Engaging Students w/ Synchronous Online Learning Activities

Abstract

BRIEF SESSION DESCRIPTION:

Participants will engage in an online mini-workshop that will provide experiences to engage with hands-on materials in an online synchronous setting.à Emphasis will be placed on 10 pedagogical strategies that engage students in this online environment.à This mini-session will not take place in a traditional classroom, instead we will model it in a virtual classroom, although the facilitators will be available in person on site for technical help.àParticipants will be able to implement 10 new practices into their online class to increase engagement for student learners.

**This session takes places online. àParticipants will need access to a laptop with microphone and speakers or headset and wi-fi.**

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FULL ABSTRACT:

In this session, we will engage in 10 practices for synchronous online learning that are engaging and can not be done face-to-face. We will make a case that synchronous online learning can be better than traditional face-to-face learning. Participants will explore online synchronous learning while progressing through the four levels of the Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition (SAMR) model.

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Online teaching is becoming more and more common. In this session, we will review common practices and the need for increased engagement in asynchronous classes using the SAMR model. This model is used to determine if the technology simply replaces something previously done before computers, if the technology makes the activity better, or if the activity could have never been envisioned without the computer. We will make a case for the need for synchronous classes because they provide not only a parallel to face-to-face classes, but they have the opportunity to go beyond anything that you could do in the classroom. This fourth level of the SAMR model, Redefinition, allows for learning that was previously inconceivable. We will model ten practices for synchronous classes that make online learning more engaging than face-to-face. These ten practices can only be done online, making online teaching a better option for our globalized world.

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Each of these ten practices were piloted in over fifteen online courses in the Mathematics Education Leadership department of the College of Human Development and Education at George Mason University.

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In this mini workshop, participants will enter a virtual classroom using Blackboard Collaborate.à We do not want to meet in an actual classroom. Participants should access a laptop with Wi-Fi access, headphones and microphone.

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Participants will be able to implement 10 new practices into their online class to increase engagement for student learners.