I believe that humans have a basic instinct to interact and work as a group. However, some of them choose not to work in a group because they would rather work individually. Working together collaboratively is a major part of education in today's society. Collaboration between students as well as teachers can be extremely beneficial in the classroom and professional development settings. Wikipedia is the result of people collaborating all over the world to correctly identify and define terms in an encyclopedia. Through the use of the Internet people can use Wikipedia and other websites to discuss and post their thoughts for anybody to read. Examples of collaboration can be found all throughout our society and not just in educational settings. Business, sports, and politics also involve a heavy amount of collaboration among the people involved. Collaboration can be the most beneficial in an educational setting. Some of the best professional developments I have attended all involved collaboration with my fellow teachers at some point. Collaboration among teachers leads to the sharing of ideas and teaching strategies that will benefit the students in their classes. Teachers can also share lesson ideas with each other including what works and what does not work in order to create the best lessons for their students.
There are several ways technology can facilitate collaboration among learners based on constructivist principles. Student interaction and problem solving skills can be supported by the world wide web. (http://ausweb.scu.edu.au/proceedings/agostinho/paper.html). Wikis can be used for class discussions and opportunities for students to post feedback on other students' postings. Programs such as Skype and Elluminate can be used for collaborative meetings to take with members participating from across the globe. Collaboration is an essential ingredient in the recipe to create an "effective learning environment" as it provides learners with the opportunity to discuss, argue, negotiate and reflect upon existing beliefs and knowledge. The learner is "involved in constructing knowledge through a process of discussion and interaction with learning peers and experts." (http://ausweb.scu.edu.au/proceedings/agostinho/paper.html). Technology provides students and teachers with communication and opportunities to collaborate with each other in different parts of the country. Discussion boards and blogs may also be used for students to post thoughts and ideas that can be viewed and commented on by other students. Technology provides learners with the experiences and opportunities to collaborate and interact with each other.
Rheingold, H. (2008, February). Howard Rheingold on collaboration [Video file]. Retrieved from
http://www.ted.com/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html
Brian,
ReplyDeleteI think that affordability is also bridging gaps as well, collaboratively speaking. The fact that wifi is becoming more readily available and that places like Google are making them free to everyone (like Hangouts, docs, etc.), its helping level socioeconomic barriers that sometimes prohibit this collaboration.
Brian,
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing at how technology has progressed in last two years. When I think about technology and its use for education I cannot help but be amazed at how things have changed just in the time I have been in school. From elementary school until now, technology has obliterated all communication limits (time and distance). Your post reminded me of an old piece of technology that we used in high school called GSAMS. For the life of me I cannot remember the meaning of the letters, but it allowed students and classes to attend a class in another high school anywhere in the state of Georgia. It was equipped with a TV and a video camera. It was the precursor to Skype. Looking at where schools have started and where they are now it amazing. Collaboration is now almost limitless.
Brian and Rob,
ReplyDeleteYou are both correct in your assessment. Technology has made collaboration more than available and the affordability of technology has made it more prevalent. Although the government shut down has made me rethink my theory, but I think the government should subsidize educational technology and provide it for schools as below market prices.
Brian,
ReplyDeleteI agree technology really does encourage collaboration. Why do you suppose some people prefer to work individually given today's collaborative environment?
Hello Brian! I too agree that "some" technology encourages collaboration, but generally, collaboration must come from the desire and need of the people involved. All too often, people don't collaborate because they feel they don't need to and/or they don't know how to effectively collaborate. This is something, in my opinion, that needs to be taught.
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