Reflecting on Digital Technologies and Identity

Digital technologies are transforming at a rapid pace and so having these digital spaces can show how we perceive ourselves within our communities, particularly from an educational stand point.

Shaping Personal Identities:

1. Online Profiles and Personas: Students create online profiles on educational platforms, which highlight their interests, achievements, and academic goals. This digital self-presentation can give others a snapshot of your background.
2. Anonymity and Authenticity: Digital environments can offer anonymity, encouraging students to speak up for themselves more openly.
3. Feedback and Validation: Immediate feedback from peers and instructors in online forums and social media can reinforce or challenge self-perceptions. (Linkedin Updates, if you know, you know.)

Community Interactions:

1. Global Connections: Digital technologies facilitate connections with peers around the world.
2. Collaborative Learning: Online tools like discussion boards, collaborative documents, and social media enable collective knowledge-building and teamwork.
3. Support Networks: Online communities provide support and encouragement.

Personal Experience:

In my own online learning journey, participating in discussion forums and group projects allowed me to connect with classmates. It has taught me to be more independent and speak up if issues come up.

Digital Platforms – Education

Engagement and Learning Digital Skills:

Using examples from previous blog, can be seen with:

Engagement:

1. Interactive Content: Khan Academy and Coursera use videos, quizzes, and interactive exercises to keep learners engaged.
2. Gamification: Kahoot! uses game-like elements to make learning fun and competitive.
3. Virtual Classrooms: Zoom and Microsoft Teams enable real-time interaction between students and instructors.

Learning Digital Skills:

1. Content Creation: Canva and Prezi help students develop skills in digital content creation and presentation.
2. Collaboration: Google Workspace and Slack facilitate collaborative projects, teaching students and professionals how to work effectively in digital environments.
3. Research and Organization: Evernote and Mendeley aid in research and organization skills development.

Examples from My Experience:

• Google Classroom: This platform streamlined communication and assignment management, making it easier to keep track of deadlines and feedback. Not only that but everything can be done on one platform. All-in-one!
• Coursera: The interactive courses helped me learn complex subjects through a blend of video lectures, quizzes, and peer reviews. They are also self-paced.

Instructor Presence in Online Learning

Importance of Instructor Presence:

Instructor presence in online classes is important for several reasons:

1. Guidance: Active instructors provides students with guidance and timely responses for questions, this is important for understanding complex material or help with issues that might arise outside of class time.
2. Engagement: Instructors who are visibly engaged in the course and it’s material, fosters a more interactive and engaging learning environment. Leading to active discussions or debates during in class times.
3. Community Building: Instructor can help create a sense of community, by making students feel connected and valued. Either with discussion boards, community blog libraries, and/or etc.

Strategies to Improve Social Presence:

1. Regular Interaction: Frequent communications through emails, announcements, and discussion board participation keeps students engaged and informed. Important date reminders, issues that come up, and general information updates. (Full email send-outs or course updates.)
2. Personalized Feedback: Providing personalized feedback on assignments helps students feel recognized and supported. (Depends on the situation but this might not be possible depending on class size and limited teaching aides/assistants.)
3. Interactive Sessions: Live Q&A sessions, virtual Zoom/Video office hours, and interactive classes enhance real-time interaction.
4. Multimedia Use: Incorporating videos, podcasts, and interactive content can make the instructor’s presence more dynamic and engaging. *I think this might be repetitive to a certain extent, as I am in another course right now that has way too many modules with too many of videos to watch every week. These videos are for after set class times and I don’t get to them most weeks as I have other classes to attend.

Application from Readings and Impact:

In the reading “Where’s the Teacher? Defining the Role of the Instructor Presence in Social Presence and Cognition in Online Education,” it is emphasized that the instructor’s presence in the classroom significantly impacts students’ cognitive engagement and learning. Strategies in the reading were quick responses, active participation in discussions, and creating an engaging atmosphere are highlighted as essential for effective online teaching.

Personal Experiences:

From two of my online courses with stark contrasts, in my investment funds course there was no instructor presence at all, only practice quizzes and an online textbook with practice questions, in terms of education this was extremely barebones and there was no real engagement with the material. In my other EDCI course a year ago (but also this one as well), the instructor’s active participation and regular video updates made a significant difference. This made it feel like an actual class rather than a self learning guide like my previous IF course.

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Final Thoughts

In conclusion, this week has been focused on digital spaces within education. One of the main things I’ve gotten from this week was that having an image or being able to see the instructor was essential in many education settings. This is because their presence within the classroom helps build many different factors when it comes to students absorbing the information. I could clearly see this with my past examples as stated in the paragraph above this one. I feel like many of you would feel the same way, as I can’t imagine a program or a course being remotely useful if it’s taught by telling the students to “read this” then take a test. It really shows that having someone to engage with, or go to for help, can make things much simpler and clear to the students. I hope that makes sense!

Take care,

Edmund Cheung