Prompt: Individual blog post #1: How can teachers effectively build relationships by encouraging safe communication and interactions in K-12 online & open learning spaces? What did you already know, what do you know now based on the course readings and activities, what do you hope to learn?

I have always believed in the collaboration aspect of education as well as the use of zone of proximal development. As stated by Garrett (2018), the zone of proximal development “reinforces how knowledge and learning increase through interaction and collaboration”. However, now I can further expand my knowledge and understand some of the impacts of online learning and how we can select tools to support growth and peer learning. It is interesting how research demonstrated there was positive outcomes related to progress of learner to content interaction. However, the others (learner to learner and learner to teacher) had less of an impact (Garrett, 2018). In contrast, it also recognizes that it could be due to the design of the courses. This realization stresses the need to effectively consider all situations as it demonstrates the need to create purposeful online learning surfaces. As such, this aspect leans into the social presence model as described by Garrett (2018). Therefore, educators must create a lesson plan that supports meaningful connections and interactions.

Made using Tech Smith Capture, retrieved from: https://secure.onlinelearningconsortium.org/effective_practices/integrating-social-presence-model-maximize-blended-and-online-learning-experienc. Quotes from Garrett (2018) reading

In order to build safe conversations and relationships, courses must follow a purposeful design. For example, group projects and peer comments create a dialogue between students. Without these aspects it would have been hard to collaborate especially if you did not enroll in the class with a friend. This makes me think of students who are transitioning to a new school (whether that be due to moving, or grade level) who are supposed to form new connections and work collaboratively. As such measures and tools must be in place to do so. If we as educators set parameters that support interaction, there can be connections made. As such, including group work and various multimedia surfaces (Padlet, Slack, Freshgrade, Google… etc) can benefit the learner, which can thus expand beyond classroom work and into friendships. It is also important to consider the privacy of these and where the information is being stored as this can cause ethical concerns and make it inaccessible. As discussed in Regan and Jesse (2019) article, privacy is a key concern amongst parents and we as educators need to be aware of that. In my previous courses, I met new people, expanded my PLN as we collaborated using Facebook messenger and now the class is over, yet we are still connecting!

All in all, I believe that technology has served as a great tool especially during these uncertain times, however I still believe that in person classes are essential as it is harder to meet human connection. Therefore, I still think that although it may be effective for some, it is not always ideal for all circumstances. The same can be said for in person as there are benefits and challenges for different models as we all learn differently!

Made using Tech Smith Capture retrieved from https://www.leadsv.com/hcn

However, with these readings I am able to learn and further discover techniques and tools that can further develop skills that may seem to be missing online!

References

Garrett Dickers, A. (2018) Social Interaction in K-12 Online Learning. In R. Ferdig & K. Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 509-522 ). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.

Regan, P., & Jesse, J. (2019). Ethical challenges of edtech, big data and personalized learning: Twenty-first century student sorting and tracking. Ethics and Information Technology, 21(3), 167-179. DOI: 10.1007/s10676-018-9492-2

What is Human-Centered Instruction? https://www.leadsv.com/hcn