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Heather A Ochmane-Learning Ecologies MOOC’s Updates
Community and Collaboration Tools
Collaborative tools enable a community of learners to work together to solve a problem or create a project by pooling their collective intelligence to more quickly and creatively. By working collaboratively, the learners often achieve a higher standard of production, a greater depth of knowledge with more detail and thoroughness than an individual could accomplish on their own.
There are many technology tools and applications that enable teachers to bring together a community of learners in a collaborative learning environment. Collaboration tools like GAFE (Google Apps for Education) is a suite of applications that empower teachers and students to organize, share, collaborate, on document, spreadsheets, and presentations. This video demonstrates how students use Google Docs to leave comments, suggestions, and edits on a shared document. This powerful tool even allows the students who are working together on this document to carry on a real-time chat. A record of the chat and all the revision history is available for teacher review and to see just how much work each student contributed to the project.
Project Based, Inquiry Based, and Challenge Based Learning are other examples of learning that is based upon collaborative student interaction to solve a problem, explore a new subject, or complete a project. Essential to these learning environments is providing students with the skills to work effectively within a team or with a partner. A good place to start is giving the students a rubric that details how a competent collaborator works and functions within the group. This attachment is one of the better collaboration rubric by the Buck Institute for Education (BIE). It is geared for students in grades 6-12. The site has rubrics for K-5 as well.
This video provides a look a a high school where collaborative learning takes place in every subject. I especially like the round table discussion. A student is responsible for mapping the interactions from one student to another that provides a illustrative document of the student participation. Students who shy away from participating are encouraged to support and enagage them during the next discussion.
Video I plan to share with my students as we prepare for a new year of collaboration in the classroom.
Helpful tips on the role of the teacher in a collaborative classroom
Great post about collaborative learning Suzzane! Another good example of collaborative learning would be learning through Scholar and Coursera platform. Students from different places come together to learn and exchange knowledge. These platforms allow students to learn and communicate with others respectfully and without being face-to-face. Instead of f being passive recipients of information, students learn how to be critical learners by giving and receiving feedback to others. Eventually, this will enhance their learning and expand their knowledge.