From the Introduction-"If you picked up this book, you are probably looking for ways to improve your online teaching. You want to be able to get the engagement and community that your classes had when they were in the physical classroom, but you're not quite sure how to do that. You used technology in the classroom, but that was supplemental. You want to know how to get your students to work together and contribute to class discussion online.
The ideas and suggestions in this book could be just the inspiration you need. Couple the ideas with your own classroom experiences and develop a framework you feel confident would help you create a sense of community in your online classes. When you start the school year, you could have the strategies you need to draw students in and connect them to each other. And, when given the go-ahead to move back into the physical classroom, the students can walk in happy to finally see the community they know in person."
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"You will learn strategies you can apply immediately in an online class so that you can start connecting with your students and connecting your students with each other."
In this book, we will look at the benefits of building community in an online coursehow online and traditional face-to-face classes differthe importance of developing a sense of presence in your coursethe benefits of well-designed discussion boardshow blogging can build communitythe benefits of teamwork-the teacher-student relationshiphow organization plays a role in relationships--how stories connect people