Collaboration

I think collaboration is a very important thing when it comes to teaching and discussing subject matter throughout a classroom. Its important for students to be able to communicate with one another and be able to work as a team. Also people who know more about collaborating and know how to collaborate will become more successful in getting jobs and etc. Collaboration consist of peer evaluation, group formation and role assignment. These things can help students become more successful as they move on forward into the real world and they'll better be able to interact with other people. Collaboration is a very important aspect to develop as students because it'll then help them achieve interaction skills that are needed for future jobs and work. In the end if you have collaboration skills you may preform better in school, and be more valued by your employers.

Collaboration in the Classroom

When we think about working in a group or with a partner we often think of it as a little social break from the lectures. Having read Pearson's article on Collaboration differently opened my eyes to why working in groups or with a partner has benefits for everyone. The students learn from each other when they collaborate, they are able to get different points of views and are able to find multiple ways to answer a questions. Collaboration has three major elements that are it's framework, interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, and task management. Students gain all of these elements when working together and they are able to take it with them into the work world. Having all these abilities help them gain knowledge and improves their work ethic. Something so little can actually help in the long run.

Collaboration

Collaborative opportunities in the classroom are a necessary component for students' learning as well as ensuring that students engage in interpersonal communication with one another for a better classroom environment. The strategies provided in the short clip - Think, Pair, Share, Connecting to Three Studies, then Small group work - are possible strategies within all levels and content areas of education. My only concern is how to implement these strategies with technology. For sure, there are several online resources for students to utilize to complete collaborative work. However, my only issue is how to use technology for the collaborative process? What resources can be used for these activities? I want to utilize fun and interesting technology into my classroom because students can easily access technology into their everyday lives. With English as the content area, how can I use technology for collaborative work that is not just PowerPoint when they are doing presentations?

Collaboration 101

I read through the Pearson "Collaboration: Executive Summary for Educators" article. Overall, I really agree with one major point from the article. That point would be the fact that collaboration does not develop without instruction. If collaboration skills are to improve, direct instruction, opportunities to practice, and feedback are all needed. This is important.

Say you give kids a group project. You tell them that they are stranded on an island, and they have to build themselves some form of government with jobs that will tend to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. If you don't teach kids how to first work in a group, their government will crash and burn. They need to be taught how to work with others and accept the ideas of everyone. Everyone's voice must be heard in a collaboration.

One of my classmates, Emily, had a good point, however. Certain aspects of collaboration will make students successful. She said that,

"The idea that collaboration skills help children learn to work well with others is a huge benefit. Even in college we do group projects. We probably don't enjoy it entirely, but it happens. In the work force we frequently have to work with our fellow employees whether it be on a specific project or we just have to work as a team in general. This is a valuable life skill that translates to many different areas of life." (Google Docs Comment, Emily).

I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. I don't particularly enjoy group projects. Honestly, I hate them because I have that innate fear that I'll be the one in the group that ends up doing the work. And I'm also, quite honestly, the one that has to be in charge of the project. I am an idea imposer. I prefer to work on my own, but there are so many situations where I will have to work as a team with other people. My job as a teacher will be no exception. I need to collaborate with my fellow teachers and bounce ideas and projects off of them in order to be successful. It doesn't change the fact that I hate group projects, but it just goes to show that it is essential for me to develop skills in collaboration.

Thoughts on Collaboration

In the education field, collaboration is a tool that should be used in every classroom. There are many ways as a teacher that one can incorporate collaboration. Some examples are peer evaluation, group formation and role assignment. My one concern was peer evaluation, is it more beneficial or harmful for children. The plus side of peer evaluations are that students learn from each others mistakes. However, in some cases children may feel discouraged knowing that their peers just graded a assignment of theirs that was filled with errors. After discussing it on the classroom documents, some ideas were that all students make problems and it is good for children to see that it is okay to make mistakes. Another suggestion that I really liked was using anonymous peer evaluations. Doing so, children can learn from others mistakes without knowing which student it was. Although I do agree that children should not "take everything to heart", at a young age, the smallest things are a big deal. With that being said, if there is a way to avoid it, I would take that route.

Collaborative Learning

“Educators should develop collaboration skills in students as an end in themselves not simply as a teaching method by which to learn other skills.”

I find this particular passage of the Collaboration Summary interesting.  It is important to remember that collaboration skills shouldn't just extend to group research projects in school.  I think it's fair to say I'm not the only one who things of this specific scenario when I think of group collaboration efforts.
This is an incredibly useful skill that extends way beyond elementary school or even college courses.  As teenagers, young professionals and seasoned employees, we all have to work with other people.  This can be on specific projects that are reminiscent of those school research projects, or working as a team of chefs in a kitchen.  In either scenario, one needs to have the skills of communication, of teamwork and camaraderie, and delegation.
Even though group projects may be a pain, working with others and learning these collaborative skills are really helpful in the long run. 

Digital Literacy/Citizenship Footprints

Technology is a huge part of education. Technology helps assist both the teacher and the student in the classroom.

 “writing teachers must commit to this digital rhetorical perspective on writing, or they will miss the opportunity to help their students engage effectively in the ICT [Information and Communication Technology] revolution taking place right now” (308).

For the last 20 years or so technology as grown to be an essential piece of our daily lives. Toddlers are being exposed to this epidemic as well as our grandparents. Technology is our current life but also our future. If technology is so integrated into our personal lives shouldn't we also incorporate it into our education so that our children will grow and be able to successfully grasp ideas of technology within their professional and educational career? The answer is, yes.

Our teachers are needing to be able to work with technology and incorporate it into their classroom and instruction. It is essential that all teachers are trained in this particular field to be better equipped for the modern day education field.

The SAMR Padaogy Wheel is model of technological attributes and possible capability outcomes for students using technology to create, remember and understand, apply, analyse, and evaluate. This wheel models the actions, activities, technological tools that can be applied to education and how it benefits it.

I believe there are many tools and resources that are made available for teachers to work with within the classroom.