https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg Made with ♥ en-us 2022-02-01 19:13:42 UTC 2026-03-02 12:27:24 UTC hello@padlet.com haelliekynoch https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2030933796 A few of the things that stood out in the article for me, are actually simple things that every teacher could do, and would hopefully make an impact in creating a social presence. Communicating individually; sending an email or message directly to an individual family instead of only blanket emails to groups. I appreciate that this is a simple, worthwhile action to do with a bit of time invested. Celebrating accomplishments or birthdays! If you are with a group for an extended period of time, I could see how beneficial this would be in creating that feeling of community and connecting to your class. The other item that stood out to me is the importance of integrating video; it has numerous benefits, such as when meeting in person or providing instructions, but I am cognizant that not every learner is successful auditorily, and to combine this with written and visual instructions or examples as well. ]]> 2022-02-05 20:20:04 UTC https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2030933796 dmitrikrys https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2030955861 One of the things that stood out for me was how the article makes everything that we can do as online teachers/facilitators to create presence seem very tangible and doable. I particularly appreciated the section on individual communication. This is something that I could have done better during the crisis teaching of 2020. While I was practicing a lot of what this article recommends, there are always areas of improvement that we can work towards. I also see the posting of video directions as being something that I will definitely incorporate when I return to the classroom. Sometimes having that additional source to go back and review instructions for a task can be absolutely helpful for students, and something I would like to have seen during my undergrad! Lastly, as far as personalization goes - I am absolutely certain that I will be incorporating my Bitmoji or Memoji into my materials moving forward (beyond my Star Wars references, and there are many!). It does make the materials feel more personal, and this helps bring engagement up! ]]> 2022-02-05 20:58:34 UTC https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2030955861 wendykellas https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2031005142 After reading the article, I think the suggestion that stood out to be the most is facilitating and modelling. I often provide examples when teaching a new concept, but I don't use exemplars often enough when assigning larger projects or when having students work in groups. I tend to assume that students have many discussion skills, group work skills and project-based skills... but many do not. Rather than just talk about them I want to be sure to include more visual reminders, creating screencast videos would be ideal for online learning and saving exemplars of previous students work. I also liked that Brianna reminded us that exemplars should not just be at the "extending" level, but be sure to include examples of all types of assignments/projects that meet the requirements. Great article!]]> 2022-02-05 22:47:43 UTC https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2031005142 bradstpierre https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2031031080 After reading the article, the section that stood out most to me was building community. Having recently started a full-time job at an online school, I am currently struggling with how to develop and build relationships in an asynchronous environment. I think that communication is really important and as I was reading the article, I made a note to myself to create a rotating schedule for outreach to students and families on a weekly basis. I think a short, personalized note can go a long way and it also will force me to look into what each student is submitting for assessment each week and let them know if their on a good pace/trajectory or not. I also want to try to incorporate synchronous activities in some way to help build community as well. There are several students from the same grade in my classes and it would be nice if they were able to build connections. I'm currently debating on whether to run synchronous activities with all grades or individually. Maybe I'll do a synchronous meeting and then use the grades for the breakout rooms... all things that I need to think of and thank you for the prompt to read the article and think about it!

]]> 2022-02-05 23:57:47 UTC https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2031031080 claudiavachon https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2031034130 I appreciated the concrete examples given in the reading and how they are readily applicable in an online setting. It was nice to see that I already used some of the ways to improve social presence in a virtual classroom. But I also took note of some of the areas I can still improve. Given that I mostly work asynchronously, I didn’t think about offering live synchronous sessions, like office hours. I’m not sure how well attended they would be, but I guess there is only one way to find out! I’m also unsure if using videos is a very efficient way to communicate and give feedback. Maybe it’s just a matter of getting used to it. In some subject like French and Math, being able to pinpoint errors is often better done in writing format. Communicating with students and parents is also very time-consuming. I try to stay on top of it, because I can’t tell a parent that their kid is 6 weeks behind, without any previous warnings. This article gave me a lot to think about.

]]> 2022-02-06 00:07:08 UTC https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2031034130 kimberlymagnan https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2031057787 I decided to focus on the "communication" section, as I feel like I need to brush up on this in both the F2F and online environments. I feel like I end up "talking" my learners through a lot of instructions, I need to make sure I also provide some written - and make the jump to video as well. I have been teaching a Photography class, and I have been meaning to make some "step by step" handouts for uploading files and using Photo Shop etc. This has been a great reminded to get my handouts and videos out there! I heard/read someone's post that they had left instructional video for the TTOC to show a class - I need to try that too! A video message and instructions for a class would be such a cool thing to leave for a TTOC to show a when I have to be away! I think I am pretty organized, and I run a pretty intense spreadsheet that helps me track "who" I have contacted with regards to feedback, progress, behaviour etc. I am always shocked at how few points of contact I have with some families/learners compared to others. I would like to reach out more... that will be a goal this term! Great article - I have some goals for myself! ]]> 2022-02-06 01:25:06 UTC https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2031057787 tracyarmstrong3 https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2034510434 While I was already familiar with several of these strategies, the one that resonated with me was personalizing the course. There are many ways I can encourage teacher presence in my asynchronous courses, and one I want to focus on is adding video introductions. I am interested to see how many people watch the video instead of reading the welcome information and how they effect the student's experience. I know sometimes it is much faster for me to read and I would rather take in the information at my own pace without the distraction of watching someone. I also know I will make up a tonne of excuses to avoid making a video! The only way I will get better is by doing it lol. Something simple I have enjoyed is adding bitmojis to everything. I think it's a super fun way to personalize interactions with students and colleagues. 
Something that has really worked well for me as a OL teacher is timely communication. My students receive a weekly email on Fridays with a grade report and other pertinent information. I am now considering personalizing this more, and maybe using moodle "groups" to make my message more specific and relevant. On a more general note, I really liked the website from which you found the article. I spent a few minutes looking around and it is a great resource. I particularly liked how I could read or listen to the article! Thanks for sharing it with us.

]]> 2022-02-08 02:52:16 UTC https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2034510434 tammiecoon https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2034551774 This article has a lot of great information, and the part that stood out to me was the need to facilitate introductions and build community. I think that this takes more intention and effort in an online class than a F2F class because in the brick and mortar classroom the students are already physically there, at the same time, and in the same space, so most of the structure is already in place for your introductions, mixers, and learning activities. When students are online, there is the physical distance to deal with, in addition to different time schedules that might make it difficult to connect together. When we designed our courses in OLTD 512, I just took for granted that many of these relationships and expectations already existed before moving into the pandemic online learning, so I initially forgot to include them in my course design. It was only after seeing Danika's amazing course prototype that I realized that the online teacher often does not have the benefit of physically meeting with students at the beginning of the course to set up those connections and parameters, and so I started to look at ways to do that in my course prototype - like by adding a welcome video, course overview and timeline, some group collaborative activities, and a shared community space to share our work, information, ideas, and encouragement. It was something I had never thought about before, so that exercise and this article are great reminders of how important this step is in establishing that positive teacher presence and influence in the online classroom.]]> 2022-02-08 03:25:39 UTC https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2034551774 ericblouin1 https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2034644232 Something that stood out for me while reading this article is the notion of "Posted Video Directions: The power of this cannot be overstated. Students respond when they “see” and “hear” you. Video gives us this opportunity online. Consider filming yourself explaining the directions for the day or provide a screencast of directions to start each lesson."
As a face to face teacher, I have seen the power of modelling work for students.  Writing a paragraph myself, breaking down a project into more manageable pieces, bringing in an essay that I wrote in university, memorizing a poem myself, starting a short narrative, etc, all demonstrate to the students that, not only is the assignment doable, but I'm actually personally interested in it which, in turn, increases their engagement. 
I have wondered how I will be able to duplicate this methodology in such a different environment, such as online learning...
I think that part of the answer is being willing to explore different media of presentation, using both synchronous and asynchronous classes/lessons, and being as present as possible: finding ways to exhibit our passion for learning in a digital space.  
Who knows what I could do with a word-processed paper essay written in the early 2000s with the technology available today...
Thanks for the excellent article, Seminar 4, and thanks for reading my reflection :) ]]> 2022-02-08 04:39:32 UTC https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2034644232 rongaucher https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2036244368 One bit thing that stood out for me was 'see each student as an individual.' This idea as a whole has captivated me this week. Not saying I don't do this, but I think it is important. Students all bring their unique experiences with them everywhere we go, just like we do. This 'baggage' (not denoted with a negative connotation) is what makes them interesting and we need to celebrate their individuality. I definitely try my best to connect with each student and get a feel for what they do outside of school, who they are in their community, etc. This has been such an important part of my teaching, especially these last 2 and a bit years. With students being quite isolated in the Alberni Valley, lots of them haven't ventured outside of school and their homes, let alone take part in a hobby or fun activity to give them some balance. I have found that asking some questions and getting to know these students has led to them being more invested in being at school and doing their best.
 I have lots of work to do in my asynchronous practice, but I think I'm slowly getting there!]]> 2022-02-08 18:43:36 UTC https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2036244368 marleedunlop https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2036998351 Wow, I'll be saving this article! So many good tips and tricks mentioned throughout. What stood out to me was the section on individual communication and how much of an impact it has on student engagement - and probably retention too right? I feel even in a F2F environment this can be tricky as it can sometimes be a conflict of time, and not having enough of it. I feel this is something I would like to focus on in the F2F environment (and with parents) but also if and when I facilitate learning online. I think doing that with colleagues is important too. I'll never forget mentioning to Mary during our first course that I had Covid and I was trying to set up the classroom on facetime with another colleague, email parents about what to expect, and the stress was just compounding. Mary reached out to me twice in that week with helpful things she had found, and asking if I needed anything at all. I found myself having a deep appreciation and respect for someone I had never met before. It made me want to perform well for her. When it comes to engagement and building compassionate, respectful relationships, that the individual communication piece with students and colleagues cannot be underestimated. 

Also- personalizing the learning yea! Make it fun, create the space, show your personality, and celebrate accomplishments and milestones! I find that I'm experiencing that more and more after just three courses with you lot. Anyone else taking notes? ]]> 2022-02-09 03:26:19 UTC https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2036998351 https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2038802675 Great Article to sum it all up. I think it is all things that we do in F2F instruction we just need to be reminded all the time that the extra time and effort spent on these strategies in the online setting will pay huge benefits down the line. I really liked the part about feedback. I am really seeing the power of a goggle docs type platform where as an educator we can chime in at any point with some guiding questions or looking for clarity about an idea the student has. So often we get caught in summative assessment but assessing the process of learning is so valuable. We need to show the students the skills that are needed to be successful in the online setting. Modelling learning is also a great strategy. Kids come past my office and ask me what I am doing on the computer so much? I tell them that I am doing my masters online and they ask me how it is going. I tell them it's all about being engaged, time on task, and most importantly time management. I have already had students come back and tell me that they have tried this and that it seems to be working. If Bevi can get good marks as a non- techy anyone can! You can teach an old dog new tricks, but hard work and diligence is the way to success.]]> 2022-02-09 20:06:17 UTC https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2038802675 larryhayward https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2039482753 This was a very helpful article full of plenty of useful and practical ideas on how to build a positive social presence in a fully online course. I also feel the different elements discussed mirror a successful f2f classroom but must be deliberately built into the online classroom as many of these elements arise organically in a thriving, productive, and successful f2f classroom.   

I was especially impressed by the push for timely and constructive feedback and regular communication. These are essential in a successful online classroom whereas, in a f2f classroom, as the article detailed, a teacher can circulate and formatively assess individually and as a class on the fly and can easily communicate and reinforce expectations, learning targets, and constructive feedback at the moment and can redirect and correct students in real-time. 

This is more difficult in a fully online classroom, especially an asynchronous one, as students are working on their own based on either text or video instructions and may go off on an unforeseen and unwanted tangent because of unclear instructions. Without formative assessment built-in and regular, "real-time" feedback and communication, students can also, like the article stated, feel lost, may feel overwhelmed, or may disengage and complete little or no work. 

I also thought it was a great idea to further your social presence by using video more to both keep students engaged and to give instructions. I agree that students consistently don't read text-based instructions and instead "throw away the manual" and decide to figure things out on their own, many times completing assignments that are nothing like the criteria you set out in your rubric or text instructions. Video instructions could be a way to help solve this while also increasing your social presence and visually modelling what students should be doing instead of writing instructions down.

Overall, the article was very good at establishing pragmatic and practical ways to establish teacher presence in a virtual classroom so that students who, by the very nature of online learning are disconnected, feel like they are a part of a community and have avenues to engage with that community to further their learning.      ]]> 2022-02-10 04:54:43 UTC https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2039482753 danikacottingham1 https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2040769579 The headings and pointers in this article are great, thank you for sharing! As I looked through, I think my cynic came out a bit when considering my personal situation, but the ideas and goals are great! The one thing that I always try to do, is prompt and meaningful communication. When students email or message me questions or concerns, I reply as quickly as I can (usually within a day), even if I'm behind in marking/assessing their work. 

I am always up-front with students that the reality is that it is nearly impossible to stay completely caught up with marking when I have over 200 students who seem to be prolifically productive at the same time, but that I prioritize direct communication for them which is my way of making sure they feel important and heard. 

The actual point about frequent and timely feedback on online work is great, and definitely a goal, but at times it is so overwhelming - like coming back from Christmas break to almost 300 submitted assignments, in secondary humanities courses, and the students still having the audacity to keep working and making progress throughout January! (joke) So yes, great goal, and something that is always front and center on the guilt-plate. ]]> 2022-02-10 17:21:25 UTC https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2040769579 richardhortness https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2041750671 I think that for me the biggest takeaway from this article is the timely feedback piece. "If you use text comments, consider embedding them into the actual digital submissions or in the margins as digital comments. This will give students more context and meaning." I literally had just decided this week that this was going to be something that I was going to try to do with my google docs and the assignments that the kids were working on. I have been using google but not taking advantage of the live support I could have been giving to the students while they work. Not only would this save me from wondering if the kids were going to get their work done on time because I would be seeing their live docs coming to life, but it would also allow for me to see a mistake as it was occurring and to make suggestions on the fly saving them extra work in the long run. 
We are seeing a lot of students in the french immersion realm that are using online translation software to create passable texts that could fool some teachers into believing that their students wrote them. If I was able to be in their live doc's I could ask them for elaborations or for simplifications to gauge their understanding and depth of knowledge on what they are researching. ]]> 2022-02-11 05:07:41 UTC https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2041750671 pamelaharris1 https://padlet.com/briannatougas/m7uvivazvn4e90wg/wish/2041784016 All the tips contained in this article are worthwhile and form the basis for a strong strategy of teacher investment in social (& teaching!) presence, but I think the importance of timely feedback cannot be emphasized enough.  Timely, formative assessment and communication is critical to ensuring students feel connected, engaged, recognized, and that their work is of value.  Work without feedback can feel meaningless, as I'm sure we've all experienced at one time or another.  I remember very clearly the profs 30+ page research papers with a letter grade on them and nothing else.  The As I received felt meaningless without any context as to why I received them. I worked hard on those assignments and I'd like to feel like my prof took the time to thoughtfully assess what I wrote.  It's about respect and in not showing your students that respect, they will not respect you or the work they have done with you. 

In my own classes, I make sure I provide context for any corrections and formative feedback to support student growth.
Mr. Rogers said in a video clip posted by Eric B. (to the Seminar 4 Activity 2 Currents thread), that the space between paragraphs, the time to reflect and think critically, is more important than the text itself.  I see good constructive feedback as the same thing.  It provides an opportunity to think about the direction of your work, about what you're actually saying, and what you want to say.  It's a time to discuss the process of learning (ah metacognition!) and invest in it.  The most effective "instruction" I engaged in was often during project check-ins and feedback sessions for writing exercises and very rich, thoughtful work came from those sessions.  Even in text form, I'm always asking questions and often my students are a bit confused when they realize I actually want them to answer those questions! They came to value the process as more significant than the outcome - although they were happy with the end results, too!


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