Online Resource 1:
Online Resource 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUebJhGXKmo&feature=related
By: Bridget Heenan
2/3/2011
Creating a social presence in an online learning environment is crucial in order for one to have a successful learning experience. Social presence is when a person makes themselves seem “real” to others in the online learning community. When a person establishes social presences within an online learning community they are not just interacting with the group by posting comments but they actually feel as if they are part of a community where others gain insight on one’s character (Palloff & Pratt, 2007). It is not solely up to the student in the online learning community to create social presence but it is up to the instructor of the course to allow for an opportunity for students to create their social presence within the online learning environment. The instructor can do this by allowing for an opportunity for students to introduce themselves online before the class starts as well as creating threaded discussion boards for all members to participate in. The instructors have slightly different roles and duties when it comes to online courses.
Instructors and facilitators should act as “playground monitors” or gentle guides while participants “play in the sandbox,” developing the norms and rules as they go. Facilitators and participants must become equal partners in the development of an online community, as it is the participants who are the experts when it comes to their own learning. (Palloff & Pratt, 2007, p. 22-23)
If the instructors and the participants in the online learning community take on equal roles than the students will feel more open to share their thoughts with everyone online. Instead of feeling as if they were being judged every time they posted something within the online learning environment.
Palloff and Pratt are not the only ones that support the instructor and the students to take on an equal partnership within the online learning community. I found two videos on You Tube by 2turtlerun that supports the idea of equal partnership as well as making sure the instructor allows time for the students to create a social presence.
The two You Tube videos explicitly states how the instructor should or could set up their online class, so that students can establish social presence. One of the suggestions on how to create social presence is to have a designated spot for student bibliographies where they can post pictures and other personal information that the students would like to share with their online learning community in order to establish a social presence. (2turtlerun, 2009 November) In part II of the You Tube videos it discusses that the instructor should also share some personal information with the students to establish a positive social presence for all. In order to make sure that the instructor is encouraging a positive social presence the instructor should participate in the discussion boards in a limited positive manner which was also suggested by Palloff and Pratt. Part II of the video emphasizes that the instructors should also respond immediately to students emails and projects. An instructor may provide feedback with humor as well; however, to let the student know that one is using humor the instructor should use smiley faces or LOL.
An online instructor does not want to use too much humor that the students do not take them serious; therefore, when giving feedback the instructor could also use a strategy suggested within the video called love sandwiches. Love sandwiches allow for the instructor to start their feedback with a positive comment, then critique the student’s work giving positive constructive criticism, and then ending with another positive comment this allows for a positive social presence to be established between the instructor and the student.
Overall establishing a positive social presence is one of the most important aspects of having a positive online learning community experience. Palloff, Pratt, and 2turtlerun give many similar suggestions for creating a social presence on the student’s part as well as the instructor helping to facilitate that students have the opportunity to create a positive social presence within the online learning community.
References
2turtlerun. (2009, November 27). Social presence: how to facilitate it, part I [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VGM-G_7mQ0&feature=related.
2turtlerun. (2009, December 03). Social presence: how to facilitate it, part II [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUebJhGXKmo&feature=related.
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
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