Building Online Learning Communities: Effective Strategies for the Virtual Classroom (Jossey Bass Higher and Adult Education Series)

Author : Rena M. Palloff Edition : 2 Number of Pages : 320 Publisher : Jossey-Bass List Price : $40.00 Amazon Price : $28.64 Used Price : $25.00

Product Description

• Engaging students in the formation of an online learning community.
• Establishing a sense of presence online.
• Maximizing participation.
• Developing effective courses that include collaboration and reflection.
• Assessing student performance.

Written for faculty in any distance learning environment, this revised edition is based on the authorsâ many years of work in faculty development for online teaching as well as their extensive personal experience as faculty in online distance education. Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt share insights designed to guide readers through the steps of online course design and delivery.

Customer reviews

A Must Read for Distance Learning Professionals by .. Kenneth Fairbanks (Abingdon, VA United States)
This is quite simply one the best books on distance learning that I have read. Palloff and Pratt provide a well researched investigation into developing communities online.

The first part of the book goes to great length in defining distance learning and community. The authors provide both empirical and anecdotal evidence to support their claim that community building online is critical to distance learning success. They do a wonderful job stepping the reader through the psychological process of developing an online community and detailing the impact it can have on learning.

Their approach to instructional design moves the instructor into a collaborative and transformative learning model that places students at the center. Instructors become facilitators guiding student discussion and exploration. This stands in stark contrast to the chalk and talk lecture model that many instructors attempt to replicate in distance learning.

Part two of the book is a hands-on guide to best practices for building online learning communities. It covers everything from initial course design and maintaining a collaborative environment to student and course evaluation.

If you are involved in distance learning and online training... I would strongly recommend this book. It was published in July 2007 and is very up-to-date with references to blogging, wikis and social networks like Facebook and My Space. It's a great read a wonderful reference.

Collaborating Online: Learning Together in Community (Online Teaching and Learning Series (OTL))

Author : Rena M. Palloff Edition : 1 Number of Pages : 128 Publisher : Jossey-Bass List Price : $27.00 Amazon Price : $20.47 Used Price : $21.69

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Customer reviews

collaborating online textbook by .. Marilyn Aspinwall ()
Excellent service in that the book arrived sooner than expected and was in perfect condition!

Succinct and to the point by .. Michael N. DeMers (New Mexico)
I am using this book for a course in Fostering Online Learning Communities and I love it. It is an easy read, very well organized, authoritative, and full of useful tips despite the limited research on this emerging topic. Well worth the small price.

A Handbook for Online Students and Teachers by .. Philip C. Schmutz (Detroit, MI USA)
With today's lifestyle, more and more students are opting to study online. This text is for the teacher who wants to teach online. It is more or less a handbook of setting up and running an online class. I would recoemmend this text to anyone who wants to teach on online class or wants to be a student for an online class. Both teachers and students can benefit from this book.

Learning in Real Time: Synchronous Teaching and Learning Online (Online Teaching and Learning Series (OTL))

Author : Jonathan E. Finkelstein Number of Pages : 176 Publisher : Jossey-Bass List Price : $27.00 Amazon Price : $14.95 Used Price : $13.99

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Customer reviews

Good Overview, but Not a How-To Guide by .. Julie Rodriguez (Moorhead, MN USA)
This book does a great job of giving an overview of the current state of synchronous learning, both technologies and experiences. The book does not question the value of online synchronous learning, but serves as a proponent and guide to the possibilities. There are also some good ideas on activities that can be done online and how to manage the environment. However, it is not intended to be a how-to guide or a recipe book on how to get a class up and running.

The Online Learning Idea Book: 95 Proven Ways to Enhance Technology-Based and Blended Learning

Edition : 1 Number of Pages : 380 Publisher : Pfeiffer List Price : $50.00 Amazon Price : $32.86 Used Price : $39.20

Product Description

"Patti Shank has collected great ideas about online learning and teaching from all over the globe. If you are an online instructor or instructional designer looking for new ways to involve and engage your learners, you'll be inspired by this book!"--Terry Morris, associate professor, William Rainey Harper Colleges

Filled with techniques, tools, tips, examples, resources, and dozens of "great ideas, this invaluable resource helps people who are looking to build online instructional materials -- or improve existing materials -- discover and implement what the best and brightest in industry and education are doing to make online learning more engaging and compelling. Increase your know-how in the following areas:

• Look and Feel: how to increase ease-of-use
• Graphics and Multimedia: how to make instructional graphics engaging and compelling
• Activities: how to make instruction itself engaging and compelling
• Tools: how to use a variety of online tools
• Instructional Design: how to design better and faster.

Customer reviews

Fabulous Resource by .. Richard Head (Tonganoxie, KS USA)
Patti has done an excellent job of putting together a collection of ideas and suggestions from some of the most accomplished online learning "experts." By that, I don't necessarily mean people with academic backgrounds. I mean people who've been in the business trenches and have found from experience what worked, what didn't, and what might have worked if it had been presented differently. What's missing from so many books of this kind is what I call the "how to." Patti acknowledges that fact with, "This book shows you concrete examples of people making learning better every day, in all kinds of settings, all over the world."

The book can be read in a linear fashion, but I found that I liked jumping around in it and making my own "Ah ha" connections among the ideas. Most ideas are no more than 3-4 pages, and include many job aids and visual references which make the ideas come alive.

I highly recommended this collection. You'll start making your own connections and developing material that will help your learners truly engage and enjoy.

Fantastic E-learning Resource by .. Danielle Watkins (Golden, CO)
All instructional designers creating instructor led, blended, or e-learning should read this book and have plenty of post-its or flags on hand. I found many great new ideas that I can adapt and use in a variety of learning environments. This is a great reference book that those in ID should keep at arms length as they are designing.

An Interesting Survey by .. L. W. Precht (College Park, MD USA)
This book takes an interesting approach to online learning. Rather than an author expounding on some specific learning methodology that's guaranteed to revolutionize your system and your learners, Patti Shank collects ideas from practitioners in the field including her own experiences. Most of the contributors provided more than one idea to the text, but there are still at least 30 different viewpoints represented. And, the contributors seem to come from a wide spectrum of (mostly U.S.) educators in both corporate training and higher education.

The book contains almost 100 ideas broken into 10 broad categories related to online learning. Sections like: Ideas for Making Collaboration Work, Ideas for Supporting Learners and Learning, Ideas for Synchronous Activities, etc. Each idea is presented succinctly in 1-4 pages outline style. And, each is detailed by what the idea is, why you would want to use it, how you might use it and who to contact for more information (if needed). Most ideas contain at least one screen shot showing the idea "in action".

As a software developer, I have spent the last 15 years on the "other side" of online learning: designing, building and operationally supporting a number of Learning Management Systems. So many of these ideas presented here were quite familiar to me. The rest ran the gamut from insightful to kind of campy. However, the format made for a fast and easy read. Well worth the time spent.

The book is probably best suited for educators and instructional designers looking to find ways to spruce up their offerings or increase the effectiveness of their material. All of the ideas are aimed at increasing the interactivity of online learning.

For someone interested in online learning and looking to see what kinds of tools and techniques are out there, this book is a great survey of current practice.

A treasure trove of interactive ideas by .. Cynthia Denton-Ade (Burke, VA)
Patti Shank has collected a treasure trove of interactive ideas for all types of online learning -- synchronous, asynchronous, instructor-led, and self-directed. Even experienced designers and developers are sure to find new and creative ideas for improving online programs. In fact, I came up with innovative ideas for my classroom training (particularly in the synchronous training chapter.) All you need is a little imagination to use these ideas to solve a wide range of learning challenges. When the examples are not proprietary, Patti provides links so you can see the ideas in action. For example, the book references two low-cost software programs to help assess learning (e.g., Hot Potatoes and Quiz Game Master.) A companion CD in the next edition of this book would be a great asset for helping visualize some of the ideas presented.

I suggest The Online Learning Idea Book be a part of your "toolkit" for designing any type of online learning program. You can also feel confident that the Patti's collection of ideas are based on solid performance improvement theory and will make a true impact on your learners.

You'll Be Inspired! by .. Web Guru (Ellison Bay, WI USA)
Patti Shank has collected great ideas about online learning and teaching from all over the globe. If you are an online instructor or instructional designer looking for new ways to involve and engage your learners, you'll be inspired by this book!

Making Sense of Online Learning: A Guide for Beginners and the Truly Skeptical

Author : Patti Shank Edition : 1 Number of Pages : 192 Publisher : Pfeiffer List Price : $35.00 Amazon Price : $13.50 Used Price : $13.50

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Customer reviews

You will keep returning to this step-by-step guide... by .. L. Cain (Kansas City, MO, USA)
I purchased this entertaining and well-written book a couple of years ago. It has served as a step-by-step guide as I have made the transition from the traditional classroom to online learning.

From basic learning principals and definitions to specific "how to" examples and checklists, this book has it all and delivers it with a sense of humor that will have you chuckling aloud and keep you engaged, interested, and wanting to learn more. I continue to use this book as a resource, returning to it again and again, whether in need of a reminder or looking for inspiration to help me move forward.

If you are considering making the journey to online learning, this book will provide the light to help you along your way.

A good rosetta stone for HR/training and web-geeks. by .. R. Dlugy-Hegwer (Northern California, USA)
In 150 pages, the authors lay out the key information both HR/training practitioners and web-geeks need to work together successfully.

Written for the non-technical HR practitioner who needs to understand both the training concepts and the technology choices she will be faced with, this book also provides a technical reader (me) with the language and central concepts used by training professionals to develop their courses.

I could see this text being used as the starting point for an project team comprised of HR professionals, trainers, and web designers to build on -- each member of the team required to read it to establish a common framework and language. A few hours spent reading this up front would save countless hours of 'churn' later on in the project.

E-learning for Dummies? by .. Clark Aldrich (Madison, CT USA)
The audience for this book is the person who wants to take their first step into traditional online learning. And by traditional, I mean self-contained courses and the management systems that support them (as opposed to deeper simulations or integration with knowledge management or ERP or CRM systems, etc., etc.,) For these people, the tone, the content, and the sympathy are dead on. Before going to a conference, or reading any deeper books, or subscribing to any of the current magazines, or meeting with your boss or advisor, this should be required reading.

Not Just for Beginners by .. Adele Sommers (Atascadero, CA United States)
Like many instructional design professionals, I struggle to stay abreast of the lighting-fast developments in online learning. Replacing the comfortable and relatively stable vocabularies and design considerations of yesteryear are rapidly evolving media, terms, technologies, and standards.

Both veterans and novices alike may now know a great deal about some things and very little about others. We need resources that can help us fill the gaps in our understanding and enable us to speak intelligently to our clients, colleagues, and employers. We also need simplified ways of explaining these topics to our audiences.

Patti and Amy have provided just such a resource. By peeling away the jargon and complexity in an even-handed and measured way, they have clarified many mind-numbing subjects. Along the way, they have taken care to point out universal considerations, such as the importance of designing for usability and building training around real-world challenges. They have also provided excellent checklists to use when considering the acquisition of expensive technologies, such as learning management and content management systems. These tools alone can help organizations avoid costly and frustrating blunders.

Patti and Amy have successfully blended sensible guidance; classic learning theories; online learning terms, definitions, and applications; and many excellent resources into a "must read" book and companion Web site. Readers will hardly realize the plane has left the ground by the time they touch down gently but firmly at the end of a smooth and delightful journey.

Current, fun, and accurate by .. J. Dobrovolny (Aurora, CO USA)
Very few of us have the time or the patience to read a non-fiction book front to back. We want current information, solutions to the problems we are experiencing today, and answers to questions we can not answer ourselves. We want to find these golden nuggets of information quickly and easily and, we do not want a lot of theoretical or academic fluff.

"Making Sense of Online Learning" meets those requirements. The Shank and Sitze book and companion website are perfect "just-in-time" resources for anyone involved in online learning. Whatever your level of experience and expertise with online learning, I am sure you will find lots of useful and insightful information in the book and the website. While I have designed, developed, and taught various online courses, I still found the book and the website valuable. I know it will help me, my clients, and my students. Thanks, Patti and Amy!

Jackie Dobrovolny, Ph.D.
Instructional technology consultant & IT faculty at University of Colorado at Denver.