Having taught online courses, the one thing I always wonder, even worry, about is whether the students are really engaged. Not that they always were in the classroom!
I've been reading a lot by Lave and Wenger lately, on communities of practice and legitimate peripheral participation in apprenticeship-style learning. They mention technology, but don't explore the topic very far.
Made me wonder how technology fits into their concepts: do we expect students to be able to dive in and use what we've chosen, or can they "hang around and observe" for a while and then try it out? Can we create a community online?
That said, I've been "hanging around" this course and observing more than participating so far. Not for lack of interest or engagement, but just too darn busy to become more engaged.
Barb, I'm also in the middle of reading Lave and Wenger right now (perhaps you have the book currently out from the library). I would think that much of it transfers into online learning. You may be interested in an article I read just last night:
ReplyDeleteCowen, J. (2012) Strategies for Developing a Community of Practice: Nine Years of Lessons Learned in a Hybrid Technology Education Master's Program. Tech Trends. 58 (1).
Also, have you looked at Garrison, Anderson and Archer's Communities of Inquiry model?