According to Laureate Education (2009), social learning theory says that people build meaning primarily through social interactions with others and their environment. Connectivism expands social learning theory and says that people make connections from technological tools that are used to help people collaborate with each other to share and organize information.
Cooperative learning is a teaching strategy educators can use to support both connectivism and social learning theories. Cooperative learning provides learners the opportunity to interact and socialize with their peers to achieve a common goal. This approach to learning often interests, motivates, and engages students. When cooperative learning is teamed with technology, such as multimedia and computers, the learning process is even more interesting and engaging for students. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski (2007) state that, “Technology can play a unique and vital role in cooperative learning by facilitating group collaboration, providing structure for group tasks, and allowing members of groups to communicate even if they are not working face to face” (p. 140).
One exciting way people can use technology to interact with others or collaborate with others via a social network is to use Voice Thread. It is an online collaboration tool that allows people to share ideas and provide insight and feedback to each other. It looks like a fun way to communicate with others and has amazing implications for learning. However, it is blocked from being used at our school. In fact, all social media on the Internet is not allowed to be used from our school. Presently, we can only collaborate on our school’s Intranet site that is housed by SharePoint. I have taken steps to get Voice Thread approved and am waiting for a reply. Nonetheless, I have recommended to students that they give Voice Thread a try from their home computers. Currently, one student is trying Voice Thread to help him study Spanish. This student is weary of repeatedly studying from notes or flashcards and does not feel prepared for the quizzes. In the beginning working with Voice Thread, he is going to create a PowerPoint of vocabulary slides and use Voice Thread to talk about the vocabulary and practice pronunciation. Finally and most important, he is going to invite classmates to get involved and generate more ideas for how they can use teamwork and this particular collaboration tool to help them study Spanish. I am looking forward to hearing the results.
References
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
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Megan,
ReplyDeleteYour idea for using VoiceThread as a flashcard alternative is great. This was really the first application I thought of for VoiceThread.
I have been observing for some time that my students think collectively. Sometimes this is frustrating, but if you consider how little modern people do independently, it makes sense.
I did not much care for the idea of using VoiceThread to talk about problems, but the problem I chose was impediments to using digital learning technology in my school, starting with our Web filter "service." Keep up the good fight.
-Dug
Megan,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like your students are naturally drawn to the social learning environment a VoiceThread offers. How exciting they want to form a study group around vocabulary. It is ideal for a foreign language; they get to practice their pronunciation as well as the meaning!
It is too bad your school does not allow use of web2.0 based tools. Do your administrators understand you can set up private accounts in blogs and wikis? It is a great way for you to instruct your students in this new technology and set the expectations for netiquette in an authentic learning environment.
Last year we research a self-contained program from RM (http://www.rmeducation.com/)
education that allowed students to use these tools on an intranet. Our school district’s response was “Why would we pay for something we can get online for free?”. If your school is dedicated to keeping everything contained, it might be a great option for you.
Nancy
Hi Megan,
ReplyDeleteI agree it is frustrating that we learn about all of these great resources and some of them are blocked from our schools' computers. In Will Richardson's book, "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms" he talks about how some resources are blocked because of misuse. He says, and I agree, that instead of mass blocking of tools that could be used inappropriately, schools should commit to teaching students what to do if they click the wrong thing, just hit the back button. I think it's a good point, because chance our, their computers aren't as barricaded at home as they are at school.
Good luck with the VoiceThread blocking, I'm right there with you!
Sara