This week we learned how important creating a community in our f2f or online classes is. What I love about my f2f classes is the close knit community that we build during the semester. How do I create community in my classes? I do a couple of things: 1) many, many group activities, 2) meet-ups after class or before class in our study groups and 3) oral presentations/fiesta (party), where we learn more about our fellow classmates. It’s a process from begin to end. It takes great effort to establish a strong community but once you have it, it’s well worth it.
I believe the same approach can be taken in our online classes. Therefore, it is vital to begin on our first day of class. Here a voice-thread can be the perfect tool. You can ask students to introduce themselves by leaving a thread and comment on one or more threads. This can be a great opportunity for students to meet you as well. I know it works because I have used voicethread.com for my hybrid course.
In our reading this week it mentioned that Myspace or Facebook can be great tools for (a)synchronous communication. This week I’ll be working on my Facebook for my Spanish classes. I also created an IM on Blackboard and I’m working on incorporating other tools into my classes, such as Skype and Screenr.
I also think Pilar makes a great point. You need to make your online space inviting and pretty. As a student we want to feel welcomed and feel great in our environment, in our classes.