Can learning communities in the classroom find similar success online?
On Wednesday, I saw how Sam and Chad create learning communities with their grade 4 students. They invited a group of teachers from BISS, Rego, TIS, and IST to attend their upcoming EARCOS Teachers’ Conference 2009 workshop presentation here at IST.
It is common for EARCOS teacher workshop presenters to practice their presentations in front of an audience at their home school. This not only gives the presenters valuable feedback about their presentation but it also gives those of us who cannot attend the conference an opportunity to participate.
Sam and Chad shared with us a picture of students and teachers as co-learners who evaluate learning activities through four lenses: engagement, empowerment, experience, and evidence. If any of those four conditions cannot be met, they reconsider their approach or abandon the learning activity all together. If they can be met, they move forward. In their presentation, they showed us how these four core elements gave students and teachers alike enough support to develop personal interests while helping others develop their own (engagement); take ownership of learning and contribute to the learning of others (empowerment); stay in and step out of comfort zones (experience), and reflect on individual and group experiences (evidence). Through photos and stories they unfolded a picture of a community of learners.
Sam and Chad intend to extend their approach to creating a community of learners in the classroom to a community of learners online.
Can they apply their successful approach, the four core elements, online as well? I think they can. In an online setting students can feel engaged and create their learning experiences. Going online can expose them to people outside of our school community who have valuable knowledge and ideas. Sam and Chad have the right spirit. Now they need the right social tools.
So I recommend that they
- give Twitter a try
- set up Google Reader
- subscribe to a Diigo educator’s account
- sign up for Flickr
- pull them all together on their Blogger blog, 4 Core Elements
With these social tools they can create a personal learning network online that will strengthen their community of learners in the classroom.
Read Mike Romard’s 12 Easy steps to build your Personal Learning Network and Personal Learning Networks are Virtual Lockers for Schoolkids by Vicki Davis for more details and discussion.
Sam and Chad have an inspirational presentation to share, so if you are attending this EARCOS conference you’ll want find a seat for Creating a Community of Learners during session 2.
And if I were going I would be sure to check out Kim Cofino’s workshop called Connecting Classrooms across Continents: Planning and Implementing Globally Collaborative Projects.
Note: Cross posted on U Tech Tips.
