Activity+9

Assignment 9 Discussion – Real Life Situations Discuss the use of activities that relate to real-life situations as a springboard for collaboration. What do these activities offer by way of promoting collaboration? Give an example. ** NOTE: Please copy/paste your 300-400 word response from your word-processed document into the discussion window. **

Generating Deeper Online Collaboration and Discussion

 It is essential to have discussion activities which add to the quality of the online course. One such real-life activity which promotes collaboration is questioning techniques. The goal behind these techniques is to develop a greater sense of participation and interaction for the online learner (Palloff, & Pratt, 2005). There are several types of questions which generate deeper online collaboration. One type of question is the one that request greater evidence. The purpose of this type of question is to develop critical thinking skills. For example, the question can be asked in the following way: “What information do you have to back up the claim that is being made?” This type of question will generate a lot of feedback from participants. Another collaborative question is the open-ended questions. For example, the learner maybe able to respond to the following statement and question: “It has been said that online courses are more challenging than the traditional classes”. What does this statement mean? In addition, provide examples which support this statement. There are also linking questions which can be used to generate online discussions. The linking questions are beneficial in that they assist the learner in seeing missing pieces that they otherwise may not have seen. The result of these linking questions will result in a deeper level of connection with online peers. An example of a linking question is as follows: “How does your response connect to what your teammate’s response was the other day?”

 Another important aspect for online collaboration is the element of empowerment (Palloff & Pratt, 2007). Student centered learning is very essential for student growth. When the learner feels that they can guide their own destiny a sense of empowerment takes place. When the empowerment takes place the possibilities are opened up for the learner to take on more challenge. The instructor will in turn find ways to make the instruction more in depth.

 It is also essential that an assessment is integrated into the online learner’s course. When learners are challenged with an assessment it increases the likely hood that the lessons will be taken more serious. Students have a need to understand where they stand in relationship to their success in the course. The assessments can come at the beginning of the course, the end of the course as well as the middle.

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 References

Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2005). //Collaborating online: Learning together in community.//

San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2007). //Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for//

// the virtual classroom. //San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Oldfield, S. & Morse, D.R. (2008). Online Collaborative Activities: THe Development Dimension. Retrieved from []