Strategies

toc

28th March 09 Hi All. I've played with these strategies so we can use the pages with other advisers. Please have a look and let me know if ther is anything you are not happy with so it can be changed. Thanks, Heather

Rerences:** Garrison, D. R., & Vaughn, N. D. (2008). Blended learning in higher education: Framework, principles and guidelines. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Lai, K. W., Pratt, K., Anderson, M., & Stigter, J. (2006). Literature review and synthesis: Online communities of practice. Dunedin: Faculty of Education, University of Otago.
 * Strategies for developing learning communities online that have emerged through this project:

Phase One: Technical Strategies
Getting the participants to feel competent and confident is key to their use of online environments. Although this is labelled phase one, it is ongoing throughout the existance of the learning community, but it will obviously be more heavily evident in the inital stages.

This technical phase is part of what Lai et al. (2006) called the //formation// phase as we were developing the technical infrastructure and identifying the prior knowledge and needs of our teachers so they could actively contribute.

Some teachers have shared their expertise too. I an expert to my 2nd Cluster meeting; this was a good idea as she could answer their questions. Next year I would do this earlier; though I know more now as well!!!. One member of the COP has contributed technical know-how at face to face cluster meetings e.g. how to link to a podcast. G || I had the site set up and encouraged members to add material while at the workshop. This encouraged members to 'have a go' while there was support available e.g. during afternoon tea. || This is a useful strategy especially when I model being a learner!!! || I think this is a successful method and can be done whole group as well. In this instance I left the space open for use by teachers at afternoon tea time which was a non threatening way for teachers to 'have a go'. || I did this for several teachers and got a very good response. ||
 * **Concern** || **Strategies** || **Results** ||
 * **Forgotten password** || Print off a list of the members (go into manage space, list members, click on the 'and 32 others' (or however many others you have) and you'll get a list of usernames and dates of joining. There will be more than is listed on this page so print that one then go to the bottom and click next to see the rest. Glue these lists into your diary and when you see teachers, check their username with them and ask if they remember their password. If they do, use it then and go into the wiki under their name to reinforce it || Already using the list for username and this is working, however, I have started recording passwords of members as I have found that they have forgotten their passwords. In some cases they have had to be re-invited. ||
 * || download 'anypassword' (free - google it) and show them how to use it, and put their password in while you're showing them || I am using anypassword. My next step is to get the members password and include them. It will be really good to get them to use it themselve. ||
 * || email wikispaces and ask for it again || Have used this as another option to get password and have also got members to change their password ||
 * || If you know the username, when you click 'sign in it offers you the 'forgot my password' option. If you click that, you can put a new password in. Then WRITE it down! || I used this with one teacher we got her username from the list of members and then got a new password. And then wrote these in her diary. ||
 * || remove them from your members list and reinvite them. They will need to join wikispaces again but that's quick. || Ibused this method a couple of times and it was very quick and smple and gave the teachers another opportunity to go through the same procedure. Some of these things require more than one attempt. I have also introduced 'Any Password' to a couple of teachers also. ||
 * || Write down their passwords on your member list || Having a user list as a master is necessary as the members may not have used their full name when they registered for privacy reasons. Because I didn't have a master list with their actual name it was dificult for me to know who was actually logging into the space. ||
 * || Get them to write them down and then you write down where they wrote it beside their username so they'll be able to find it again. ||  ||
 * **Lack of technical knowledge** || Offer face to face support but in a responsive way ie: asking what is needed which might actually get some to try first to see what they can do || Putting aside even five minutes each visit to sit down log in to the wiki really assisted me in getting teachers to engage. ||
 * || Introduce something catchy each time you see them and ask how could this be used in your classrooms. e.g. Skrbl pages or Skype || I've used this and it works. Using Skrbl to find out what they want out of a workshop is great, put a link to it on the wiki and get them all in first, then click and write. They all talk about it afterwards and generate lots of ways they could use it in their programmes. ||
 * || Rent an expert to support them or you (e learning advisor can assist here) || Very successful
 * || Use your wikispace as a planner for your meetings. That way all links, resources, timetables, skrbl pages etc are all set up in one place and as you go through the day, you can demonstrate each feature in a seamless way. || This is really good as long as you can get online reliably. You can have everything set up including links to sites, activities and programmes. If it's a protected site they can go stratight to the site and participate. they can also get the notes directly from the site afterwards - i leave stuff there for a couple of weeks before i clear the page. The disadvantage is the font size is not that clear to read, so you need to spend time playing with that and colour to make it more attractive.
 * || Each time there is a gathering of some sort, go over the basics of editing, adding files, pictures. || The more they see it the postive comments I've got.
 * || Every time you're with them, use the space to do something. Eventually it will sink in how useful it could be and how easy it can be || I need to do this. Heather models this well for Isteam wiki.
 * **Internet access** || Talk to the principals and see if there is a chance to get aircards or to improve the infrastructure. Often it is a really old system that is just not meeting the needs of 21st century learners. ||  ||
 * || point out the expectations of the NZC (2007) ||  ||
 * || Show principals the [|Action plan for the 21st century learner] MoE publication ||  ||
 * **have not got around to joining wikispaces yet** || Resend invitations to join wikispaces. Maybe join them up when you are with them. || I resent invitations and 3 more joined up.
 * || Buddy them with teachers in the school that have ||  ||
 * || Do it for them. Sit beside them and sign them up there and then ||  ||
 * **Lack of time** || Remind them that they are professionals and need to move outside their four walls to become part of the real world. They teach children for their futures not our pasts. ||  ||
 * || Time will be made if they find it valuable so this to an extent will be self perpetuating and related to other factors. ||  ||
 * || Ask teachers what they normally do when planning a unit. How much time is spent finding resources, strategies, etc. Then ask how the online community could support this. Is the time added on to planning or spent more effectively asking others for ideas? ||  ||
 * || Use the wiki to record what happens in their syndicate meetings so the record is freely available anytime afterwards ||  ||
 * || Convince principals to take notes of staff meetings on their wikis ||  ||

Phase Two: Social strategies (Engagement)
A key challenge for providers of online learning communities is to create a climate that supports open and respectful communication. This requires trust and "a willingness to collaboratively engage within a community of learners" (Garrison and Vaughn, 2008, p. 89). We need to provide opportunities for collaborative 'chat' or discourse using activities designed to allow teachers to connect with each other. Collaborative projects such as: "orgainising something through the online environment - next meeting, workshop, invited speaker" or "organise an online virtual party" suggested below are activities that will help to generate such a climate.

This 'building community' aspect is another piece of the //formation// phase that Lai et al (2007) refer to. Garrison and Vaughn refer to 'social presence' which is the progressive development of open communication, group cohesion and the expression of emotional bonding and cameraderie.

This immediately got response for me from a number of teachers. The social does hook them in. || Some participants on my wiki are good at socialising! || Good for initial spurt but not really sustainable! A one off but I did use it twice, got a laugh but did not change the number of participants over time.(R ||
 * **concern** || **strategies** || **results** ||
 * **lack confidence to contribute** || Have a practice page for them to do things and not worry if it 'breaks' ||  ||
 * || Open yourself up on the wiki - tell them you're a learner too. || I am good at this! Tried putting some images on the wiki during Cluster meeting; we were able to problem solve together. ||
 * || Develop private school spaces for teachers to practice initially. ||  ||
 * || As you go, talk about the technical stuff to show them what you are doing. ||  ||
 * || Sit beside a teacher with a good story and 'ghost write' it up for them as they tell it to you. Get them to check it before it is saved so they are comfortable it's what they meant to say. ||  ||
 * || Focus some of our disscussion towards areas our lurkers who seem ready to participate are strong in. we need to be more aware of roles in our group and who holds them so we can target our actions appropriately || tried by both myself and teacher leader has not worked well yet . ||
 * || Point out that you can always retreive lost content so they won't worry if things go wrong. ||  ||
 * **lack of trust** || TIME! the more face -to-face balance the better ||  ||
 * || Organise something through the online environment - the next meeting, workshop, invited speaker. Get as many people to take a task as possible so they see how easy it is to use the space to organise the event. ||  ||
 * || Organise an online virtual party... || I have started this off on ece assessment for learning wiki; some have responded!
 * || Socialise online || Keeping the social type conversation going makes it more 'normal' and basic responses have been recieved. J
 * || Have a page with the ground rules on it and ensure you take all teachers there when introducing the concept. ||  ||
 * || Show teachers how to identify who has been on a page. that way they realise that anything that goes on there is able to be connected with the person who generated it. ||  ||
 * **motivation** || Ask what they want and put it on immediately ||  ||
 * || Bribe them - e.g.choc fish - real or virtual || As with all bribes works in the short term only!
 * || Use the wiki for resources, meeting notes, etc ||  ||
 * || Use the wiki to communicate between meetings - not email! || We posted the terms Newsletter on the wiki but still felt we needed to sent hard copy to the schools. I did try posting it on the wiki and then sent an email to remind teachers to look on the wiki for the newsletter. ||
 * || Flatter them with their own work being put up and showcased || Have tried this but no responses from teachers. I think this is something you need to sit with them for and then encourage others to question and respond. ||
 * || Set a task that needs to be completed before the next meeting - initially a social one but move on to a serious one that involves a teaching component ||  ||
 * || Sit beside them as they put something up themselves, then sit beside another person and make them comment on it. ||  ||
 * **need to see others contributing** || Send all wiki members a reminder to click on the space wide notify me. || This has built up the number of lurkers but not contributers. ||
 * **need to see others contributing** || Send all wiki members a reminder to click on the space wide notify me. || This has built up the number of lurkers but not contributers. ||

**Phase Three: Pedagogical Strategies**
To move discourse from social to cognitive, it needs to go hand in hand with critical reflection, collaboration and inquiry. We need to weave social and cognitive presence from the face to face and the online environments through the types of actions below if we are to move teachers on from merely 'exploring' and onto reflecting and resolving the issue.

To connect with the phases of the Lai et al. life cycle, this is the //sustaining maturing// phase. Feed back from "core and peripheral members" (Lai et al. p. 31) is key to ensuring the sustainability of the online community. The knowledge pataka environments that we created when we set up our wikis become environments for building new knoweldge through the collaboration of the participants as they become more responsible for the community. Lai et al. talk about this as creating 'knowledge capital'.

Encourage the group to ask questions about the work while they are there and record the questions and answers on the wiki. || I did this for a SENS workshop recently and it was great. I was able to direct questions straight at the contributor and get a conversation going while the teachers were looking at her work online. Big sense of pride shown by the contributor too. || You will easily find material in your travels and conversations with teachers, make an effort to put it up regularly. || My Masseytech wiki works purely as a pataka and is updated whenever i get a chance, but at least monthly. My wiki stats show it has about 5-10 hits a day so it is worthwhile. if i don''t keep it refreshed, i think it would die. I found it was important to factor in the time you need to spend as prep. If you don't you will fall into the trap that teachers have of "not having the time". Once I did this the wiki generally became more active. ||
 * **concern** || **strategy** || **results** ||
 * **lack of teacher input** || Bring up the wiki with teachers and discuss something another teacher has put up. Pull some questions from your teacher about the entry and write them up for them. Keep doing this till you have a scaffolded conversation going on in the space. ||  ||
 * || During face to face PLC or a visit to the centre or school connect to the internet bring the wiki up and ask those participants who have contributed to the wiki to scaffold one other person's ability to contribute ||  ||
 * || Use a teacher's work to demonstrate the wiki at workshops. They secretly quite like being on show.
 * **Fear of others being critical** || Advisers need to foster confidence to change this mindset. **Notice their competence** to show a credit view rather than a deficit view. Put good practice up on the wiki - and SHOW it to others! Especially in staff meetings where they are present. if this is done often enough, those teachers involved will realise their work is being valued, and others who are doing similar stuff will have more confidence to contribute. ||  ||
 * **Convinced of the value** || Encourage them to put up a question that they may have asked you. Then make sure someone answers it! ||  ||
 * || Show teachers the value by finding resources and links while you are with them ||  ||
 * || Use contributers to share the value they have gotten due to others' support ||  ||
 * || Put your resources on the wiki and nowhere else! || These are used but this doesn't inspire conversation. J ||
 * || **Make sure you are constantly updating the site.** This is vital, i can't stress this enough.
 * || Encourage them to have the wiki as a home page then they will see it everytime they go online. Hopefully this will encourage them to explore there for resources first before searching the internet. ||  ||
 * || Make sure they bookmark the site in their favourites. ||  ||
 * || Get them a del.icio.us account and put the site on it. ||  ||
 * || Ask teachers when you are in their schools if they have come across anything (resources etc) that would be valuable to share. Sit with them to put it online and interview them about why they thought it was useful - record this on the same page with their name attached for any further questions - and to foster confidence. ||  ||