Icebreaker Activity
The ice breaker activity is the first communication among class colleagues. This introductory communication is, in my opinion, the most important activity as it creates the connections between peers that will be necessary for positive discussions and collaborative activities. I have chosen to include a visual component to the ice breaker to encourage a visual persona within the online environment. This activity supports informational-processes and considers the cognitive load of working memory by incorporating graphic and textual elements together. Online environments can quickly become text heavy, which for some students, may be the catalyst to drop out of a course. The lack of developing online relationships is yet another reason many leave an online course unsatisfied.
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My activity is an attempt to bridge text and visuals to provide students more than one modality to create a connection with a peer. Individual identities can begin to grow and peers can then begin to view their online classmate as a student with humanistic qualities and not just letters on a page. This activity consideration also aligns with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines Principle 1: provide multiple means of representation.
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