Creating a learning community. . .

And opening it to the worldRichard Gordon, IT Communication Group

Mathieu Plourde, IT Academic Technology Services

Richard Gordon, Computer and Information Sciences

Mathieu Plourde, School of Education

Creating a learning community. . .

And opening it to the world

This is what we do when we actually teach.• Neither of us use one monolithic tool.

• We both use individual tools as building blocks—linked from one starting place.

• Technology must advance learning objectives!

• Richard: Undergraduate class -> learning community

• Mathieu: Opening a graduate “learning community” to the world

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Forging a learning community

• Diverse group of students, multiple majors, in CISC355 (Ethics) & CISC356 (IP)

• Community and Collaboration:• Share discoveries with each other

• Answer each other’s questions

• Work together in small (and larger) problem-solving groups

• If tech won’t help with this, I discard it.

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Simple things

• What are some of the common sense steps you take to build community?

• My list includes (but is not limited to)• Learn everyone’s name.

• Call on students by name.

• Score assignments within one week – if possible by next class meeting.

• Respond politely and publicly to online posts.

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The Usual Suspects

• E-Home• One place that links to all other tools—a landing place.

• Discussion

• Collaboration

• Sharing

• Review & Accountability

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The Usual Suspects

• E-Home (landing place): Sakai (or Canvas)

• Discussion: Google Groups (or Sakai Forums, or a PHPBB, or ….)

• Collaboration: Google Sites & Drive (or Canvas Pages or Sakai Wiki or….); Gore 218

• Sharing: Google Drive, Sakai Resources, etc.

• Review & Accountability: Android Attendance App, UD Capture, Quizzes

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Accountability and Community

• Technology makes me more accountable to my students at the same time it makes them more accountable to me—and each other.

• “You’re all responsible for all the reading and what happens in class every day.”

• “We are all responsible for advancing each other’s understanding.”

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Accountability and Community

• On Line Discussion (Google Groups or ….)

• You can’t just spout what you want.

• Graded assignments – with a published rubric

• Responsible to each other: Comment on each others’ postings.

• Responsible to each other: Summarize, provide basic biblio info, build points logically, and invite discussion.

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Accountability and Community

• Sakai quizzes due at class time: • Are you prepped for discussion?

• UDCapture: part of the class culture• Did I miss anything important?

• Android Attendance App• Miss class? Responsible to add to the online discussion

to keep quiz credit.

• Backend spreadsheet to help track.

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Accountability and Community

• Use Sakai Resources to share slides.• Review material from class or UDCapture

• Collaboration: students responsible to each other• Google Docs (or similar tools): shared note-taking (in-

class, out-of-class)

• Google Sites: publish research to rest of class

• Gore 218: • ATS wants me to talk about the technology.

• The students would want me to tell about the chairs.

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Accountability and Community

• Tried other things, too. For example, Diigo:• Social bookmarking or shared

bookmarking/bibliographic tools – would keep for a research or grad class

• Accountable for sharing research with each other

• Undergrads got confused by using two tools to share research and commentary on the research….

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Tools for building Community

• When we blend in-person and on-line elements to build our classes into learning communities, we enhance the value of our students’ education and experience.

• When I select tech tools, I try to keep that in mind.

• During question time, or afterwards, I’ll gladly answer any questions about what I do….

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It’s time for Mathieu Plourde

• My undergrad classes—build the group into a community.

• Mathieu’s grad classes—look outward—look at the class’s place in the larger open learning community.

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About EDUC439/639, aka #udsnf12• Title: Social Networking (for educators)

• New class, elective

• Built from the ground up by me

• Audience:• 20 students, half K12 teachers, half other professionals

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The multiple facets of openness

Credit: Steve Jurvetson on Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/156830367/

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Open Feedback

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My course evaluation

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Your final grade

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Open Toolbox

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Wordpress as a course gateway

http://openteaching.ud-css.netGordon and Plourde, WFI2013, 2012-01-22 22

Open by default

PUBLIC PRIVATE

Social bookmarking

Social media

Google Group

Cloud storage

LMS

Email

http://openteaching.ud-css.net/social-presence/Gordon and Plourde, WFI2013, 2012-01-22 23

Open invitation to outsiders

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Outsiders have answered the call!

• Experts are everywhere online• Pat Sine

• Steven Mangat, Alumni relations

• Laura Gibbs, online educator, University of Oklahoma

• Jane Bozarth, author, social media guru

• Kristen Swanson, author and Google-certified educator

• Jenny Brand, social media marketing professional

• Kim Hayworth, Stanford University

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Open Syllabus

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Open Content

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Open content

Used

• Only used materials openly available online

Created

• Licensed all materials I created as Creative Commons - Attribution

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Open Learning

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Student blogs

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My

shar

ing

loo

p (

20

12

)

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Open Classroom

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Synchronous

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Classroom roles

• Google Jockey

• Backchannel Moderator

• Archivist

• Recapper

• Ed Tech Analyst

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Open Archive

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#udsnf12’s digital footprint

• UD Capture

• Google Hangouts on Air

• Posts

• Slides

• Google Docs

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Open Community

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Credit: Jon Mott and David Wiley, Open for Learning: The CMS and the Open Learning Networkhttp://www.ineducation.ca/article/open-learning-cms-and-open-learning-network

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“Chance favors the connected

mind.” Steven Johnson, Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation

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Creating a learning community. . . . And opening it to the world• Questions?

• Discussion?

• Richard Gordon• richard@udel.edu

• Mathieu Plourde• mathieu@udel.edu

• mathplourde.wordpress.com/about

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