Module+2

Please post your reflections to the readings in Module 2 Here: Taking classes online was very new to me when I had started my bachelor never thinking I would of made it into the graduate program, but here I am. Act times I do feel alone in the online community, I use the syllabus like it was my best friend. Almost all of my classes has had a discussion board, which guided me when I was confused about something, many times I thought that I was alone. The discussion board show me that I was not the only one having problems. The teacher or the other students was right there to help me, and I help them as well. I love working from the comfort of my home, rather it be in pajamas, I could work at anytime of the night as long as I wish. My classes I have learned how to deepen my learning and have a better understanding from my online classes, teacher and peers. I never knew this was team learning until I read the article "Learning Together in Community". I did not realize how much we help each other in our learning experiences. I did understand and knew about the elements of community, I have done this in obtaining both of my degrees, but I did not know it had this special name. The readings have taught me how important it is to be a part of a team, in the online environment learning atmosphere. How to have a successful team by knowing what to expect out of each person, like the time frame for each individuals because everyone time is important. The aritcles for this module is definitly a keeper that I will use in my online teaching experiences in the future. I like the idea of the three things to keep the research fun and upbeat Celebrate success, plan for interaction and communicate about other than just the projects I will use this in my classroom or maybe see if I can use this tacit at work. Melissa

While reading "Why Teams Work in Online Learning" I realized there is alot more to online learning and teaching than what I know. The virtual reality team study sounded very interesting as it put students into a real world experience where they had to figure things out for themselves. I think this would be a great tool, although would not be relevant for every learner. I noticed throughout the article/chapter that there were a lot of references as to how they would structure the discussions and team work, and therefore a lot of direction given to the students. I think this is very important with online learning especially in group settings. Students need to know what is expected of them and what they will need to do in order to be successful. Working with a group can be difficult for some people so the more direction given, the easier it will be to figure out how the group will work together. Another thing that really stood out to me was the idea of trust in team members. I never realized how important trust is until I started reading this, but it is true. In order to work together and feel comfortable with your group members you do have to trust them. You have to know they will complete their part of the work and attend the meetings. Without this, one person may feel like they are carrying another which can cause resentment and ultimately lead to feelings of frustration. A group that cannot get along, will not be successful. While reading "Learning Together in Community: Collaboration online" I realized yet another important aspect of teams in online classes, social presence. The article states that working online can be lonely and students can feel disconnected. To help with this teachers can bring students together as teams and allow them to get to know each other even though they are not face to face. The social aspect of any class is very important and can make a student feel more comfortable with attending classes and learning. If the students are not put into groups they may not have a chance to really get to know one another. In getting to know each other the students learn more from each other. The idea of social presence seems to be one of the more important aspects of online learning. Interesting concepts and ideas to keep in mind for the future. Andrea