4 – 17 March
During this topic we will together explore important literacies to survive and thrive in the digital age. We will look at our experiences of digital consumption, communication, collaboration and creation – as learners and educators. Accessing, filtering and critically evaluating information in vast networks, repositories and digital libraries, as well as connecting with individuals and groups via social networks and adapting it for learning and teaching is a complex process. It requires specific skills, attitudes and behaviors which become increasingly more important for individuals and society. We will also discuss online participation and your digital footprints. You will be encouraged to reflect on your digital presence and identity as well as your experience of digital consumption, communication, collaboration and creation and use this as the starting point for reflection and discussion in your blog.

Activities for all learners

Common course activities
During this topic, there will be a webinar with Sinéad Whitty and Jörg Pareigis and our first tweet chat, see info to the right.

Twitter is optional, but why not try it during the course and see what you think?
Create a Twitter account if you don’t have one, and you might want to follow @OpenNetLearn and the other learners (facilitators and participants). Remember to use the hashtag #ONL191 when tweeting!

ONL191 course community

  • Please post in the #ONL191 community space anything you would like to bring up for discussion!
  • At the end of the topic, read what the PBL groups share from their inquiries, and comment!

Learning blog / reflection

  • Suggested themes for reflection on topic 1:
    – who are you as an individual in the digital age, and what characterizes your journey so far
    – think about your own digital literacy and identity in your personal and professional life, and how they are linked or how you separate them
    – what ONL might mean for your development
    – your experiences from ONL so far
    – other reflections on topic 1 readings and discussions
  • Relate your reflection to literature/resources, using proper referencing.
  • Share your reflection in your blog by the end of the topic.

Have a look around how others have captured their stories and thoughts, and comment in their blogs!

Please notice that writing of reflective blog posts (one for each topic) and commenting on blog posts by your peers, are parts of the course requirements (which you can read about here) to gain a course certificate.

Activities in PBL groups

During these two weeks the PBL group will, for the first time, use the FISh model for collaborative inquiry into a scenario.

  • After you have agreed on working practices in the group (as discussed during the Connecting week), start working on the scenario according to the FISh-model. For information and guidance about working with FISh see Learning activities and the guide and templates in your PBL group Google folder.
  • At the end of the topic share your main findings from your inquiry in a creative way in you PBL group space under “Topic 1”.

Scenario: “I have just signed up to do an online course and I am excited to be there. But I have little experience of online courses and it feels really challenging to get started to connect and find my way with all these new sites and tools. I guess that other participants will be more experienced than me and I feel stupid asking about things. We are asked to create a Learning blog on the web; it feels a bit scary to do this. I do share things on Facebook with friends, but here, in the open? I want to keep my private life separate from my professional life. But on the other hand, my students seem to share and discuss all sorts of things in social media and use all kinds of tools and resources.”


AIMS


By the end of this topic, you will have had the opportunity to:

– explore important literacies to survive and thrive in the digital age as learners and educators

– reflect on and discuss your own digital presence and identity as well as your experiences, concerns and challenges


COURSE SYNCHRONOUS ACTIVITIES



webinar
Webinar:
Digital literacies with Sinéad Whitty and Jörg Pareigis Tuesday 5 March 11:00-12:00 CET (check your timezone), see event

  Tweetchat: Thursday 14 March 11:00-12:00 CET (check your timezone), see event

CHECKLIST 4-10 March
  • Attended meeting/s with your PBL group, worked on the scenario using the FISh model
  • Checked out the suggested resources
CHECKLIST 11-17 March
  • Continued meetings with PBL group
  • Shared group’s findings with other groups in PBL group space
  • Looked at other groups’ presentations and commented
  • Written a reflective blog post
  • Commented on other participants’ blogs

 

 

Readings and other resources

Recommended


Films

Article

Further optional


  • White, D. & Le Cornu, A. (2011) Visitors and residents: A new typology for online engagement. First Monday, 16(9). Available here