Article Summary of Online Communication
Cayla Redmond
Grand Canyon University: EDU 535
Instructor Corrie Wilson
October 24, 2017
Article Summary of Online Communication
Technology continues to increase and become a more prominent way of learning. Online education is a more convenient way for students of various ages and backgrounds to continue their education. With more online programs being offered the online learning environment is continuing to expand. Working towards a degree online is a lot of work, it is not as easy as one would expect. Actively participating in the online community creates a better learning environment for the students and others in the course. This article Read- Only Participants: A Case for Student Communication
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in Online Classes by Nagel, Blignaut and Cronje (2009) will summarize the main points of importance in communication in online learning. Community of Learners Continuous interaction is highly important in the online learning community, without interaction students become invisible and lack contribution. “In a collaborative learning environment students develop critical thinking skills and a shared understanding and deep learning, while retaining learning over the long term” (Garrison, 2001, pg 39). Actively, respected and well thought out discussions in an online community create room for students to interact and support each other properly. If students do not contribute in class discussions, reply to other classmates or have open communication with the instructor, they will not be as successful in online courses. Facilitator Participation In the online community the instruction must be actively present, just as actively present as the students.
“Students become more involved in an online conference when the instructor participates as guide, providing extensive critique, feedback, and encouragement” (Collison, 2000, pg 39). Without having an instructor that is actively present, the learning and collaboration between students is often hindered. Collins, Brown and Holums (1991) explain that interactive learning helps provides an instructor to see what the class many be struggling with, issues in the class and lack of communication. Therefore, interactive learning and online community collaborative can increase with a present instructor there to offer insight, understanding, knowledge and …show more content…
clarity. Pros and Cons of Online Communication Nagel et.
al. (2009) states that as more formal education courses are available online, quality and non-completion remain problems. Research shows that active participation online is necessary to a student's success in the online communities. When a student actively participates in discussions, interacts with peers while also interacting with an instructor has a higher rate of success and less likely to drop out of the course. Nagel et. al. (2009) explain that dropout rates for online classes range from “ 20 to 50%, often 10-20% higher than” for equivalent face-to-face course (pg. 38). Reasons like poor connectivity, high cost, personal matters have been reasons for dropouts and low participation in online classes.
Conclusion
Quality over quantity is a meaningful quote in the case of online communities, it is more important to post fewer high quality discussions that create collaboration and interaction with peers, than to post an abundance of discussions with little contribution. Nagel et at.(2007) agreed that participation and interaction significantly relate to success in online
courses. References Collins, A., Brown, J. S. and Holum, A. (1991). Cognitive apprenticeship: Making thinking visible. American Educator, 15(3): 6–11. Collison, G., Elbaum, B., Haavind, S. and Tinker, R.(2000). Facilitating online learning: Effective strategies for moderators, Madison, WI: Atwood Publishing. Cox, G., Carr, T. and Hall, M. (2004). Evaluating the use of synchronous communication in two blended courses. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 20: 183–193. Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T. and Archer, W. (2001). Critical thinking, cognitive presence, and computer conferencing in distance education. The American Journal of Distance Education, 15(1): 7–23. Nagel,L.,Blignaunt, A.S., & Cronje, J.C. (2009). Read only participants:a case for student communication in online classes. Interactive Learning Enviornments, 17(1), 37-51. doi:10.1080/10494820701501028 Williams, B. (2004). Participation in on-line courses—how essential is it?. Educational Technology & Society, 7(2): 1–8.
The past two decades have seen an almost exponential rise in the availability and popularity of online college classes and degree programs. Their pervasiveness begs the question as to the difference in a credit or degree earned in an online setting versus that of the traditional classroom. These two educational delivery systems will be compared from the perspectives of flexibility, the student experience, the impact of technology, and the issue of acceptability of online classes and degree programs.
To those who have never experienced an online community they may seem pointless, a waste of time or simply childish. However, for those that have expanded beyond the traditional means of communication such as, talking on the telephone or conversing face-to-face, online communities offer a new and exciting means of communication. They offer a chance to meet others, gain advice, voice an opinion, defend an argument, or to simply relax and have a little fun. Acknowledging both points of view, I decided to explore the world of online communities for myself.
In the book “Reclaiming Conversation”, the author Sherry Turkle quotes, “She as intoxicated by the feeling of being part of a vibrant and growing movement. But the website couldn’t get people to put real signs on the real lawns. It couldn’t get people to declare themselves to their physical neighbors.” (Turkle 296). In these sentences Sherry Turkle explains that even if people join big communities online, they will still lack the presence in the community.
This paper is based on computer mediated communication, how it transformed the nature of our interpersonal relationships, and what effect it has on the quality of our interpersonal relationships. In this paper, I will be explaining what computer mediated communication is and the form of computer mediated communication that I will focus on for this topic is Facebook. Computer mediated communication is a process in which human data interaction occurs through one or more networked telecommunication systems. They take place through many types of networking technology and software. This includes email, messaging services, and social networking sites.
There are also many conveniences and benefits to taking an online class over a traditional, face-to-face class. Many students benefit logistically, financially, and from the course structure itself. Online classes provide the student with more opportunities to be successful in their coursework. Online courses can be completed based on the student's own schedule, provide for faster and less nervous interactions with instructors, and in many cases, are more educationally beneficial setting alternatives to traditional, face-to-face classes. In fact, Sixty-seven percent of academic professionals evaluated online courses as equivalent to as or better than face-to-face courses (Lytle).
A highly valued view of building the community is that students must have the capability to motivate themselves and the likelihood to be active in both educational and social experiences. Socializing contains a variety of features from transferring messages to self-disclosure. Online professors can support the socialization by making a forum for discussions. The term ‘water cooler forum’ came from workers gathering at a water cooler to socialize with one another. For the online professor, this concept of socializing is done in an online forum where both student and the professor participate.
In a traditional class when working on group assignments students get to work on the assignments together inside class and outside the class. Students get to get to know more of one another in a traditional class and get to physically accomplish their tasks in the classroom. Online classes have no face-to-face communication with any of their peers and that makes it harder for them to accomplish assignments because it makes it harder for them to build team relations within the students. Ferdig, R. E., & Roehler, L. R. (2003) state that: “Researches has suggested that the use of discussion forums has the potential to increase interactivity in classrooms”. Face-to-face communication within a classroom is a better way to interact with other colleges and its a better way to build team
5). In addition to instructional design and organization, building understanding and direct instruction are also key components of teaching presence (Anderson et al, 2001). Thus, an instructor’s ability to design, plan, structure, and organize online courses vastly increases in the absence of face-to-face interaction (Swan, 2003; 2004). Research suggests that teaching presence is a vital component in regard to student learning and satisfaction (Arbaugh & Hwang, 2006; Blignaut & Trollip, 2003; Garrison & Cleveland-Innes, 2005; Kanuka, Rourke, & Laflamme, 2007; Lim & Barnes, 2002; Meyer, 2003; Murphy, 2004; Shea, Fredericksen, Pickett, & Pelz, 2003; Shea, Pickett, & Pelz, 2004; Swan, 2003; Wu & Hiltz,
Today’s generation is like no other. The nation as a whole has completely evolved from past times, with technology being one of the greatest improvements. Traditionally, schooling takes place in a classroom setting, but, with the many modifications in our world’s system, we are able to assimilate more modern means of education, such as online learning. However, with many changes comes differences and requires adjustments. The online learning system has proven to be just as effective as traditional learning, with some minor differences, however, nothing of great significance. A few of those insignificant differences include online learning being convenient, especially for the non-traditional students,
This article made some interesting evaluations; online learning was a big dilemma for me when I decided to go back to school. While I possessed the discipline to attend online, I did however lack the skills needed to maneuver within my course of study. After attending a classroom-based school with some online classes, I made a decision to continue my studies online. The teachers design and interaction meets my level of understanding and when I’m not sure of an assignment, I simply contact them via e-mail. I feel the author did a great job in addressing his chosen topic, showing both the strengths and the weaknesses of his study.
Orellana, A. (2006). Class Size and Interaction in Online Courses. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 7(3).
Throughout the development of education, online learning is becoming more and more popular. Some students think it is good for them since they can get the latest news on the Internet. On the other hand, some students prefer to use their computer to play games rather than study. Educators debate whether implementing online learning might improve students’ academic performance. Online education is rapidly increasing and becoming as a feasible alternative for traditional learning. According to a study in 2008, which conducted by the U.S Department of Education, back in 2006-2007 academic year, about 66% of postsecondary public and private schools began participating in student financial aid programs offered some distance learning courses, record shows only 77% of enrollment in for-credit courses being for those with an online component (Agarwal, 2013). In 2008, the Council of Europe passed a statement endorsing e-learning's potential to drive equality and education improvements across the EU (The Standing Committee, 2008). There is strong evidence that implementing online learning can help students learn better than traditional learning since it can increase learners’ responsibility, select learning materials according to their skills and learn the updated materials.
This number has clearly multiplied since the school year 1997-1998 in which only 1.6 million students were enrolled in distance education courses (Eaton, 2001). Online education has reached and continues to reach to those students that cannot attend a traditional university setting due to constant mobility that Bauman refers to as liquid modernity. Technology has created accessibility for higher education, however it also formed a barrier. The main purpose of this paper is to take a look at the barrier technology has played for students, faculty, and quality assurance agencies while participating in the use, delivery, and evaluation of online
In recent years, technology has become the most used and preferred way of communicating, extending across many platforms. All of these programs, such as e-mail, instant messaging, social networking websites in conjunction with text messaging and the ability to access all of these entities on the go, have come into fruition based on the immense and widely found growth made in technological advancements that have occurred in our society. With this, a massive change has developed in regards to referencing how we as humans engage in communication. We have now shifted into a society that relies heavily on the existence of digital communication, whether it be through the means of a mobile device (text messaging) or the Internet (Facebook, Twitter,
Some students within society need to have online learning to complete college degrees due to their lifestyles. While it is good to have online learning as an option if one chooses, it should not be the only option available to some students. Some may argue that online education is not creating discrimination within the educational environment. Furthermore, some may suggest that online learning is benefiting our students in society. There has been a breakthrough in time and geographical limitations of education via online courses (Ho, 2009).