Blackboard Learn and Online Communities Copyright 2010 Blackboard Inc.

definitions of “community”3

Definition #1

“In ecology, all plants and animals

occupying a particular area”1

Definition #2

“The general public – society”1

and Definition #3

A community is a “place where people conduct

community activities, share a set of common

beliefs, and share a means of communicating.”2

What do these THREE have in common?

Each is a community.

Five years ago each was relatively unknown.

Each has millions of members.

Each exists entirely online.

What are Online Communities?

As it turns out, the definition of an online community isnot really different from that of a traditional “physical”community.

“An online community consists of people who

interact

socially as they strive to satisfy their own needs or

perform special roles; a shared purpose that

provides

a reason for the community; policies that guide

people’s interactions; and computer systems to

support and mediate social interaction and facilitate

a sense of togetherness.”3

But, the key difference between a physical community and an online community is that a virtual communityhas to have some sort of technological infrastructure supporting it.

Characteristics of Online Communities

An online learning community is one in which:

Members do not usually share physical space.

Members may be separated by time.

Computer technology is required for communication.

Members are committed to learning.

Trust exists and “learners are genuinely interested in the welfare of other members.”4

Examples of online communities in Blackboard Learn:

Discussion Forums

Individual, Course, and Group Blogs

Group or Public Journals

Course and Group Wikis

Group Areas

Rules for Growing a Successful Online Community

Rule #1Have a clear vision for youronline community. What is its purpose?

Rule #2Decide what type and level of interactivity will be

usedin your community.

Rule #3Require members to showrespect for the opinionsof others.

Rule #4Participate. To encourage students tobecome active learners, you must be an active leader.

Rule #5Encourage members to activelyseek information, not just passively receive it.

Remember,

“You cannot assume an online learning community will naturally grow from a virtual learning environment.”5

So, in other words, the saying “if we build it, they will

come”

does not necessarily apply when starting on online

community. Having the latest technology does not

alone guarantee it will be successful.

Life Cycle of Online Learning Communities

Pre-birth

Set community policies.

Decide which tools to use.

Decide how your community is going to develop.

Formative

New members join the community and the community’s identity develops.5

Similarities between members start to become apparent further cementing the community’s

identity.

Threaded discussions increase community kinship.6

Maturity

Community begins to function without direct guidance from the facilitator.3

Purpose and operations of the community have been settled.5

Friendships begin to form between members.

Metamorphosis

Community evolves into something different from what it set out to be. Some members may resist this change.5

Death

Members leave and discussion slows down to the point where there is no longer enough motivation for members to return.3

Sometimes the death of an online community may be completely natural, as when the course ends.

Online Communities and Web 2.0

Earlier it was suggested that for an online community

to be successful, members had to become information

seekers, not just information receivers.

The notion of being an information seeker, forms the

backbone of the philosophy behind Web 2.0.

In Web 2.0, Internet users do not just amass knowledge,

but actively contribute to the sum of it.

What is Web 2.0?

To begin, the term Web 2.0 datesback to 2004. It was coined at a conference brainstorming session between O'Reilly and MediaLive International.+

A 30,000 foot view of Web 2.0

“Web 2.0 captures the idea of participation in

media, of standards and design and remixing content.

Convergence between different applications,

creating your own content, distributing your

own content, repurposing it and feeding it forward.

Web 2.0 was created by the Net Generation.

One key thing to note is the Net Generation

creates its own media.

In e-learning 2.0, learning resources are not static

objects. They are not things you pick up and move.

In e-learning 2.0, you think of them as though they

are a utility. Like water for example. Learning is

wherever we happen to need it and whenever we need it is when we tap into it.”7

To put it a bit more succinctly,

“The philosophy [of Web 2.0] focuses on the idea that

the people who consume media, access the Internet,

and use the Web shouldn't passively absorb what's

available—rather, they should be active contributors,

helping customize media and technology for their own

purposes, as well as those of their communities.”8

In Web 2.0,

1 The learning is learner-centered. Learning looks

different for each person. The learning is owned by the

learner. They pick what they need to learn. Learning is

immersive. Learning is by doing.

2 Learning is connected. It is not the acquisition of

information from someone. It is about collaboration. It is

not accumulating a set of facts. It is about learning

through interaction and conversation.

3 Learning is mobile. You take the learner out of the

classroom and into the environment.7

Blackboard Learn and Web 2.0

Web 2.0 technologies Blackboard Learn Blogs

Wikis

RSS feeds

Tagging / Social Bookmarking

Blogs and Journals tools

Wikis tool

Scholar

Discussion Board

Blogs and Journals

Short for “Web logs,” blogs are online journalscreated by an individual or an organization. They can contain text, images, and links.

Blogs Tool

Any enrolled student can author a Blog. Any other

course member can view the Blog and add comments.

In the Group Area, everyone in a Group can create entries for the same Blog, building upon one another.

Any course member can read and comment on a Group Blog.

Journals Tool

Journals are a personal space for students to communicate privately with their instructor. However, when used in a Group Area, all members of a Group can view each other’s entries.

Viewing Group Journals is restricted to Group members and the instructor.

Wikis Tool

Wikis is a collaborative tool that allows students to contribute and modify one or more pages of course related materials, providing a means of sharing and collaboration. Pages can be created and edited quickly, while tracking changes and additions, allowing for effective collaboration between multiple writers. The instructor can also enable the Group Wiki tool to help Groups share and interact.

Tagging and Social Bookmarking

A tag is a keyword you use to describe an article or a Web site.Social bookmarking is tagging a Web site and saving the tag tothe Web.

A social bookmarking tool—like Del.icio.us—allows a community

of users to store, classify, rate, and comment on any Web siteor blog. So, instead of using a search engine to find relevant articles on a topic, you can sort through links others havefound useful.

Blackboard Scholar is a social bookmarking service customized for education. 

Discussion Board

While this tool is not strictly speaking Web 2.0, it is acollaborative learning tool and so shares the philosophy of

Web 2.0 technologies.

Acts as a medium to pose questions about homework assignments, readings, and course content.

Discussion Board postings can be tagged.

Blackboard Learn and Facebook

Sync is a Blackboard Building Block which delivers course information to students while they use Facebook.

Sync allows students logged into Facebook to receive grades and course updates. The information does not show up in Facebook profiles.

Works with Scholar to allow students to share links with classmates. Students can form study groups in a “new kind of social learning community.”9

Something to consider

“Students who reported that they experienced community

and could define what it meant in their online courses, also reported a perceived satisfaction with their learning

experience.”6

A successful online community is not something that

just happens. It takes planning. It takes

commitment. And it takes a lot of patience.

Blackboard Learn tools can help build an online

community. You and your students can make it

remarkable.

Citations

1. www.wordsmyth.com2. Brooks (1997); Corry and Tu (2002). The International Review of

Research in Open and Distance Learning, 5:2 (2004). 3. Preece (2000). The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 5:2 (2004).  4. Rovai (2002). The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 5:2 (2004).  5. Schwier (2002). The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 5:2 (2004).  6. Brown (2001). The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 5:2 (2004).  7. Downes (2006). Understanding Learning Networks (slides).8. Krasne (2005). What is Web 2.0 Anyway? Indispensable tools your non profit should know about.9. Chasen (2009). Blackboard Press Release.