"Sticking to “the content” was important, but straying to the personal became equally important to the learning experience."
We said simultaneously good morning and good night to students in various time zones. And thus, through the use of digital moments, we shared our personal and emotional lives; real relationships developed. Beatty (1995) refers to this as the construction of personal professional practical knowledge. Each week a highlight of the class was having students arrive with enthusiasm to find out which digital moment would be shared by peers. Students new to the online environment were assigned a “buddy” to help them with any specific questions they had. In addition, giving students “host” responsibilities increased their empowerment and the sense of trust in the group. The inevitable mistakes did occur, but over the term the classroom became their own. This sense of ownership over the learning environment was essential to students taking risks in presentations and assignments.
Digital Moments / Oct 2013 17
Some of Our Digital Moments