Blog Post 2: Creating a Community in Online Learning

     In today's post, I will be discussing three different practices that teachers can use in order to build a sense of community in online learning. Online learning used to be something that only college students had to utilize, and even then it was minimal. The fact is before 2020 we all had no idea that comprehensive learning could really happen in an online setting for elementary, middle school, and even high school students. I mean, how could the teacher possibly implement a lesson plan without being right there with the students? The global pandemic forced everyone to take a step back and use tools that we never even knew were available, like zoom! Utilizing these tools is the first step in creating a community for your online learners. Explore all of the apps and websites until you find one that best suites the needs of you and your students, is user friendly, and cohesive. Trying to learn remotely can be challenging enough, the last thing students and teachers need to deal with is technical difficulties that can prevent them from gaining the knowledge they need and completing their tasks. There are many sites to choose from, such as, Zoom, BlueJeans, Google Meet, Skype, Microsoft Teams, Melon, Big Blue Button, and many more, but instructors need to use care in picking one that allows for their students to stay engaged, track participation, and allow for ease of communication with instructors and peers. Picking the right platform is the first key step. 

    The second practice an online instructor should implement is staying connected with students. Online learning is a challenge for everyone, especially for the young students that have no prior experience in remote classes, so this adjustment can be a major learning curve. It is so important for the instructors to give all their students their full support and attention. Teachers can do this by regularly checking in with students, especially those who's grades seem to be dropping, offer remote tutoring, and making sure they are giving their students every tool and all the information to set them up for success. It can be so easy to feel isolated in an online setting. In my experience, I have often felt as if the teacher wasn't really there and I was basically teaching myself everything with little to no support, this can also lead to feeling defeated and lonely which is why so many children have struggled so much with their mental health the past three years. Therefore, it is vital for online teachers to ensure all of the students are equipped with all the materials they need, create a cohesive and easy to follow lesson plan, and of course, check in with students regularly to make sure they actually understand what their doing and offer support when needed. 

    Lastly, in order to create a feeling of community and togetherness, instructors can regularly organize things like ice breakers and games to get students acquainted with each other and their teacher, thus making them feel more comfortable in the setting. Every single second does not have to filled with work and lectures, students deserve brain breaks and they provide perfect opportunities to work together on fun things and get to know more about their peers to form connections. For ice breakers, teachers should think outside the box. Don't simply have the students introduce themselves and give a fun fact. They will be uninterested and simply want to get it over with instead of being engaged. Instead, play games like Marooned, Six Word Story, a "What Am I" game, or Get to Know You BINGO. These are just some of the different and fun ways of getting students to get to know each other or team build. These kinds of activities can be implemented every once in a while when students, and even teachers, need a break and time to rest their brain. They can simply have fun together and form bonds without even realizing. 

    The practice that is most appealing to me is staying connected with students! As a current preschool teacher the one thing I value above all is forming and maintaining a close bond with my students to make sure they know they are safe with me and that I am always here to help. The success of my students will be a direct reflection on me so I would want to ensure any students that may need extra help and attention get just that. Not only do I want to check on their knowledge and understanding of the material, but even more importantly in an online setting I would want to regularly check with them regarding how they're feeling and overall just making sure the pressures and stress of life and school are not getting the best of them. My number one priority will always be the well-being and needs of my students so this practice is a no-brainer for me. 

    

Blog Post 1: Educational Theories and Online Learning

 Blog Post 1

    The first theory about learning that I want to discuss is behaviorism. This theory emphasizes how people intereact to their environment. Over time, these interactions, or stimuli, form particular behaviors. This process is known as conditioning. Behaviorists are mostly concerned with the responses to environmental stimuli and have no interest in the things that cannot be physically observed, such as physcological aspects. In short, behaviorism states that behavior is learned from the environment and has little to nothing to do with innate or inherited factors. 

    The next theory I will go over is Cognitive learning. This theory was developed by Jean Piaget and it focuses on internal processes surrounding memory and information. This style of learning is designed to help one maximize their brain's potential and make it easier to connect new information with exsisting ideas and thus enhancing retention and memory. Cognitive learning has three main components. The first is comprehension which means that one must understand the reason why they are learning a specific thing in the first place. The second is memory. Having a deep understanding of what is being learned improves one's ability to relate new information to existing ideas. The last component is application, where one will apply new information in real-life situations thus continuing to develop problem-solving skills. 

    The last theory I wish to discuss is the theory of connectivism. This is a relatively new theory that is built on the idea that technology brings people together and creates new learning opportunities. This theory accepts that technology is a major factor in our learning processes and promotes that learning can successfully happen through digital channels like social media, blogs, and videos. George Siemens and Steven Downes stated that connectivism occurs when an individual turns to technology to solve a problem. Some examples would be googling a question, searching for something on social media, or texting someone. This theory has eight principles which are, learning and knowledge rest in the diversity of opinions, learning is the process of connecting, learning may reside in digital, non-human appliances like an app, social media post, or video, the ability to learn more is critical and more important than what we already know, to continuously facilitate learning, nurturing and maintaining connections is needed, one needs to be able to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts, accurate and up-to-date knowledge is crucial, and decision making is a learning process in itself. 

    Next, I would like to talk about asynchronous and synchronous learning. Asynchronous learning is a student-centered teaching method that is widely used in online learning. The premise of this kind of learning is that learning can occur at different times and places particular to each learner/student. Whereas synchronous learning is all types of learning in which instructors and students are in the same place, at the same time in order for learning to take place. This method refers to in-class instruction or live online meetings. Asynchronous typically allows students to go through the learning path, set up by the instructor, at their own pace while in synchronous learning, students go through this path together with support from their instructor. 

    

    There are many positives and negatives when it comes to learning online. Some positives are, students can usually operate at their own pace, it allows for students to develop better problem solving skills, learning can happen on the students schedule, reduced social anxiety, and online learning overall contributes to better health of both learners and instructors. This is because the flexible schedule allows for them to get more sleep or take breaks as needed and the distance keeps contagious illnesses from spreading. However, like with anything, there are downsides. Some disadvantages are, lack of social activities and face to face learning with teachers and peers, it is harder for students to recieve assistance from instructors, in some cases the students feel as if they have to teach themselves the material, technology is a learning curve, and online learning can intensify feelings of anxiety and isolation. There really is no right or wrong in this scenario. I personally believe that young students benefit more from the structure and social interaction of in-person classes and college students are more able to succeed at online learning, especially when having to also work. At the end of the day, learning is subjective to each individual student, what works best for one person may not work for another. 

                                                                                                                            Carissa Jordan

 Welcome to my Blog

Hello readers!

    My name is Carissa (Dembinski) Jordan and I am a student at Columbus State Community College where I am enrolled in the early education program. I am currently working towards earning my associates degree then plan on slowly but surely getting my bachelors in early education. I was recently married at the end of September to my lovely husband. We have two golden retrievers together and plan to build our family after I finish my associates. At the moment, my hobbies include reading (I prefer fiction), listening to podcasts, mostly those of true crime nature, babysitting outside of work, cooking, and lots of cleaning. Most of my time is spent with my preschoolers as I have worked in preschool for over a year now and worked with toddlers before that. I am currently 23 years old and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for me in my career in education. 

    I have always had a passion for working with young children. From a very young age I began babysitting and even volunteered in an after school program when I was a freshman in high school. There I assisted elementary and middle school students with their homework and kept them entertained until their parents got off work. Not long after graduating high school I began working at a childcare center called Barrington. There, I was the assistant teacher in the older toddler classroom for a year then promoted to the lead teacher role. I learned a lot during this time, especially the value of teaching emotional regulation and being a safe space for those young children as they navigate their big emotions. I currently work as a teacher in the preschool age classroom at Kiddie Acadeny of Dublin. I love working with this age group because I still get to help them learn emotional regulation but I also get to watch them learn and improve on things like writing, math concepts, science, and art. Some of my favorite times are those spent with my students in our classroom. 

    The main reason I enjoy working with children is because they give me a fresh insight on things and keep me on my toes. I am constantly having to adjust to their current interest which has forced me to become very flexible with my work. I also love getting to see the world through their eyes. Children have such a positive outlook on things which is so refreshing. Hearing the excitement in their voice over the littlest things has the power to turn the worst days into the best. Lastly, I love getting to form close connections with each of my students and I hope I leave a positive impact on their lives like some of my teachers did for me. After I earn my associates I plan on continuing to work in preschool as I work on getting my bachelors. Once I finish that, my hope is to begin teaching in K-3 grades and continue to not only teach my students how to add, subtract, read, and write, but also how to be a good, kind human in this world. 

                                            

                                                                                                                            Carissa Jordan