Thanks for sharing the links in your previous post and the information
below.
I skimmed through the Theory and Practice of Online Learning
(http://cde.athabascau.ca/online_book/contents.html) today. The following
bullet point in the final chapter (by Nancy Parker) grabbed my attention.
... education is best experienced within a community of learning where
competent professionals are actively and cooperatively involved with
creating, providing, and improving the instructional program;
It is essentially the same issue you and Peter have been addressing. We
know how to do this in our bricks and mortar schools but we don't yet have
a model of how to do it collaboratively online. Perhaps some sort of
virtual environment may be a significant part of a successful model.
Fred
>Peter writes...
>" how do we teach these courses in a way that adds to the personal
>experience, personal grounding, personal perspective, personal growth,
>and personal values of the students?"
>
>Wonderful question and gets at the center of what most (but there are few
>in existence) good online programs can do. I along with several others at
>UNT (University of North Texas) are currently exploring alternate reality
>gaming as an effective learning environment (NOT a video game). By
>weaving the learning experiences into a narrative based in fantasy and
>centered on the essential questions of the course (core material) with
>learning experiences focused on the 6 facets of understanding (Wiggins),
>it might be possible to bring in much of what an independent school
>offers in the way of character development, personal growth and value
>development. ARG's incorporate constructivist learning through narrative
>driving environments where students engage collaboratively with other
>students and characters from the story to solve problems central to the
>discipline of study. This might be one way that independent schools can
>add some of the elements that makes them unique learning environments for
>our children.
>
>Chris Bigenho
>Director of Educational Technology
>Greenhill School
>4141 Spring Valley Road
>Addison, TX 75001
>Ph. 972-628-5479
>Fx. 972-628-5279
>bigenhoc@greenhill.org
>www.greenhill.org
>
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