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Just because my classmates and I are located in different cities does not at all mean that we are alone. On the contrary, by using various communication tools available at our disposal, we are able to communicate frequently and meaningfully.
In my limited experience so far in the virtual classroom, I have already gotten to know a few of my virtual classmates. I can recall many classes in both my undergraduate and graduate programs in which I sat next to people for the entire semester and we never communicated at all. Just because you are sitting next to someone does not guarantee connections to occur.
Our reading this week discussed that "those students who possess strong feelings of community are more likely to persist than those students who feel alienated and alone (Tinto, 1993)." How do we best avoid feelings of alienation and isolation amongst distance learners? I think the best way to do this is to foster a sense of community and belonging right from the very start. One way to accomplish this is to assign one or more icebreaker activities so that students can get to know each other. This can range from the basic "tell us a little bit about yourself" to the fun questions such as "if you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you bring?"
In my own experience teaching Freshman Seminar, icebreakers (or "bonding") was one of the main components of the course. On the first day of class, my students played a fun game called "People Bingo" (http://adulted.about.com/od/icebreakers/qt/peoplebingo.htm)
The ice was broken almost immediately and students were laughing and chatting with each other right away. Although People Bingo may be difficult in a distance learning environment, there are many other types of fun icebreakers that can accomplish the same tasks. My favorite icebreaker which can easily be adapted to the distance education environment is "Two Truths and a Lie" (http://wilderdom.com/games/descriptions/TwoTruthsAndALie.html)
In my own courses, aside from assigning icebreakers, I also plan on having my future distance education students work in groups of 5 to 8. I believe that working in groups fosters a sense of community and allows students to get to know each other. I am already enjoying working in our group, The Fab Four, and I think that each of our group members feels the same way. My Freshman Seminar students worked on a big group project and presentation last semester and I am learning now how easily group communication and collaboration can be accomplished at a distance.
Another way of developing online community in my own classes is personalization. I am a mother of an eight month old boy and I belong to an online community called "What to Expect"(http://www.whattoexpect.com). In the discussion forums, we post about issues regarding the parenting of young infants (everything from teething to selecting a stroller). Most people personalize their posts with custom signatures which include fancy fonts, photos of their babies, countdown to first birthday tickers, etc.
I think these custom signatures are very easy to make and foster a great sense of community. I feel that this concept of personalization can be implemented in distance education classes that I teach in the future. Students can create custom signatures with photos of their pets, logos of the favorite bands, etc. I really feel that this would help students get to know each other better, which again fortifies the sense of community.
This week's reading suggests that "social capital includes the knowledge and network resources that reside in and are available for a community to use toward the common good" (Imel, Stein). In my future distance education classes, I plan having my students benefit as much as possible from each other's knowledge and resources.
For example, I would have students post to a wiki in order to share resources and knowledge. Last semester my Freshman Seminar students were working on the theme of homelessness throughout the semester. If this were a distance education class, I would expect students to post to the wiki articles, resources, links, etc. relevant to the topic of homelessness. I believe that this wiki usage would bring about feelings that "we are in this together."
~Michelle Freeman~
