Social Learning Paper Directions

ED 5001 Major Assignment #1 Paper on topic: Fostering Online Social Learning and Relationships (create your own descriptive title for report) Background Our course readings and discussions have focused on online social learning activities and environments. We have also explored the theoretical justifications that support social learning and suggest that it is an important component of distance education. The idea of building relationships through distance education is supported not by the new 3 R’s ideas (Relationships, Relevance, and Rigor) as well as concepts such as transactional distance. Another reason to suspect the importance of relationships is the long history of collegial and professional relationships that have developed through face-to-face academic classes. It is only reasonable to suspect that online classes may generate similar relationships. (Note that we aren’t talking about classes as an online dating service, although today about one in eight U.S. couples who marrry met online.) Social learning and online relationships are built through social learning environments. Today’s Internet offers a variety of social environments that range from asynchronous text-based discussions to full video web conferencing. Some researchers rank these environments according to their interactivity with the social group; others rank the environments according to the variety of media they support. Information may be shared via text-based wikis and blogs, photo-sharing sites like Flickr, video sharing sites like YouTube, and audio components such as Podcasts or through sites like VoiceThread. Social networking sites like MySpace and FaceBook attract millions of users. Immersive environments like Second Life may be the collaborative medium of the future. Assignment Present an online learning scenario (you may use a course like ours). Discuss the importance of building online social learning opportunities and opportunities to build relationships. You may find the same activities foster both learning and relationships, but make sure to address each part of the topic (social learning AND relationships). Cite or make up specific examples to illustrate your ideas, and back them up with specific references to respected sources. Your specific examples should include specific software that you think supports social learning and/or building relationships. Select two or three social technologies or sites to compare. You may want to suggest which activities are best suited to each of your chosen social environments (you could choose to compare Wikispaces vs. VoiceThread or compare blog postings vs. web conferencing). End with your own evaluation of the course time and energy spent on fostering online relationships and social learning. How does this relate to the content? Is it worth the time and energy? Make sure your paper addresses the ideas in Units 1 and 2 and uses appropriate terminology from your readings. Be sure to cite at least three references to support your ideas. Weave the ideas from the references into your narrative so that you demonstrate your understanding of what you read and how it applies to your paper. At least one of the references should be one that you read on your own initiative; the reference lists at the end of the assigned readings is a good source for further study. You also have access to full text of academic journals through the Wilkes Library’s online resources. Brief quotes to support your ideas are appropriate. Type: Literature Review/Reflection Paper Length: about 5 pages of narrative, APA style (double spaced, 12-point Times New Roman, 1” margins). Title page and references don’t count in the five pages. APA Style: If you are new to APA Style, visit the resources mentioned in the Syllabus. The Purdue University site is particularly good: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ APA suggests a clear simple writing style, not a puffed-up that is intended to impress but is hard to understand. Objective tone (you are describing and explaining from a neutral position rather than advocating from a biased position). Strong organization with introduction, topic sentences, transitions, and summary. Citations and reference list following APA specifications. Grade: This paper will contribute 25% of your course grade. Rubric: The paper will be scored following the ideas in the Wilkes Formal Writing Assignment Scoring Rubric (in top block of Moodle page you’ll find a detailed example for a 24-point assignment). Here’s a synopsis of what is expected: 1. Academic content: shows mastery of course material and incorporation of researched material. Ideas are explained through appropriate examples and analogies. (50%) The combined score of the following four areas equals the remaining 50%. In other words, the way you write your paper is worth as much as what you have to say. 2. Focus: stay focused on your topic. 3. Organization & APA style: read the rubric. 4. Writing Style: clear, straightforward descriptive/explanatory style. 5. Conventions: good spelling, grammar, usage, and punctuation is expected.