What comes to mind when you think of a village?
A small settlement in a rural area? A close-knit community, smaller than a town?
Well, when I think of a village, I think of a small cluster of people with common rituals, beliefs, and goals whose individual gifts and talents worked together to benefit the whole. I think of a leader and a system or way by which the people functioned, cooperatively. And, most importantly, I think of unity.
For the past 15.5 years, I have sought to create a virtual village in my online courses. Until recently, during my studies in instructional design and technology, I never thought about the specific elements that worked to create this community, but now I am very clear on what they are.
I will use this blog to share my ideas about the ever-growing distance learning space in higher education and how the virtual village must become commonplace within our digital walls. I hope that you will interact with me here and share your thoughts, experiences, and hopes for a sector of higher education that is here to stay. How we might make it more enriching, empowering, and engaging is what we must continue to explore.
Will you vibe and collaborate with me, here?
I look forward to our exchange.
In the meantime, I would love for you to watch a video that was created by my former students for me to present at a conference in Vegas in March of 2019. The conference was the SITE (Society for Information Technology) Conference of which I always enjoy, thoroughly. The video was my introduction to my 3-hour workshop entitled, “The Virtual Village: Six Ways to Create a Supportive Learning Community Where Students Communicate, Collaborate, and Co-Create.
I simply asked them to complete this sentence, “The Virtual Village is….” in a video or audio that was 1 minute or less. I was amazed by their responses. Watch to hear their responses and share your reaction.