Kim Hefty, EdTech 504 Annotated Bibliography Introductory Paragraph How learning communities work within the broader

theory of constructivism. Constructivism is a paradigm for learning and teaching. Constructivism states that students construct knowledge individually through interactions with the learning environment they inhabit as well as their interactions with other learners. This theory focuses on the utilization of the scaffolding approach to learning. In constructivism there is an emphasis on the importance of active involvement of learners in constructing knowledge for themselves. The learner, or student, has a significant stake in their own learning. Instructors teach basic skills and gradually build up to (scaffold) more complex problems. Knowledge is not passively received from the world but is developed and created by learners trying to make sense of their experiences (Yilmaz, 2008 p.162). Knowledge is not purely objective but is socially constructed and the teachers major role is that of facilitator. Learning communities are built from theories. Interest in creating a community to help facilitate and support learning has been a long-term interest for many educators seeking ways to enhance the learning experience for their students (Jonassen & Land, 2012 p.268). In education some type of facilitator or educator will enhance the learning community and experience. Learning communities come in a variety of forms and formats including formal and informal. A sense of community is an especially important aspect of online and distance learning that aligns with the constructivist approach to learning. Community-building also helps reduce or prevent feelings of isolation and alienation that often contribute to distance education student attrition. In the following annotated bibliography, I explored the relationship between constructivism and learning communities. Careful consideration was given to various investigations and peerreviewed research in order to find a connection between these. I was particularly drawn to the creation of online and distance education communities developed from constructivism theory. 1. Allen, K. (2005). Online learning: Constructivism and conversation as an approach to learning. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 42(3), 247-256. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com.libproxy.boisestate.edu/doi/full/10.1080/0158791050016798 5

This article looks at traditional higher education in the United Kingdom. Allen researched learning and technology. He examined the benefits of using the software program, Talk 2 Learn, in building learning communities which fosters a constructivist approach to teaching. Talk 2 Learn is essentially a piece of software. In terms of an approach to learning in many ways it is neutral. The way it is used may well be of greater importance to the teaching

approach rather than its intrinsic design. Nevertheless, its emphasis on community groupings makes it useful for those who wish to pursue a Constructivist approach to learning and teaching (Allen, 2005). This article supports the intrinsic relationship between constructivism and learning communities. I found this article through Google Scholar by searching keywords: learning communities and constructivism.
2. Aragon, S. R. (2003). Creating social presence in online environments. New Directions

for Adult and Continuing Education, 2003(100), 57-68. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.libproxy.boisestate.edu/doi/10.1002/ace.119/abstract Aragon addresses the importance of social presence in an online learning environment. Online learning can create a sense of isolation, which can create a negative learning experience. Success in an online environment is often affected by whether or not a learner feels they are part of a community. Improving social presence in an online environment will increase the amount of information shared and improve the overall quality of the education received. Aragon presents strategies to improve social presence for course designers, educators, and participants. Until discovering this article, I have primarily focused on the roles of both the instructor and the students. Aragon presents some concrete strategies for the course designer that I had not previously considered, such as incorporating audio and structuring collaborative activities. I found this article through Google Scholar by searching keywords: learning communities and online. 3. Cross, K. P. (1998). Why learning communities? Why now? About campus, 3(3), 4-11. Retrieved from http://www.nhcuc.org/pdfs/CrossLC.pdf The author begins with the assertion that learning communities are based on the concept of collaboration and collaboration is built from social construction. Cross asserts that through social interactions, knowledge and understanding is built. Knowledge is not a transfer from teacher to student, instead it is developed interdependently. The meaning of knowledge is shifting. Correlation outcomes strongly suggest that interaction is the key to developing new perceptions of experiences. Education and knowledge need to shift away from always trying to find the right answer. Effective education occurs when students challenge the system by questioning and discussion. I was disappointed that this article did not address alternate forms of education (online) and the connections drawn to constructivism were weak, at best. I found this article through Google Scholar by searching keywords: learning communities and constructivism.
4. Gold, S. (2001). A constructivist approach to online training for online teachers. Journal

of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 5(1), 35-57. Retrieved from

https://admission.kettering.edu/sites/default/files/resource-filedownload/ConstructivistApproach.pdf Gold analyzed a two week workshop taken by professors who were transitioning from a traditional classroom to an online classroom. I liked the emphasis on constructivism in the development of any online curriculum. The professors were first encouraged to participate in an online learning experience themselves before attempting to create one. Golds conclusion was that without this experience the professors would just attempt to recreate their traditional classroom. Knowledge is not separate from but rather embedded within experiences and interpreted by the learner. Knowledge [is] then about interpretation and making meaning of the environment (p. 37). After taking the workshop, the professors were more likely to adopt a constructivist approach when developing their own curriculums. The professors identified the virtual classrooms as more interactive than their traditional classrooms. The article was very helpful because it actually provides support for the need for teachers to act as facilitators and for a learning community to be formed. I found this article in the references of another article I read: Aragon, S. R., & Johnson, S. D. (2002). Emerging roles and competencies for training in e-learning environments. Advances in developing human resources, 4(4), 424-439. 5. Gulati, S. (2008). Compulsory participation in online discussions: is this constructivism or normalisation of learning?. Innovations in education and teaching international, 45(2), 183-192.Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com.libproxy.boisestate.edu/doi/abs/10.1080/1470329080195042 7

This article analyzes the general philosophy of constructivism in education. The article discusses how education needs to shift away from the teacher giving students knowledge through lecture and direct instruction to more involvement from the students in their own learning. Students are able to build knowledge based on their experiences and relationships. Constructivism in education encourages a student to be more active in the learning process. I was particularly drawn to the connections with building communities, specifically online, through online discussions, chats, or message boards. This article emphasizes the role of the teacher as a facilitator in education, and the teacher needs to make sure all students feel safe and confident enough to be a part of the community. From a constructivist position, the goal is for the learner to develop their own knowledge. Knowledge will be more readily gained when learners feel free to develop their own conclusions. There is also extensive discussion of power and who has it. The influence of power will affect all types of education, not just online. This article connects all the areas I am interested in: communities, constructivism, and online education. I found this article while reading the Allen article, it was in the side bar Users also Read.

6. Hill, J.R. (2012) Learning communities: Theoretical foundations for making connections. In D. Jonassen, & S. Land (Eds.), Theoretical foundations of learning environments. (2nd ed., pp. 268-285) Hill describes how a sense of community can and does affect learning. Community can exist anywhere and can be formal or informal, even in virtual space. Hill estimates that up to 80% of learning can occur informally. In any type of environment the teacher or educator must take on the role of facilitator to create a safe and secure environment so that a community can be formed. I appreciated that Hill connects social constructivism directly to learning communities. I have this book as part of the course EdTech 504 and I specifically analyzed this chapter for a previous assignment.
7. Huang, H. M. (2002). Toward constructivism for adult learners in online learning

environments. British Journal of Educational Technology, 33(1), 27-37. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.libproxy.boisestate.edu/doi/10.1111/1467-8535.00236/pdf Huang asserts there are several issues that online educators must address in order to provide a constructivist learning environment to online/distance students. Online education allows for both synchronous and asynchronous communication. Constructivism asserts that knowledge is constructed through social interactions. How do you create social interactions when students are not even in the same room or state or even country? The instructors role as a facilitator is paramount. Although not specifically addressed as learning communities, these are key to providing the opportunity for social interactions. Any online or distance course should utilize email, voicemail, chat rooms, and discussion boards. Instructors must address issues of isolation, authenticity, and evaluation. Huangs article was specifically analyzing adult learners, but the foundation would be the same for any online/distance learner. Collaboration opportunities and a learner-centered curriculum provide the greatest opportunities for a successful program. Huang notes that when educators are aware of the obstacles they can design a program that specifically overcomes many potential pitfalls. This article highlights that any discussion of education should also include obstacles. I found this article through Google Scholar by searching keywords: online learning and constructivism.
8. Hrastinski, S. (2009). A theory of online learning as online participation. Computers &

Education, 52(1), 78-82. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com.libproxy.boisestate.edu/science/article/pii/S036013150800 0997 Hrastinski asserts that online learning is actually online participation. His theories are based on constructivism influenced by social perspective. Interaction is much more than just student to teacher or student to student, interaction is the internal dialogue learners have with themselves. The article states that participation needs to be supported by physical and psychological tools. Participation is much more extensive than just writing or talking and needs to be supported. I

would have liked to seen Hrastinski develop the connection between participation and the development of learning communities. I found this article in the related articles on ERIC after reading through several other articles. 9. Swan, K. (2002). Building learning communities in online courses: The importance of interaction. Education, Communication & Information, 2(1), 23-49. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com.libproxy.boisestate.edu/doi/abs/10.1080/1463631022000005 016

This article discusses the importance of the interaction between teachers and students. In an online learning environment students felt that all interactions with the instructor mattered. In any environment teachers have three roles cognitive, affective, and managerial. In online education the need for interaction is heightened. Learners need feedback from both instructors and other students. Asynchronous discussion allows for more reflection and more thoughtful responses, thus more profound conclusions. Social presence allows for the formation of true learning communities. This article continues to analyze the process for developing a successful online curriculum. The statistical analysis presented is somewhat flawed, in my opinion it attempts to quantify feelings. I agreed with the overall conclusions: that community and interaction are the foundational keys to any quality education program. I think the author should have addressed constructivism since the class model developed is certainly based on this theory. I found this article through Google Scholar by searching keywords: learning communities and online learning. 10. Yilmaz, K. (2008). Constructivism: Its Theoretical Underpinnings, Variations, and Implications for Classroom Instruction. Educational Horizons, 86(3), 161-172. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov.libproxy.boisestate.edu/PDFS/EJ798521.pdf Yilmaz analyzes the learning theory of constructivism and its application for the classroom. The article explains the pedagogy of constructivism, its assumptions and principles. The primarily principle is knowledge construction. This time reading the article I was drawn to the areas that addressed the concepts of learning communities, although indirectly. Constructivism is socially and culturally mediated. Constructivism can be summarized as follows: 1) learning is an active process 2) learning is an adaptive activity 3) learning is situated in the context it occurs 4) knowledge is not innate, passively absorbed, or invented but constructed by the learner 5) All knowledge is personal and idiosyncratic 6) all knowledge is socially constructed 7) learning is essentially a process of making sense of the world 8) experience and prior understanding play a role in learning 9) social interaction plays a role in learning (p. 167). Educators will benefit from constructionism when creating their learning environments. Teachers need to respect and acknowledge the variety of backgrounds and experiences that students come in with. They should provide a multitude of opportunities for students to share and explore and develop a group dialogue. Students will learn more when they are able to challenge and explore each

others and their own assumptions and beliefs. This article continues to provide a wealth of information as I review it with new perspectives. I previously used this article in my paper on constructivism. I found this article originally through Google Scholar by searching keyword: constructivism.