Book Review Day Two

In my book, Facilitating Online Learning, Collison, Elbaum, Haavind, and Tinker next dealt with the key facilitator roles in the discussion component of online learning. These three roles are: Guide on the side, Instructor or project leader, and group process facilitator.

1. Guide on the Side-(I know that this term brought painful memories to some of you). The authors feel that if you are too available that you have what amounts to unlimited office hours. They suggest a model that is to encourage substantive interactions among the participant by moderating and shaping conversations with targeted inventions but refraining from extensive direct interaction. These figures are similar to the model they use to show the difference.

Interventions of the moderator play a supportive role versus a central role. They suggest that a virtual nod for each comment has the potential to set up a culture where approval or disapproval after each posting is expected. Also, each comment by the facilitator is examined over and over by the participants, it doesn’t go away. As a guide we move participant to a new conceptual level. The authors state that you should avoid publicly praising because it can send a message suggesting participant think they don’t need to do anymore. Before you jump on this they do say that you need to highlight two or three comments that were on track from a number of participants in a discussion and weave them together and use a new question to shift forward. If tensions develop in a discussion you should encourage feedback from within the group to each other and tell them to offer it themselves.
2. The second role is the facilitator as instructor or project leader. Suggestions are offered in was to design a regular manageable feedback loop to you that is private for personal issues, and concerns. Other thread recommended is one that deals with technical issues and this thread should be responded to ASAP. Both of these types of post should be kept separate from concept discussion.
3. The third role is that of leader of the group process. This is when you are responsible for the constructive paths to learning including the following tasks.
• Leading introductory, community-building activities
• Providing virtual hand holding to the digitally challenged
• Acknowledging the diversity of participants’ back grounds and interests
• Infusing personality with tone, graphics, and humor
• Maintaining a nurturing pace of responding
• Keeping up with the pace set
• Organizing posts and discussion threads
• Balancing private email and public discussion
The book gives examples of ways to accomplish these tasks and has some cute cartoons (even about math). They seem to be practical ways to stay organized but a bit redundant with previous information presented.