iTeach180 Project Day 27

Introducing online learning communities

During our last session students created presentations highlighting the positive and negative aspects of social media. Each student group researched social media and conducted interviews with students, teachers, parents, administrators, and guidance counselors. Their finished presentations highlighted how social media can have a positive and a negative effect on a student’s identity.

This week we will be taking what we know about social media and working with learning communities. Today’s lesson will focus on the parameters and guidelines for becoming a contributing member of an online learning community.

Objectives:

Students will be able to define an online learning community

Students will be able identify guidelines for using an online learning community

Process:

Today’s lesson will be guided by student research and analysis of various learning communities that can be found online. Students will work in groups of two to three (depending on class size and your procedures for grouping students). Each group will analyze a different learning community and present a list of guidelines (rules) for using that learning community. Students will take some time to join the learning community and find ways in which a student can use this tool effectively in a high school setting.

Here is a list of learning communities your students can research:

1.     Wikispaces

2.     Flickr

3.     Diigo

4.     Facebook

5.     Goodreads

Each student group must present the following items at the end of this project:

1. Address the following questions:

·      What is the objective of the learning community you researched?

·      How can this type of learning community be used in a high school?

·      How are members using this community to further their learning?

·      What are some downfalls of this learning community?

·      How could you make this learning community better?

2.  What type of community decorum guidelines would you suggest to students?

·      Develop a list of guidelines your group feels are necessary for getting the most out of this learning community.

3. Observe how others interact on this site

·      Present ways this site can be used effectively by students

·      Present ways in which you could foresee students using this site irresponsibly.