Building Community

Watch the following presentation about how online discussions can be used to engage students and support participation:

Discussion:

How Do You Create Community?

Within the definition of community provided at the beginning of this section, what do you see as the most effective way(s) to engage students in the blended environment? What role does the teacher play in creating a welcoming sense of community? How might a blended environment better support some students than a traditional face-to-face environment?

Before you reply in Google Classroom, review the discussion guidelines below.

----------------------Discussions Guidelines ----------------------

Original Discussion Thread Post

Criteria: Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of content.

• Post responds directly to the discussion question. It is evident from the post that the participant understands the discussion prompt by integrating key ideas from the session material.
• The participant employs higher order thinking skills (analysis, synthesis, evaluation) when responding to the discussion question.

Responses/Contributions

Criteria: Generates learning within the community while participation is evident throughout the module.

• Responds to 2 or more participants posts.
• Responses explain issues, provide new perspectives, effectively question, or meaningfully elaborate on the topic to deepen or extend the conversation.

Optional:

To learn more, read Edutopia's Mastering Online Discussion Boards (pdf).

Sources:

Leading Edge Certification for the Online and Blended Teacher - lecobt.org