WEEK 5

 Types of Presences

According to Cambridge Dictionary, one of the definition of presence is, the fact that someone or something is in a place which can be defined as the state of being present as well. In our educatioal experience, we come across different types of presences, all of which have meeting point with one another and each other which makes up educational experience at the end. These presences primarily are; social presence, cognitive presence, teaching presence and additionally transactional presence.

 Social presence is being present in a community as a real person to interact, to express effectively, to communicate openly, to share experience. the common point of social presence with teaching presence is setting climate; with  cognitive presence is supporting discourse. 

Cognitive presence, on the other hand, is constructing meaning through reflection which includes exploration, integration, resolution, idea generation, denotation. We develop critical thinking with our cognitive presence through exchanging information, connecting the new ideas with others. In the meeting point of cognitive presence and teaching presence, "selecting content" takes place.

Teaching presence, however, has a duty in designing, facilitating and directing both cognitive and social presences to create an educational worth. Organization, modelling, appropriate usage are focused here. All these three presences create an educational experience in community of inquiry model.

With the help of the transactional presence, which is interrelated to the other presences, we feel connected to the others. In distance education, using the technology as a channel, students be present and involved to experience education and transactional presence shows the availability in distance education.