Blog 2, Part 2
Describe how the online communities were structured and how the technology was designed to facilitate community activities, knowledge building and learning and change. What are the implications for your design and delivery of the course, if you are the instructional designer, trainers or an instructor?
Chapter 10 describes the life cycles of network-based learning communities. The text describe six cycles that a learning community experiences. Growth happens over a continuum and some stages may overlap one another (pg 270).
Stage 1. The Proposal stage occurs when the idea for an activity is proposed. In the Zero-g Project the first stage or proposal stage occurred when the proposal message was posted on an electronic bulletin board. The message included the purpose of the study, the goals, participants and applications of the study to instructional design.
Stage 2 or the Refinement stage is when interested participants contact the study designer for clarification of the study and participants involvement. The Zero-g Project utilized a phase of inquiry of interested participants and attempted to recruit a variety of participants. This stage depends on active communication between the designers and the potential participants. The Zero-g project used email, phone and person to person activities during this stage. During this stage the topics of equipment and technical needs were also discussed. A key component of the refinement stage is that of commitment to the researcher goal by the potential participants and is required for the relationship to continue.
Stage 3: The Organizational stage is when the roles, rules and boundaries of the study are presented. During the Zero-g study participants came and left during this stage. This stage defines how the project is going to be carried out and the timeframes required to do so. The needs of the participants are addressed here for items to carry out the study. The Zero-g study mentioned that the teachers need of computers and ancillary support equipment was addressed during this stage (ch 10 page 278). The decision to how the teacher would fit this course content into her regular classroom responsibilities was determined here.
Stage 4: This stage is the Pursuit stage and is characterized by observing how the study or project is actually carried out. The design challenges were described during this stage. Program requirements were followed in the Zero-g study. The pursuit stage required problem solving and brain-storming to be successful. At times the Zero-g project bogged down related to time pressures and the competition of other classroom requirements in addition to the course requirements of the study.
Stage 5: Wrap-up stage. During this stage the project developer or researcher thanks the participants for their contribution to the study and the participants end their work. Again the boundaries of the study were kept and the study did not continue on past the defined time in the design proposal.
Stage 6: The publication stage. The publication stage is when the designer or researcher puts his or her study out for others to read and replicate. The design methods and outcomes are included so that others wishing to pursue the same study to a different population may do so.
The information in chapter 10 gives students such as I insight in to the successful development and implementation of the delivery of an instructional course. It would be best to learn from the text and other studies which were carried out as to how to proceed and carry out a study successfully. Much time can be saved by heeding the advice of those who have previously designed successful learning environments. It is prudent to learn from their successes and failures in the pursuit of successful course development.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Blog 2, January 31
I am posting late due to problems with the server and my lack of experience with posting blogs. Maybe I will get it figured out soon. : )
Blog 2, January 31, 2007
I have read chapters 9 and 10 of the Renninger & Shumar text. I did enjoy reading both chapters. I thought it was interesting to read how members of communities would rather listen to advice from non-professionals than professionals. I was reminded that in times past information give and take occurred between family members and neighbors more so than via professionals. I am speaking of the times when families lived close to one another and neighbors were more involved in each others lives. Younger women consulted the old women on advice from mothering to managing a household and other pertinent issue of the times. Women would gather to work together with a common goal of food preparation such as canning the crop yield, sewing etc. The community would gather to build barns, homes and other structures and help their neighbor. Many conversations regarding advice were exchanged at these types of gatherings. Today, our society is scattered more than in days past. We no longer have the congregating of families and friends to store food or sew quilts etc as was once a practice of survival. Families have moved apart and are fragmented making it more difficult to get advice from one another. The internet is a medium that brings individuals together in a community of sorts.
The professional contacts in the past were from physicians who practiced their medical work via home visits and not in offices. Today it is different. The availability of professional advice is limited to the practice of making appointments and paying with insurance and/or cash methods. I think that people seek out advice from peers online in much the same fashion as our parents and their parents did except the internet is available for the connection rather than just a walk down the street. Where I live, there is very little sharing of information from neighbors; I do not knock on doors to ask advice of any issue. The sense of community is distant rather than close enough to seek experience or advice. This is not to say that I am a not a good neighbor but neighborly behaviors exist in both being willing to be available for each other. I think that using the internet or advice from peers allows one to gather a variety of suggestions and then choose which advice seems to fit the need. I think that with the availability of “experts” online one uses these individuals as credible consultants for issues and advice.
Question 2 will be posted in a separate blog, I fear getting my work truncated again.
Julie
Blog 2, January 31, 2007
I have read chapters 9 and 10 of the Renninger & Shumar text. I did enjoy reading both chapters. I thought it was interesting to read how members of communities would rather listen to advice from non-professionals than professionals. I was reminded that in times past information give and take occurred between family members and neighbors more so than via professionals. I am speaking of the times when families lived close to one another and neighbors were more involved in each others lives. Younger women consulted the old women on advice from mothering to managing a household and other pertinent issue of the times. Women would gather to work together with a common goal of food preparation such as canning the crop yield, sewing etc. The community would gather to build barns, homes and other structures and help their neighbor. Many conversations regarding advice were exchanged at these types of gatherings. Today, our society is scattered more than in days past. We no longer have the congregating of families and friends to store food or sew quilts etc as was once a practice of survival. Families have moved apart and are fragmented making it more difficult to get advice from one another. The internet is a medium that brings individuals together in a community of sorts.
The professional contacts in the past were from physicians who practiced their medical work via home visits and not in offices. Today it is different. The availability of professional advice is limited to the practice of making appointments and paying with insurance and/or cash methods. I think that people seek out advice from peers online in much the same fashion as our parents and their parents did except the internet is available for the connection rather than just a walk down the street. Where I live, there is very little sharing of information from neighbors; I do not knock on doors to ask advice of any issue. The sense of community is distant rather than close enough to seek experience or advice. This is not to say that I am a not a good neighbor but neighborly behaviors exist in both being willing to be available for each other. I think that using the internet or advice from peers allows one to gather a variety of suggestions and then choose which advice seems to fit the need. I think that with the availability of “experts” online one uses these individuals as credible consultants for issues and advice.
Question 2 will be posted in a separate blog, I fear getting my work truncated again.
Julie
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Addendum to first blog
I apolize for the problem with the font color choice and the background color, I realize this may be difficult to read. I will get better at this!! I felt great panic when I thought I had lost my entire blog, but after searching around I found my blog. Of course, had I went to the "Help" section, I might not have needed to panic or at least my panic could have been less intense. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.....say this 3 times....well....perhaps it will work.
This is the first time I have used a blog to journal or share some of my thoughts via this method for others to read. This first blog is in reference to an assignment for course EIPT 6423, Web-based design.
1. What is a community(how is it defined)? What is a virtual/online community? What brings people togther and what motivates them to stay together as members of a community? Cite examples from the recent issues of the Time magazine and/or from your personal experience with a real or cirtual community you belong to and discuss the concept of a community.
2. How are the real community and the virtual community similar and different at the same time? How do the emerging technologies, specifically the internet, "alter our sense of boudaries, participation, and identity" of a community(p 14, Shummar & Renniger)?
After reading the first question, I decided that doing a compare/contrast column would basically answer questions one and two. I have used the Renninger & Shumar text for the class as the basis of my answers.
PHYSICAL COMMUNITY:
Physical communities are less flexible and less durable. The are organized according to power such as in a church or kinship. Physical communities are bases on personal relationships and bonds of caring. They tend to be organic. Contents of interest are shared in a shared space. Communities are understood to exist in contiguous space to be temporally shynchronous, they share concerns and resources, quality of life, help etc. Physical communities have symbolic boundaries. Some examples of physical communities I have been involved in would be as a member of a church choir, we have a place to meet, we have a focused goal,%
1. What is a community(how is it defined)? What is a virtual/online community? What brings people togther and what motivates them to stay together as members of a community? Cite examples from the recent issues of the Time magazine and/or from your personal experience with a real or cirtual community you belong to and discuss the concept of a community.
2. How are the real community and the virtual community similar and different at the same time? How do the emerging technologies, specifically the internet, "alter our sense of boudaries, participation, and identity" of a community(p 14, Shummar & Renniger)?
After reading the first question, I decided that doing a compare/contrast column would basically answer questions one and two. I have used the Renninger & Shumar text for the class as the basis of my answers.
PHYSICAL COMMUNITY:
Physical communities are less flexible and less durable. The are organized according to power such as in a church or kinship. Physical communities are bases on personal relationships and bonds of caring. They tend to be organic. Contents of interest are shared in a shared space. Communities are understood to exist in contiguous space to be temporally shynchronous, they share concerns and resources, quality of life, help etc. Physical communities have symbolic boundaries. Some examples of physical communities I have been involved in would be as a member of a church choir, we have a place to meet, we have a focused goal,%
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