A Reflection About The Real-World Collaboration Lesson 5.5.4

Real-world collaboration involves knowledge building. In this course I have found out that there are two forces i.e collaboration and Inertia.

 Collaboration involves learners to exchange ideas, divergent opinions and conflict management within their group group. They can use various platforms more especially technology to communicate straight to the desired audience.

Inertia on the other hand involves those forces that tend to deter the knowledge building and real collaboration to take place. They include: some members hoarding information, social conflicts, delay in response and the inability to use a given collaboration platform very well. i.e  technology deficiencies.

I learned that there is no straight forward designed path for collaboration and knowledge building but an interplay of steps and I have observed that the central aim of Real-World Collaboration is to create or build knowledge. I based my learning upon the well referenced model below:

Source: Stahl, G. (2000). A Model of Collaborative Knowledge-Building. In B. Fishman & S. O'Connor-Divelbiss Eds.), Fourth International Conference of the Learning Sciences (pp. 70-77). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. 

I experienced hardship in collaboration because some technology platforms were time bound for example the wikispace and Google Docs had links given by our tutor which would expire technologically before I could utilize it so I had to refer to the tutor all the time for a possible reset or re-sending of the links.

We used technology tools or collaboration platforms like Wikispaces, Google Doc and Mindmeister. They were good collaboration tools: Mindmeister helps in brainstorming and creating precise answers by a group in a summery form. Wikispaces and Google Docs almost play the same roles because they are collaborative platforms which any learner in a group can access when invited and can edit it as he or she contributes to the Knowledge Building process in an engaged collaborative way-That is exactly the way I i'm going to use it in my teaching at our school.

However, learner can use Digital cameras, mobiles phones and laptops as data capture tools in the field, and then collect data in order to solve the real world problems.

Knowledge Building Reflection 5.4.4

Educationally, it is an approach to learning that takes seriously the goal to prepare learners for the knowledge society. Students as members in a knowledge building group or community actively engage in brainstorming ideas, identifying problems, researching for solutions and evidence, debating and discussing with peers. These activities have a clear goal of co-creating new perspectives and advancing knowledge beyond the limit of an individual.

Numerous research findings show that KB induces motivation to learning, improves learners’ higher order thinking e.g. critical thinking, problem-solving, and fosters personal development e.g. communication skills, interpersonal skills and lifelong learning attitudes. Even young children are found to be capable of engaging in KB work given that they are provided with appropriate opportunities and support. Some emerging research evidence also indicates that KB improves the aspects of academic performance formally measured by school and public exams. On the other hand, it is to be noted that progress in knowledge building does not happen naturally without facilitations. 

http://lcp.cite.hku.hk/resources/KBSN/Q1/default.html 

Meaningful Learner Engagement in Classroom

• What is the essence of engaged learning?
• “There is now a massive amount of evidence from all realms of science that unless individuals take a very active role in what it is that they're studying, unless they learn to ask questions, to do things hands on, to essentially recreate things in their own mind and transform them as is needed, the ideas just disappear." - Howard Gardner
• In the above case therefore, engaged learning helps students to understand what is being learned, encourages constructivism and generally reduces the work of a teacher to that of a supervisor. 
• Is technology a critical role-player in engaging learners?Technology is a critical role player and can be observed in the Venn diagram below

• What are the limitations of technology in engaging learners?

However the limitations of technology like WhatsApp, Face-book  as  learning tools is that they are as well a social media tool. It is a destructor because as students carry out the lesson activities, other messages pop in from out side school in the social media arena and students turn to reading personal messages which divert them away from the lesson.

The use of smart phones,Podcast and Ipads excites learners but in our school in Uganda, mobile phones are not allowed in classrooms and even at school for the learners. This can limit the meaningful learner engagement. 

Reflection 5.3.1 Meaningful Engaged Learning

Reflection 5.2.4: Innovative Learning Activities

When teaching, students need to find applicable or real world situations, collaborate and share as a group, apply critical thinking under the guidance of the teacher, and then communicate to each other in order to create new mental experiences and new mental processes.

Relationships are very important in education because they build a critical thinking in a free mind which makes a learner able to learn. In this case, learners develop a thinking that individualism or selfishness does not work; it is the community as a whole that matters in order to create a comfortable zone in this challenging world. 

Real innovative learning is sub-divided into two parts or arms according to the traits or characteristics of the definition of an innovative lesson i.e aspects of learning and then innovative activities as below:

Innovative aspects

1.    Creativity

2.    Learner engagement.

3.     Problem solving

4. Relevance and supported by evidence.

5.   Room for choice by learners.

6.   Doable and not mythical.

7.  Reflective practices

8. Inspiring

Aspects of Learning

9. Monitoring

10. Collaborative /Teamwork

11.   Interactive

12. Technology

13. Communication

14. Learn

15. Critical thinking

The above are the main basic aspects of an innovative learning activity of which any practicing teacher or policy maker should put into consideration. Such characteristics are not the ultimate traits of innovative learning and any body can add on to the list but at least the list covers a bigger percentage of the concept-innovative learning.

Lesson 5.1.4 Apply

General   characteristics and back ground of my Learners:

-The learners I teach are High School students  between the ages of 13-20 years.

- The number of students per class on average is 60 and the school classes range from Senior one up to senior six but I teach from Senior three to senior six. 

-From senior one to senior four are in a level referred to as Ordinary level 'O' Level while the level from senior five to senior six is called advanced level 'A' Level according to the Ugandan curriculum.

-There are no students with mental or physical disabilities.

-The students have diverse cultural backgrounds-both from Uganda and from the different African countries neighboring Uganda; like Rwanda,Tanzania, Kenya and Burundi but majority are from Uganda.

- I teach in a single sex school and therefore all my students are girls because it is a girl’s school.

-Majority of my students come from middle income families and some from poor families.

-Some of my students are conversant with some digital technology platforms like face book watsap and viber but others are totally ignorant of it.

How effectively me and my school prepare learners/students for the digital society?

-My school put up a computer lab. which I use with my student in some lessons but not all.

-The school has computer and ICT study programmes for students at all levels as per the National curriculum from the ministry of Education in Uganda.

-I prepare some but not all digital infused lessons mostly to the students in the advanced level. For the lower levels, the syllabus is too detailed and the school time table is too congested with lessons which creates no room for learners to learn sufficiently while using school computers.  

The achievable changes that I  would you like to make in order to be more innovative in this regard. 

-I would prefer three quarters of the school subjects in the curriculum to be practical oriented And synchronized with digital literacy.

-A permanent internet connection should be put in place using the school computer lab so that as students use computers in the lab can access the internet.

-Students should be allowed to own and carry personal laptops to class rooms so as to limit the rot learning where the teacher is the ultimate provider of the subject matter to the students.

-The National examinations /evaluation of students to be done by both the individual school teachers and then the National Examinations Board; giving at least a percentage of marks for practicals to be awarded by the school teachers of any respective school.

-Provide a router and internet to teachers in the staff room to avoid congestion between students and teachers as they frequent the computer lab to explore the internet.

-The school should put loan facilities for teachers who can not afford to buy personal laptops in a single payment so that they they get and pay in manageable installments as the academic year goes by.

-Lesson assignments should be in digital form, not hand written. 

  END

4.7.4 Online collaboration experience

A reflect on the collaborative process I experienced in this lesson 4.7.

I found collaboration to be good during this lesson. It helped me to move on where I was lagging behind. In fact collaboration makes the course move because it has the element of peer assessment where one fears to miss the marks from the fellow learners.

The unique challenges of collaborating online.

The challenges of online collaboration are that some members are too slow and it makes the ‘speed merchants’ demoralized.

Some members read their fellow learners’ contribution late when other groups have already moved on.

Sometimes the Internet is intermittent in some hours of the day, yet it might be the only limited space of time outside classroom hours at the work place. 

I intend to use the following resources in my classroom which I discovered and I will adapt to them when needs arises:

·         http://www.nothingbeatstherealthing.info/resources-guide

·         http://www.teachingcopyright.org

·        https://openeducationalresources.pbworks.com/w/page/25308415/Legal%20Aspects%20of%20OER

·         https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/library/services/copyrigh

          

·         http://www.copyright.com/learn/media-downloads/