Sample e-tivities
Stage 1 – ‘Getting into it’
At this initial stage of your program your focus is on motivating your e-learners and supporting their efforts to connect with the program – technically and psychologically.
Design comparatively simple e-tivities which help learners to test their access to the technology and to begin to feel confident and interested in participating are the go at this stage.
Wonders on the WebPurpose: To post your first public message.
Task: Click on ‘Reply’ and post the web address (URL) of a site you visit frequently for business or pleasure. Write exactly 15 words describing why this site is interesting to you.
Respond: If you see a site that looks interesting to you.
Fact and Fiction
Purpose: To share something interesting about you.
Task: Click on ‘Reply’ and post two true things and one fib about you.
Respond: To a message where you ‘feel’ you can pick the fib.
Other e-tivities for ‘Getting in to it’
Art Meets LifeTask: In exactly 25 words, describe a character (or characters) from literature or film that you would like to:
- Be for a day
- Invite to dinner
- Interview for a current affairs program
What’s Your Brand?
Task: Nominate a brand of product that you use regularly and to say what this brand reveals about you.
Respond: Where you share the view on a given brand or would like more information about a product.
Stage 2 – Building Group Identity
At this stage the focus is on cultivating and supporting the spirit and identity of the group and on developing trust.
Design e-tivities which help learners to become familiar with each other as a basis for developing collaborative working relationships. Extend the ‘reach’ of the e-tivities to build confidence and enthusiasm for providing structured responses to more complex tasks.
Virtually HerePurpose: To provide a ‘snapshot’ of your real world for other members of your e-learning program.
Task: Write between 25 and 40 words describing somethingthat is going on around you while you are reading this message. For example, you might describe your work space or activities outside your window or what you are currently doing.
Respond: Read other people’saccounts,this might take you severalsessions. Reply to two postings, one where you share something in common and the other where you’ve spotted a significant difference.
Top Tips
Purpose: To develop a set of tips for studying effectively in an e-learning environment.
Task: ‘What is the key to being a successful e-learner?’
Post between two and four things you have resolved to do make your experience in this in this course interesting and successful.
Respond: Read other people’saccounts,this might take you severalsessions. Reply to two postings, one where you feel you can add something to the information given and one where you are supporting and encouraging the person in sticking to their e-learning resolutions.
Other e-tivities for ‘Building Group Identity’
Dimension CheckTask: Think about:
- how much time you have spent on this course so far
- how you have used your time
- how you are feeling about the course at this stage
Post your thoughts here.
Respond: Respond to someone who has similar patterns to you and to someone who has very differing patterns.
Invisible Difference
Task: Think about the barriers and benefits associated with communicating with people you may never meet face to face.
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- What is more challenging?
- What is easier?
Respond: Respond to someone who has expressed a difficulty you have experienced and to someone who shares a similar view on the benefits of anonymity.
Stage 3 - Sharing Information
Learners can now assume greater responsibility for generating and managing course content. They should also be ready to work collaboratively to research and evaluate information.
As the facilitator, your role will expand significantly to encompass summarising and archiving content while continuing to provide encouragement and critique to your learners.
Design e-tivities which require learners to explore and locate resources.
Defining MomentsPurpose: To develop a set of agreed definitions for key terms and concepts in our course.
Task: How would you respond to the question ‘What is e-learning anyway?’Post your answer here. Include any web or text references which helped you formulate your answer.
Respond: Read other people’sdefinitions and visit at least two of the listed sources. Request additional information by asking a question or suggesting an alternative view and inviting comment.
The View from Here
Purpose: To identify important thinking central to our course content.
Task: Check your e-mail tofind out
- the name of your partner for this e-tivity
- the name of the theorist and the model you will be describing
Work together to compile
- a 150 word summary of this person’s key ideas
- a set of three key references about these ideas
Other e-tivities for ‘Sharing Information’
Super SourcesTask: Post up the web address and a 50 word review of a site which youfind particularly inspiring and useful as a source of information about e-learning.
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Respond: Reply to someone whose site has added to your store of inspiration and information complimenting them on their great choice.
High Five Fact File
Task: Post 5 key facts about e-learning identifying the sources of each one.
Respond: Reply to someone whose facts surprise you commenting on how this new information has contributed to your knowledge or perspective.
Stage 4 – Building Knowledge
By this stage, learners are ready to work collaboratively on complex tasks and to assume specific roles in creating and managing knowledge. For example, a team may elect member to fulfil some or all of the following positions:
- researcher
- writer
- editor and reviewer
- time manager
- project coordinator
As Facilitator you can mentor learners who have assumed particular information management roles. You will also want to challenge and explore their perspectives on important concepts.
Design e-tivities which require team effort and explore and integrate course content.
Theory into PracticePurpose: To apply what we have learned to ‘real life’ situations.
Task: Analyse the case study assigned to your team. Use the attached report format and headings to structure your responses. Post your response as an attachment to a 25 word summary of your findings.
Identify the key issues presented in your scenario and decide which concepts are represented here.
Plan a response to the issues which demonstrates your understanding of these concepts and their impact on what we do at work.
Respond: Your team will be asked to critique the responses of another group.Analyse their case study and review their responses. Say where you agree with their analysis and ask questions to clarify and explain points of difference.
Bearing Essentials
Purpose: To summarise and collate key points.
Task: Extract the 5 key pieces of information from the text chapter assigned to your team.
Respond: Work with the team whose chapter precedes yours to combine your two 5 point summaries into one. Post your combined response under a subject heading listing your chapter numbers.
Other e-tivities for ‘Building Knowledge’
Lunch and LaunchTask: Your team is responsible for designing an event to launch the product described in the attached press release. Divide the workload between you to ensure that all the following aspects of the event are covered:
- publicity and promotion
- activities
- bookings and invitations
- catering
Respond: Vote on the launch your team would most like to attend. Give three reasons for your decision.
Future Focus
Task: Read the attached scenario describing how e-learning might develop in the future.
Post up three potential positives and three possible negatives for learners that you can see in this scenario.
Respond: Reply to someone whose view differs markedly from your own.
Stage 5 - Reflecting and Projecting - What Worked and What’s Next?
In this final stage, the focus is on evaluating and if appropriate assessing learning. It is also on how the learners will apply their new skills and knowledge in the ‘real world’.
As Facilitator you will want to ensure that all course material and content is readily available to learners and that they are encouraged to examine specific sections or elements of this material to review their learning and to decide how they will use it in future.
Design e-tivities which provide opportunities for reflection and application.
Highlight FivePurpose: To identify and share key learning.
Task: Postthe
- three most significant things you have learned from the course content
- two most interesting things you discovered about yourself as a learner
Into Action
Purpose: To commit to using what we have learned.
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Task: Post a three point action plan stating how what you have learned will influence how you work in the future.
Respond: Make a pact with someone else in the group to ‘check in’ with each other to support the implementation of your action plans.
Other e-tivities for ‘Reflecting and Projecting’
Great ExpectationsTask: Review your initial list of expectationsfor the course and decide if they have been met. If you were writing them now what would you change?
Respond: Post a message designed to give a new learner who is just embarking on this course an idea of what to expect.
Techno Hurdling
Task: Post a message describing where you felt you succeeded in this course despite a technical obstacle.
If you didn’t experience any hitches and glitches relating to the technology, post a message describing how it supported or enhanced your learning.
Respond: Post a message designed to give a new learner an insight into working successfully in an e-learning environment.