Creating Collaborative Communities

[isobel_williams]

Last week I was asked how to create Collaborative communities for students working in an online only classroom.  I brainstormed a few ideas.

• This is hard to just create!  And 10 time harder online than face to face.  
• Start out with a clear expectation that students have to participate and work together – they are in their final years of school and need to start to be able to work together for employment and further education. 
• Set clear norms and ways of interacting online.
• Start with some low stakes activities, "get to know you icebreakers" or watch a fun youtube and discuss etc.  
• Make the interactions and activities real  - the collaboration has to be a real activity….
• Set up some group activity and have the students present/contribute on topics on a regular basis. Teach the rest of the class.
• Use discussions as a scavenger hunt platform – that might be a fun thing to do – groups of students collaborate to amass the “items” then make 1 post with all the items in it.  (could be related to course work – find real examples of.... 
• Use peer review on assignments and have this as an expectation everyone has to – teach them about how to give constructive feedback though!!
• Set some assignments that are group submissions – students can rate their personal contribution.
• Set up some group spaces they can edit and contribute to as study areas they work in – you can set this up as self select groups or you can assign them.
• Students could set up their own discussion spaces (a bit like their own facebook!)
• Let them edit some pages – assign 2 or 3 to make an info page on a topic for all students to use-  give them edit access  and assess it.  You can see page history if anyone mucks up!
• Use video feedback.
• Use the conferences in Canvas for informal get togethers/ study groups (Recordings only last 2 weeks) – maybe a “cookies and chat” study time – bring your own cookies!
• Use collaborations Office 365 or GoogleDocs
• Be on top of this and encourage and keep track of who is doing what
• Start small!

Any other ideas or comments??