Building Community Within Online Learning Spaces Using Photo Sharing
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Furthermore, in writing this piece I attempt to show the ways in which I humanize the students taking my courses and foster a senser community by sharing personal photographs in weekly announcements to the class. These photos vary and can be of a weekend adventure, a new food tried, or even funny photos of a family pet. These types of photos allow students a glimpse into their instructor’s life, which assists in establishing a sense of community. I enjoy cooking and baking and often share both photos of new foods as well as recipes with students. Students in my online courses have emailed me describing recipes they tried after seeing the photo in their course announcement. These small acts allow for connections to be made, which positively impact a student’s experience in their online learning environment. Additionally, students always have the option to share their own photos if they choose. They are able to share photos through email correspondence or in Blackboard itself. There is no pressure to share, but many students end up sharing photos of their families, pets, or fun events they attended recently. Students have also shared photos depicting happenings in their classrooms, always without their own students’ faces. These photos give a glimpse into their work lives and can be beneficial as they implement a new strategy or teach a new topic.
Educators, Consider This!
By implementing photo sharing within online learning spaces, educators can positively influence the growth of community among learners. Photo sharing affords connections to be established between not only educators and students, but also among peers within a course. These connections have been shown to positively increase student achievement and participation, which could additionally impact student retention (Drouin, 2008; Rovai & Wighting, 2005)
References
Bond, M. A., & Lockee, B. B. (2014). Building virtual communities of practice for distance educators. Springer.
Carlen, U., & Jobring, O. (2005). The rationale of online learning communities. International Journal of Web Based Communities, 1, 272–295. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.599.7386&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Cleugh, C. (2013). Sense of community in post-secondary online blended courses: Importance of, opportunities and implications for course development. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA.
Drouin, M. (2008). The relationship between students’ perceived sense of community and satisfaction, achievement and retention in an online course. The Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 9(3), 267-284.
Kozlov, M., & Große, C. S. (2016). Online collaborative learning in dyads: Effects of knowledge distribution and awareness. Computers in Human Behavior, 59, 389-401. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.01.043
Kucuk, S., & Sahin, I. (2013). From the perspective of community of inquiry framework: An examination of Facebook uses by pre-service teachers as a learning environment. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology - TOJET, 12(2), 142-156.
Marquez-Zenkov, K., & Harmon, J. S. (2007). Seeing English in the city: Using photography to understand students’ literacy relationships [Electronic version]. English Journal, 96(6), 24-30. Retrieved from http://www.throughstudentseyes.org/TSE/Resources_files/ English%20Journal.pdf
Rovai, A., & Whiting, M. (2005). Feelings of alienation and community among higher education students in a virtual classroom. Internet and Higher Education, 8, 97-110.
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Dr. Chelsea Bradley is an Assistant Professor of Reading at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Chelsea holds a PhD in Reading Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She teaches graduate courses in literacy, assessment, evidence-based practices, and intervention. Chelsea has been in education since 2011 and has taught 5th through 8th grades and served as both a Reading Specialist and an Instructional Coach. Her research interests include online learning and community building, PLC implementation, and literacy education. Email: [email protected]
Chelsea Bradley
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