Collaborative interaction has evolved in many aspects of technology and distance learning. As a graduate student, I find it intriguing to collaborate with colleagues, friends, and family. Interactive collaboration has impacted distance education by changing the way we communicate through evolutionary methods. George Siemens (Laureate, 2008) states “that future directions in education support growing shifts toward the triple helix model of education where we have universities, governments, and businesses to form a strain of interaction to provide and equip student for the online environment.”
Engaging in online collaboration brings students together to support the learning of each member of the group. It promotes creativity and critical thinking which enhances the learner’s communication skills and offers social motivation and multimedia courses (Palloff & Pratt, 2005). Collaboration also helps you to reflect on each others comments as well as critique individual comments.
Some online tools that are available today to facilitate ways that collaborative interaction has evolved are through these methods:
- Wikis
- Blogs
- E-mails
- Podcast
- Virtual schools
- Social Networks
- VOIP (Phone conversation, computer to computer)
- Video Chats
- Text Chats
Blogs:
- http://blogs.cisco.com/news/providing_a_more_collaborative_interactive_classroom_learning_environment_t/ Description-Bruce Klein’s blog is entitled “Providing a More Collaborative, Interactive Classroom Learning Environment through Video”. The Video-Enabled Teaching and Learning Solution platform helps students in K-12 and higher education gain the skills they need to advance in today’s workplace by introducing them to a more collaborative, virtual learning environment.
Description-This blog came from Smart.Teaching.org. I thought it would be useful to share with the class. Wikis are an exceptionally useful tool for getting students more involved in curriculum. They’re often appealing and fun for students to use, while at the same time ideal for encouraging participation, collaboration, and interaction. This blog shares 50 ways to use wikis for a more collaborative and interactive classroom.
3. http://salt.swan.ac.uk/wiki/?p=559
Description-This blog is by Chris Hall demonstrating an interactive short video on how Microsoft‘s new touch screen works.
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating online: learning together in community. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer) (2008). The future of distance education. Baltimore, MD: Author
Brigit, I concur with your reflection on one window of opportunity to become more creative and enhance critical thinking skills through collaboration; on-line education can become quite self-absorbing and impersonal if we don't explore our peer interaction and learn from each other. Wiki's, and Blogs and Chat, Oh my!
ReplyDeleteBest
David
Although I emailed you my response, I am attempting to submit it the correct way now that I've changed my browser to FireFox...
ReplyDeleteHey Brigit. I enjoyed reading your post, as I see that we had some of the same
opinions regarding the importance of collaborative interaction in distance
education. We have noticed an increase in electronic communication has
technology has evolved over the years. Twenty years ago, we could communicate
via email and chat; however, the processes of communicating with others
globally have improved due to an increase of communication technologies such
as the ones that you mentioned. This increase in communication greatly impacts
distance education as instruction and interaction between students and
instructors is done electronically, not face to face. And as I stated,
communication and collaboration go hand in hand as you can’t have one without
the other. Lastly, we see this evolution of collaborative interaction not just
in the educational arena, but also in our businesses/corporations, and within
our personal lives. The same tools that we can use to communicate with our
friends across country are the same tools that educational institutions and
businesses are using to allow student to student/student to
instructor/employee to employee/employee to employer communication and
collaboration.
Hi David,
ReplyDeleteI teach my students to collaborate and learn from each other. The outcome of peer interaction is phenomenal. You should see my students in action. Distance education is so wonderful when you have peers like my Walden team. There is a sense of belonging. Collaborating with my classmates at Walden has made this quarter less stressful and more helpful.
Brigit
Hi Jessica,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the response. Glade to hear that your comments are working properly. I enjoy collaborating online but the personal communication sites are some what mind boggling. I do not understand why one would put all their business(such as, we're going out of town for a week)on the web for everyone to see. Do you think this sounds inviting to a stranger into your home? I absolutely love the idea of keep in touch with friends and family but some information should be private. What do you think?
Brigit