Module 2 Community Building

Introduction to Online and Hybrid Course Development and DeliveryGeorge Williams College

One of the most commonly heard phrases today is, “We’re all in this together.”From high-level leaders to local school board members to teen-agers offering service, this is the mantra of our time. This mantra makes visible what, untillately, has been invisible: community, the web of our interconnections, the safety net of caring that we extend to one another.(Wheatley 2009)

Online learning can be a lonely place! Collaborative activities can help

alleviate feelings of isolation. By learning together, students can

extend and deepen their learning experience.


Formulate a shared goal Negotiate guidelines Post Introductions and Learning

Expectations Forming Teams Real Life Examples Dialogue Shared Facilitation Feedback


VoiceThreadhttp://www.voicethread.comA tool for having conversations!


Keep and Sharehttp://www.keepandshare.com/Keep and Share is a group file sharing

system. Accounts are password-controlled and secure enough to store sensitive information.


Writeboardhttp://writeboard.com/ Whiteboard is free collaborative writing

software. It can be used to write, edit, track changes, and rollback to previous versions.


Twiddlahttp://www.twidla.comTwiddla works very well for online meetings

or co-browsing. Groups can use it to mark-up and comment on web pages, images, and other content.


Stixyhttp://www.stixy.comStixy works like an online bulletin board or

whiteboard. It offers a work space where you can place content and collaborate with other people on the web.


ReviewBasicshttp://www.reviewbasics.com

This free online service is great for people who are collaborating and editing different types of content. ReviewBasics allows users to share, annotate, and markup everything from images and videos to documents.


Palbeehttp://www.palbee.com

Palbee is a free video conferencing tool with multiple capabilities. Users can conduct video meetings with other people or record a video presentation for later viewing.


Edmondohttp://www.edmodo.comEdmodo is rather like a private Twitter.

Students and teachers can use this free (and private) microblogging platform to communicate online. Edmodo also provides file sharing and file storage.


SimplyBoxhttp://simplybox.comSimplyBox allows users to capture specific

images, text, and video and then organize their finding into an easy-to-share box. Conversations and comments can then be placed around the box and shared once more.


Mikogohttp:/www.mikogo.comThis free desktop sharing software can be

used for online meetings, web conferences, presentations, remote support, and other collaborative efforts. Mikogo is incredibly simple to use and download.


Vyewhttp://vyew.comVyew is a relatively new collaboration

platform that can be used for webinars, online conferences, and real-time learning and instruction. No installation is required and all activity can be tracked and logged.


While there still may be no substitute for face to face interaction, the tools presented provide opportunities for collaboration and community building. Consider using them along with traditional blogs and wikis to build community in your own learning spaces.


Technology

Module 2 Community Building