The First Week of Class: Building a Virtual Learning Community | Stephanie Speicher | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Learn strategies for creating a sense of community and engagement in virtual classrooms, including virtual icebreakers, assigning roles, and using experiential learning activities.

Key Insights

• 🧑‍🎓 Building a sense of community in virtual classrooms is crucial for student engagement and success.
• 🧑‍🎓 Experiential learning activities can help students connect their learning to real-life situations and foster a deeper understanding of the course material.
• 🧑‍🎓 Assigning roles in virtual classrooms encourages student participation and collaboration.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: How can we create a sense of community in virtual classrooms?

Building a learning community in virtual classrooms can involve strategies like virtual icebreakers, assigning roles, and using experiential learning activities that encourage students to engage and connect with each other.

Q: What are some examples of experiential learning activities that can be used in virtual classrooms?

Examples of experiential learning activities for virtual classrooms include creating a storytelling icebreaker, using flipgrid for video discussions, and assigning group projects that allow students to engage with real-world issues or problems.

Q: How can assigning roles in virtual classrooms enhance community-building?

Assigning roles like cheerleader, mover and shaker, shade thrower, photographer, and scribe can give students a sense of responsibility and ownership in the learning community. It also encourages collaboration and shared participation.

Q: How can virtual tools like Flipgrid and Padlet be used to promote engagement in virtual classrooms?

Flipgrid can be used for video discussions, where students can share their thoughts and ideas with each other. Padlet can be used to create interactive bulletin boards that foster collaboration and community-building through sharing and commenting on students' posts.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The presenter emphasizes the importance of creating a sense of community in virtual classrooms, especially in the first week of the semester.

• Strategies for building learning communities include virtual icebreakers, assigning roles, and using experiential learning activities.

• Tools like Flipgrid and Padlet are introduced as effective platforms for engagement and community-building in virtual classrooms.