Rationale
The Community and Inquiry Model (Garrison, Anderson and Archer, 2000) was indeed useful to keep in mind when choosing the communication tools for my online course, but mainly because this model fits in with the pedagogical approaches I adhere to. The mention of interaction between peers, between teacher and student and the student with the actual content of the course itself, conceives learning as being a social act whereby knowledge is acquired by the learner interacting with others and with the content itself. At the same time, the mention of ‘cognitive presence’ and ‘interaction with content’, presupposes that learning is a cognitive process and we should therefore aim to provide tasks and activities that induce various stages of the cognitive process. However, this model only supplied the model for creating a ‘community of inquiry’; however, unless we also choose a model for structuring all these tools with clear learning outcomes in mind, we risk losing our way. With this in mind, I chose to structure the tools and activities of my course around Kolb’s experiential cycle:
[Taken from: Retrieved 15/06/09.]
The type of things I try and do in my courses in an attempt to cover these stages are:
Concrete Experience – connecting to students’ experiences, opinions, feelings thoughts, conceptions, beliefs
Reflective Observation – Getting students to observe; notice, reflect, identify and accommodate knowledge in relation to their experiences or knowledge, interact
Abstract Conceptualization – solve problems, analyze, interpret, think, evaluate, interact
Active Experimentation – produce, apply, use, communicate, reformulate
Unfortunately, as I misunderstood the Assignment/Assessment instructions in the course (ETEC 565), I have not yet created my Modules on my Moodle LMS. However, I have it on paper, and feel it important to summarize what part of my course is about in order to place the communication tools I chose within a context.
Student Profile
Mexican high school students in a private school; good knowledge of English; own updated computers and have access to high speed Internet; they are all within the same time zone.
Course Information and Main Aims (not the subsidiary aims)
American English Literature Course based on the textbook “The Interactive Reader Plus for English Literature – American Literature” (McDougal). Main aim of the course is not only literary analysis, but also to use the texts as a spring board for critical thinking and relating themes to modern life in an attempt to apply what students learn.
Communication Tools chosen
I chose Discussion Forums and chat for work with the first text “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Discussion Forum : Turning Back the Clock
Purpose: 1st stage of cycle, connecting to students experience,feelings. (Cognitive Presence/stimulating schemata)
Chat: Youth and Aging/ Prolonging Life (separate groups)
Purpose: Give students a space for working on and organizing their project. My course Lesson (once I upload it) will ask students to choose one of the twp topics, research it and present it as: a Power Point slide show; a short essay; a radio talk show or they may propose otherwise. Their final work, however, must have some social use, even if only informative. This works towards the final stage of the cycle ‘apply’, though students may experience the whole cycle on doing their research and producing the final project. (Social Presence/social construction of knowledge/ Cognitive Presence/ student interacts with content.)
Discussion Forum: Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment/answers
Purpose: 2nd stage (observation) students read, answer questions and (Separate Groups/Visible to all)discuss. They discuss text and reach conclusions on allegory, going thus unto the 3rd stage.(All three spheres of The Community and Inquiry Model)
Discussion Forum: Dr. H’s Experiment/allegories Purpose: 3rd stage of cycle, students share findings and conclusions.(All three spheres of The Community and Inquiry Model)
Limitations or Advantages
I feel these tools will produce more results than when I work face to face, as often very few students actually participate in class. With these tools, and students knowing their participation counts, more reflection on the text will actually take place. Limitations will be promoting an adequate amount of participation.
One reply on “Communication Tools”
Thank you for your contribution.