RSA3 - Online Learning Communities

Online Learning Communities.  When I first saw this term, I immediately thought of my first technology training session five years ago.  I always thought of Twitter as something for entertainment value or sharing news, but my instructor said that she used it as a problem-solving platform.  She went on to explain that if she ran into a problem at her job as a technology coordinator for her district, she would tweet her problem and that in that network she could get some answers.  This is the first time I saw the power of an online learning community.

An online learning community is defined as “a group of individuals who collaboratively engage in purposeful critical discourse and reflection to construct meaning and confirm mutual understanding” in an online environment (Garrison, 2007).  So how is this done online?  What are tools that can be used?

Well, this blog is one example of that.  We can comment and share what we learn with each other, especially if we are all committed to a specific purpose.  We can also use other methods such as discussion boards and social networking platforms to communicate with one another.

The most obvious advantage of an online learning community is that collaboration and sharing can take place regardless of location; this also means that the people in the community can be made to include those who have a particular interest that may be unique in the building (for example, AP European History teachers).

So what should this online learning community look like?  According to Garrison, et al., (2000) it should have three presences, the teaching, cognitive and social.  The teaching is necessary because there needs to be direction in the group, somewhere to go for instruction.  There should also be a cognitive presence, because it exists to learn, not to merely socialize.  But the social aspect is important, because interaction is important in any group; otherwise it doesn’t make sense to have a group.  If these three aspects work in harmony together, the members of the online learning community can flourish.

Garrison, D. (2007). Online Community of Inquiry Review: Social, Cognitive, and Teaching Presence Issues. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 11(1), 61-72.

Garrison, D., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical Inquiry in a Text-Based Environment: Computer Conferencing in Higher Education. The Internet and Higher Education 2(2-3): 87-105.