For the past six weeks I have been filling my brain with articles and books on both community and online communities as it relates to my inquiry question. We can and should use the digital technology that is around us to make sure that our students are part of a community. The benefits to being part of a community are many and vast. The benefits range from being well adjusted to preventing drug abuse. In a world where there is an app for everything and students come to school with internet access and phones in their pockets that can reach across the world in an instant, it is so important to teach them how to use this technology to better themselves. Students can interact with peers from other countries and continents. What I have found so fascinating is that my inquiry question is interwoven with some of my peers'. My belief that digital technology can create community calls for an immediate need to educate students on digital citizenship. Without these lessons, tools like online communities can easily become dangerous. Please read on to learn about my findings.
How can digital technology create a sense of community (a natural group of people having a characteristic in common) within the classroom, the school building and beyond? What digital tools can support this goal of creating communities? This is my inquiry question and what I have focused my research on throughout this course.
Outside of the classroom Wikipedia tells us that:
"An online community is a virtual community whose members interact with each other primarily via the Internet. For many, online communities may feel like home, consisting of a “family of invisible friends."
Click on the quote to view the article in its entirety.
How can an online community, then, be used in the classroom or school district to enhance the sense of community among students and school leaders, parents and teachers? The Association for Supervision and Curriculum (ASC) tells us that a sense of community in the classroom can go so far as to prevent social and emotional problems, including drug use. With statistics that are so meaningful to the success of students, it seems imperative to use all resources to create such a sense of community. Doing so online is a no-brainer when the tools to do so are at educator's finger tips. Some students may find it difficult to engage in face to face social communities but are far more likely to engage digitally. Why miss these students and have them at an increased risk for problematic behaviors? The ASC provides research findings on this very topic. Click here to read more about their results or read from the snippet below.
"A growing body of research confirms the benefits of building a sense of community in school. Students in schools with a strong sense of community are more likely to be academically motivated (Solomon, Battistich, Watson, Schaps, & Lewis, 2000); to act ethically and altruistically (Schaps, Battistich, & Solomon, 1997); to develop social and emotional competencies (Solomon et al., 2000); and to avoid a number of problem behaviors, including drug use and violence (Resnick et al., 1997). These benefits are often lasting. Researchers have found that the positive effects of certain community-building programs for elementary schools persist through middle and high school."
Online communities can obviously benefit students and help them to bond when used with respect and caution. Here is where educators need to build the teaching of good digital citizenship into their lessons. My question digs deeper then that though. I propose that online communities can have an even bigger impact on educators and parents. Students are required, in most cases, to meet every day and therefore there is a natural community that happens when a teacher is aware of the need. Parents, however do not have daily interaction with each other or teachers. Teachers, often do not have a chance to formally meet with their counterparts or other grade level teachers throughout the district on a routine basis. The benefits of online communities among these populations are immense. The ACS supports this belief:
Edudemic also gives a nice summary of why online communities are a benefit in the classroom, building and beyond:
The research points to the fact that online communities, when used properly can be nothing but an advantage in the school setting.
Sources:
"Creating a School Community." , Policy, and Professional Development for Educators. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Aug. 2015.
"Online Communities." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 Aug. 2015.
How can digital technology create a sense of community (a natural group of people having a characteristic in common) within the classroom, the school building and beyond? What digital tools can support this goal of creating communities? This is my inquiry question and what I have focused my research on throughout this course.
Outside of the classroom Wikipedia tells us that:
"An online community is a virtual community whose members interact with each other primarily via the Internet. For many, online communities may feel like home, consisting of a “family of invisible friends."
Click on the quote to view the article in its entirety.
How can an online community, then, be used in the classroom or school district to enhance the sense of community among students and school leaders, parents and teachers? The Association for Supervision and Curriculum (ASC) tells us that a sense of community in the classroom can go so far as to prevent social and emotional problems, including drug use. With statistics that are so meaningful to the success of students, it seems imperative to use all resources to create such a sense of community. Doing so online is a no-brainer when the tools to do so are at educator's finger tips. Some students may find it difficult to engage in face to face social communities but are far more likely to engage digitally. Why miss these students and have them at an increased risk for problematic behaviors? The ASC provides research findings on this very topic. Click here to read more about their results or read from the snippet below.
"A growing body of research confirms the benefits of building a sense of community in school. Students in schools with a strong sense of community are more likely to be academically motivated (Solomon, Battistich, Watson, Schaps, & Lewis, 2000); to act ethically and altruistically (Schaps, Battistich, & Solomon, 1997); to develop social and emotional competencies (Solomon et al., 2000); and to avoid a number of problem behaviors, including drug use and violence (Resnick et al., 1997). These benefits are often lasting. Researchers have found that the positive effects of certain community-building programs for elementary schools persist through middle and high school."
Online communities can obviously benefit students and help them to bond when used with respect and caution. Here is where educators need to build the teaching of good digital citizenship into their lessons. My question digs deeper then that though. I propose that online communities can have an even bigger impact on educators and parents. Students are required, in most cases, to meet every day and therefore there is a natural community that happens when a teacher is aware of the need. Parents, however do not have daily interaction with each other or teachers. Teachers, often do not have a chance to formally meet with their counterparts or other grade level teachers throughout the district on a routine basis. The benefits of online communities among these populations are immense. The ACS supports this belief:
- School wide community-building activities link students, parents, and teachers; help foster new school traditions; and promote helpfulness, inclusiveness, and responsibility. They can be as undemanding as Family Film Nights, invitations to the entire family to view a feature-length movie at school and perhaps discuss a question related to it within the family. Or the activities can be as challenging as creating a Family Heritage Museum, for which students and their caregivers prepare displays of information and artifacts that tell something about their family heritage. The school then features the displays for a week or two and organizes an evening event so that parents and children can view them together.
Edudemic also gives a nice summary of why online communities are a benefit in the classroom, building and beyond:
- No physical boundaries: Online communities do not limit their membership nor exclude based on where one lives.
- Supports in-class learning: Due to time constraints, discussion boards are more efficient for question & answer sessions than allowing time after lectures to ask questions.
- Build a social and collaborative learning experience: People are best able to learn when they engage, communicate, and collaborate with each other. Online communities create an environment where users can collaborate through social interaction and shared experiences.
- Self-governance: Anyone who can access the internet is self-empowered. The immediate access to information allows users to educate themselves.
The research points to the fact that online communities, when used properly can be nothing but an advantage in the school setting.
Sources:
"Creating a School Community." , Policy, and Professional Development for Educators. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Aug. 2015.
"Online Communities." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 Aug. 2015.