Collaboration is a term, tool and concept employed by 21st century educators. Knowledge sharing has become critical across academic and professional environments. In education, course management systems such as Blackboard or Moodle provide users with online tools that facilitate this kind of engagement. Free online spaces such as Wikispaces, Teachertube and Edublogs also enable peer collaboration. Despite these user-friendly widgets, distance education is not maximized. George Siemens (2008a) says distance education acceptance will grow as learns are able to “bridge the gap of comfort” with the technology.
However, overcoming skills discomfort has not discouraged everyone. In fact, classrooms and districts from K-12 and higher education continue to debunk this concern. Michael Simonson (2008b) discusses K-12 collaborate systems connecting classrooms throughout the state of Iowa “to make available collaborative” educational/instructional experiences; the goal is for teachers to share their coursework with students in another class, or school district. Similarly, this idea of collaboration has expanded to “mirror schools,” where schools can make available and replicate school curricula for distance education purposes.
The following blogs illustrate several collaboration options including Facebook and a variety of online tools that can enhance teaching.
Social Network for Kids http://mrskevans.edublogs.org/category/collaboration/
This blog suggests children should be introduced to Facebook at an early age. With appropriate filters and parental supervision, social networking can help prepare kids for future collaborative tasks. Not to mention they will understand at a young age how to maximize this tool as well as recognized the dangers associated with it.
Teaching outside the box http://slneducation.edublogs.org/alex/teaching-outside-the-box/
This is a prime example of collaboration at its best, as a teacher opens the virtual doors of her classroom, instructional tools and ideas to all interested.
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (2008a). The Future of Distance Education. [video] Principles of Distance Education. Baltimore: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (2008b). Distance Education: Higher Education, K12, and the Corporate World. [video] Principles of Distance Education. Baltimore: Author
