support and clarification so that they could be successful. The ongoing communication that is essential in the online environment provides opportunities for more individualized support.

Direct link to Module 4 Reflection document: https://goo.gl/9pCzlx