1.
Online Learning in the
Social Web
Michelle Pacansky-Brock
email: mpb@teachingwithoutwalls.com
blog: http://mpbreflections.blogspot.com
1
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

2.
The skills and tools necessary
for effectively teaching an online
class are changing along with
the learning trends of our
college students.
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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

3.
Objectives:
Trace the current learning trends of college
students, stressing the relevance of
participatory learning.
Identify skills and tools necessary for teaching
interactive online learning environments
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4.
Who is Learning Online?
•In 2008, 1 in 4 college students were enrolled in
at least one online class (4 million+ total)
• 82% of online college students are undergrads
•Undergraduates (18-24) do not remember life
before the internet
Allan and Seaman. Learning on Demand: Online Education in the United States, 2009.
Babson Research Group and Sloan Consortium. http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/
survey/learning_on_demand_sr2010 4
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

5.
New Generation, New Society
Haaaley on Flickr Taminator on Flickr
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6.
A Student’s Life Outside the “Classroom”
• Socialize face-to-face and online
• 95% of 18-24 year olds use a social network (70% daily)
• Create & share online content
• 45% share videos online (YouTube)
• 42% contribute content to wikis
• 37% contribute to blogs
• 35% use podcasts
• Have immediate access to information
• 86% own a cell phone
• 51% own a hand held internet device
Source: Smith, Salaway, Borreson Caruso. ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and IT, 2009.
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http://www.educause.edu/ecar
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

7.
Participatory Learning is Commonplace
“Since the current generation of
college students has no memory of
the historical moment before the
advent of the Internet, we are
suggesting that participatory
learning as a practice is no longer
exotic or new but a commonplace
way of socializing and learning. For
many, it seems entirely
unremarkable.”
The Future of Learning Institutions in a Digital Age by Cathy N. Davidson and David Theo Goldberg with the assistance of Zoë Marie Jones. From
the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning. MIT Press: Cambridge, Massachussets, 2009.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

8.
Use of Technology in College Learning -
Is It Relevant for Today’s Students
89% of undergrads have used a Learning
Management System (Blackboard, Moodle, etc.)
• 67% used PowerPoints • 28% used social networking
• 47% used Spreadsheets • 12% used blogs for learning
• 73% used college website • 6% used podcasts for learning
Source: Smith, Salaway, Borreson Caruso. ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and IT, 2009.
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www.educause.edu/ecar
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

9.
Learning Management System Marketshare
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10.
Observations
• Online classes are now an expectation of today’s
student.
• Colleges/universities have responded with
increasing offerings each year
• 17% increase in online in 09, 1.2% overall higher ed (Sloan-C)
• The learning environments within online classes are
reflective of tools provided within the LMS package
and lack opportunities for student-generated
content and participatory learning in a visual,
multimedia context.
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11.
New Approaches to Online Teaching
“In reviewing the literature,
many suggest that while the
content and the learning
outcomes are the same, the
manner in which that content
is delivered and the
interactions with students
are quite different.”
Watwood, Nugent and Deihl. “Building from Content to Community: [Re]Thinking the Transition to Online Teaching and
Learning,” VCU Center for Teaching Excellence, 2009.
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http://blog.vcu.edu/cte/2009/05/cte_white_paper_on_online_teac.html
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

12.
New Approaches to Online Teaching
•Web 2.0 and social media hold enormous
potential for 21st century online learning
• delivery of content
• interactive, participatory student learning
Watwood, Nugent and Deihl. “Building from Content to Community: [Re]Thinking the Transition to Online Teaching and
Learning,” VCU Center for Teaching Excellence, 2009.
12
http://blog.vcu.edu/cte/2009/05/cte_white_paper_on_online_teac.html
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

13.
What has not changed?
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14.
Effective Teaching Online Practices
Remain Unchanged
Chickering and Gamson, 1987
• Encourage student-faculty contact
• Encourage cooperation among students
• Encourage active learning
• Give prompt feedback
• Emphasize time on task
• Communicate high expectations
• Respect diverse talents and ways of learning
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15.
Online Instruction Models
Rubric for Online Instruction (CSU Chico)
http://www.csuchico.edu/celt/roi/
Best Practices for Online Delivery Instruction (FSU)
http://wiki.ferris.edu/fckb/index.php/
FSU_Best_Practices_for_Online_Delivery_of_Instruction
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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

16.
Effective Online Course Design Models
Remain Unchanged
Learning Management System (Blackboard, Moodle, etc.)
asses smen t
asses smen t
asses smen t
unit 1 unit 2 unit 3 unit 4 unit 5 unit 6 unit 7 unit 8 unit 9
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17.
Effective Design of an Online Learning Unit
Remains Unchanged
Anatomy of a Learning Unit
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18.
What has changed?
Delivery of Content
Interactions with Students
Watwood, Nugent and Deihl. “Building from Content to Community: [Re]Thinking the Transition to Online Teaching and
Learning,” VCU Center for Teaching Excellence, 2009.
18
http://blog.vcu.edu/cte/2009/05/cte_white_paper_on_online_teac.html
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

19.
How does Web 2.0 differ from Web 1.0?
content created by web specialists
web users read, collaborate,
content created by anyone
web users “read” content
edit, and participate
http://docentesenextremadura.wikispaces.com/PALE.Web+2.0+applications 19
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

20.
New Tools for Online Learning
Web 2.0
• collaborative, participatory learning
• encourage social connections
• critical thinking through content creation
• opportunities for real world learning
• text, images and video (the human voice!)
• personalized learning spaces
• community building powerhouses
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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

21.
New Skills and Challenges
• Staying current on new tools
• Writing rubrics for participatory learning activities
• Rethinking your online course assessment plan
• what weight will participatory learning
activities carry?
• formative vs. summative assessments
• Stronger emphasis than ever on
facilitation skills
Laurie Burruss
• Community building is paramount
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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

22.
Course Delivered in an LMS & Enhanced with Web 2.0 Tools
Blackboard
Blackboard
• announcements
• weekly units
• grades
• collaborative learning activities
• students apply new concepts/ideas in a peer-
to-peer setting w/feedback from instructor
• students maintain a reflective blog responding to
specific prompts (writing enhanced with media)
• environment provides for personalization and socialization
• students complete summative evaluations (3 times/semester)
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23.
http://www.voicethread.com 23
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24.
Comments from students in response to video feedback to
a specific prompt (on first slide). student(s) from
Comments in text, audio or video. instructor
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25.
Student text
comment.
Student audio
comment.
25
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26.
Compare to the Blackboard Discussion Board
text-centric
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27.
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28.
please view this VT presentation for more examples and
student comments, survey feedback
http://voicethread.com/share/908650/ 28
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

29.
Student Survey Results
101 students surveyed, 87 responses received
(88% response rate)
80% strongly agreed or agreed that
VoiceThread contributed to
establishing a sense of community in
the class.
88% strongly agreed or agreed that
VoiceThread enhanced their ability to
understand visual concepts (vs.
learning in Blackboard alone).
(Pacansky-Brock, 2008)
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

30.
Student Survey Results
101 students surveyed, 87 responses received
(88% response rate)
94% strongly agreed or agreed
that hearing their online
instructor’s voice through
VoiceThread’s audio comment
feature increased their sense
that she was actively present in
their learning experience
(versus text-only feedback).
(Pacansky-Brock, 2008)
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

31.
Student Survey Results
101 students surveyed, 87 responses received
(88% response rate)
98% strongly agreed or agreed that
receiving video communications
from their instructor through
VoiceThread’s webcam video
comments increased their sense
that she was actively present in
their learning experience (versus
text-only communications).
(Pacansky-Brock, 2008)
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

32.
Student Comments
I think that the rapport is equal if not more between the
students in this particular class compared to actually
attending one on campus. ... In a campus-based class
no one would hardly ever have the chance to read each
others' work.
When signing up for this class I thought it would be the
same as the others… a bunch of reading, no interaction
and the occasional test. This class was nothing like I
had ever taken before. I really enjoyed all the interaction
between the students. It is pretty close to actually
having a class without actually being present.
(Pacansky-Brock, 2008)
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

33.
Student Comments
(cont’d)
VoiceThread is an amazing tool and a great way to bring
the students/teacher together and to learn. I really feel
that this tool was a big part of our learning and I hope to
see more teachers utilizing it in their on-line classes. ... I
truly am not looking forward to the end of this class.
[The professor] has created a virtual world for her
students to communicate with each other and learn
from each other. The VoiceThread provided an
opportunity for all of us to see each others' comments.
It helped me to learn and feel like I was a part of a class
even though I was in class from my home.
(Pacansky-Brock, 2008)
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

34.
a simple, FREE way to leverage social networking
interface for learning, within a closed-environment 34
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

35.
Active Learning with Blogs
Weekly Prompts to Apply New
Ideas, Learn from Each Other
2 images: same object
phographed by student in
two different lighting
conditions
500 word written
analysis of
observations, applying
color and light terms .
Comments from other
students, noting additional
observations and replying to
students’ analysis.
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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

36.
Active Learning with Blogs Art Visit:
• attend a major art museum or
two gallery openings
• view artworks, apply key terms
learned in class
• write a 1,000 word reflection of
your visit
• document visit with photos
• post to your blog in Ning
Outcomes: Collaborative blog
environment promotes sharing of
different perspectives and ideas.
Students often attend the same
exhibit and have completely
different experiences, identify
similar or different “favorite”
works of art. Connects
curriculum to real world. 36
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

37.
Sample Reflective Blog Rubric
Adapted from http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec296/assignments/blog_rubric.html 37
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

38.
Ning Student Page Sample
Options for Personalized Learning Environment
may add images
(this student chose to scan and
share a collage assignment that
was submitted as part of an exam)
may share videos
from YouTube
blog (only required Ning
element for the course)
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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

39.
Communicate “Community” as a Course Value
•establish “community
groundrules”
•hold students
accountable to them
• participate in the
community, modeling
these defined
behaviors
•students will feel safe,
ensured that they’re
working with shared
values and goals
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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

40.
Customize Profile Questions
build community, get to know your students,
identify concerns immediately
‘open’ questions are posted
to the student’s profile page
for other students to view
‘locked’ questions are private
exchanges btw student &
instructor
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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

41.
Be Creative!
Masterpiece Blog Award:
Peer-nominated award for
blogging excellence. Winner
receives prestigious extra
credit prize.
Builds community.
Enhances engagement,
morale.
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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

42.
Student Survey Results
161 students surveyed, 138 responses received
(86% response rate)
81% of students surveyed reported the use of Ning
created a sense of community in this class.
(Macfarlane, Molina, Pacansky-Brock, 2008)
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

43.
Student Survey Results
161 students surveyed, 138 responses received
(86% response rate)
68% of students surveyed
reported they spent more time
to write their blog posts in Ning
than they would to write a
traditional discussion board
post.
83% of students surveyed
reported the use of the blogs
and comments in Ning was an
effective discussion tool.
(Macfarlane, Molina, Pacansky-Brock, 2008)
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

44.
Student Survey Results
161 students surveyed, 138 responses received
(86% response rate)
76% of students surveyed reported
the sharing of pictures and videos in
Ning resulted in a more personalized
learning experience than text-based
learning alone.
90% of students surveyed reported
seeing pictures of their fellow
classmates helped them feel more
connected to the class discussions
than text-based learning alone.
(Macfarlane, Molina, Pacansky-Brock, 2008)
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

45.
Student Comments
Please provide some feedback about the way Ning has been used in
this class. Has it been helpful? Why or why not? How would you
change the way it's being used?
Ning is a great way to keep the atmosphere upbeat.
Makes the class seem less cold as an online class tends to
be, makes it friendly and very interactive with other
students.
I love Ning! There is such a sense of accomplishment when I
look at my page. Knowing that I wrote all those blogs and
other students read and appreciate them is such a motivator
to continue the good work.
(Macfarlane, Molina, Pacansky-Brock, 2008)
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

46.
Student Comments
(cont’d)
I really enjoyed NING because honestly it reminded me a lot of
myspace/facebook. I could talk with my peers whenever I
needed to and it was really effective to blog my thoughts and
assignments and see other students do the same.
It was odd at first, seeing people's pictures and 'blogging', as I
have never participated in this kind of forum before, but I found
that I liked it, I felt more like I knew my fellow classmates than
in other classes.
Ning makes it feel like a classroom, I mean we're all here at some
time or another interacting with one another.
(Macfarlane, Molina, Pacansky-Brock, 2008)
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

47.
Teaching with Ning Resources
www.teachingwithoutwalls.com/resources
10-minute video
showcasing the Ning
interface and how to
integrate it with an LMS for
PDF - how to create a online learning
closed Ning network 47
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

48.
Teaching with VoiceThread Resources
www.teachingwithoutwalls.com/resources
PDF - how to comment in PDF - how to create a
a VoiceThread VoiceThread 48
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

49.
by Valerie Everett on Flickr
Michelle Pacansky-Brock
mpb@teachingwithoutwalls.com
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Wednesday, April 7, 2010