Collaboration in the classroom has been the primary focus of
our professional development this year. Our school leaders have seen the importance
of having the students work together for a common goal, and have encouraged us,
as teachers, to try different strategies in our classrooms. This is what the
social learning theory is all about. We want students to work together, whether
they are using technology or not, in order to ultimately help each other learn.
Dr. Orey mentioned Lev Vygotsky and his point about having a “more knowledgeable
other” who will help the student along the way (Laureate Education, 2011). I
have seen students trying to learn from various people, including parents,
teachers, peers, and technology as Dr. Orey suggests (Laureate Education,
2011). From my experience, students learn best from each other. They speak each
other’s language, share interests, and have the natural ability to bring the
content to life as it applies to them. As teachers, we try to do this every
day. But unless we are in the role of one of our students completely, we will
never truly understand them as their peers can.
Technology can be a great instrument in the social learning
theory. Google Drive is regularly used in my classroom. This is, in my opinion,
one of the easiest ways to get students to work collaboratively. Pitler, Hubbell,
and Kuhn (2012) mention Google Drive applications several times within their
collaborative learning section. Students can be at their own homes and still
work together on a project. Two features that I really like about Google Drive
is the chat feature and the comments feature. Students today live in the world
of texting. Chatting on Google Drive is like the computer version of texts.
They can communicate instantly and give and get ideas or suggestions to help
improve their overall project. The comments feature is perfect for providing
feedback. This could come from either a peer or a teacher. The comment gets put
into a bubble on the side of the document for easy viewing, all while leaving
the original document in its proper form.
Another technology tool that I am interested in, but have
not used, is The Sims (http://thesims.ea.com).
We all played the various Sims growing up and know how much fun it is to build
a community, a farm, or even an amusement park. The Sims today is more
collaborative and focuses on daily life (Pitler, et al., 2012). This would be a
great collaborative tool for a class that is focused on culture, or possibly
even just for use as a discussion tool. Instead of actually doing the
face-to-face interaction, students can be at their own computers working on a
project, but using the simulation game as a place to ask questions or get ideas
for their project.
The social learning theory is one that is extremely prevalent
in student learning today. If we continue to encourage students to work
together when appropriate, and show them the various tools available to help
them along the way, we could see tremendous things happening in our classrooms.
A third example of a technology that can be used for collaborative work is a VoiceThread. As an example, I have created a VoiceThread that I can show my students as an introduction to a collaborative project. The wonderful thing about VoiceThread is the ability for other people to comment on the work. They can either type their comments or record them through audio. Check it out and see what you think: My VoiceThread.
A third example of a technology that can be used for collaborative work is a VoiceThread. As an example, I have created a VoiceThread that I can show my students as an introduction to a collaborative project. The wonderful thing about VoiceThread is the ability for other people to comment on the work. They can either type their comments or record them through audio. Check it out and see what you think: My VoiceThread.
References
Laureate
Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program eight: Constructionist and
constructivist learning theories [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory,
instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1
Pitler, H.,
Hubbell, E.R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom
instruction that works (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA”ASCD.
Vicki,
ReplyDeleteLike in your district, our district has been focused for several years in developing more collaborative learning into our PD's. We have been encouraged to plan and incorporate more creative ways to expand the class room beyond that "traditional" idea of the class room. The push back in general has come from the more experience teachers who are having to re-think their plans and create a different environment, but overall it has been a good experience. There has been a secondary benefit to this focus and that is that more teachers have collaborated with each other. The openness among the faculty is very refreshing. I have incorporated Goggle Doc's into my class room and the students have received it very well. I look forward to incorporating some different technology as well such as blogs and voice threads. Great insights and post.
Greg
We have seen the push back from the more experienced teachers, as well. What I think has helped our district stay more positive about the change is that we don't have administration coming to talk to us every single time. Instead we have different teachers in our own building sharing ideas and leading discussions about how to incorporated more productive collaboration into our own classrooms.
ReplyDeleteVicki,
ReplyDeleteYour post summed up what I think. Using technology and collaborative lessons really amp up the learning experience and environment. We have the same push back at my school. More of the traditional teachers kind of look down upon the younger teachers who are adding creativity in their classroom. It has taken me 6 years to finally earn respect. I guess the test scores and failure rates proved the point. I also loved that you use The Sims. How creative!
A.J.