According to George Siemens, “Education is complex” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). No educator today will argue that simple fact. Teaching mandated curriculums in addition to 21st century skills proves to be a daunting task for many due to uncertainty as to how to effectively align the two. However, today’s students are a part of a networked society and “[t]o be prepared for the fast-paced, virtual workplace that they will inherit, today’s students need to be able to learn and produce cooperatively” (Pitler et al., 2007, p. 139).
Cooperative learning supports the idea of social learning. According to Dr. Orey, students construct meaning when they are actively engaged in constructing artifacts and conversing with others (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). Social learning theories also suggest the use of more knowledgeable others when constructing meaning. Although a teacher frequently fills this role in a classroom, through collaborative groupings, students may be paired with another student to fill the role as the more knowledgeable other. Technology can also be used to support this form of social learning.
“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” (Pitler et al., 2007, p. 140). Through the use of multimedia, Keypals, WebQuests, web site development, and collaborative organizing tools, students can gain invaluable experiences which allow them to work collaboratively with other individuals towards a common goal. These technological tools require students to compare their perspectives and knowledge of particular topics and ultimately, encourage students to develop meaning based on experience.
Social learning theories definitely have a place in our classrooms as our world become increasingly interconnected. Using technology is an excellent way to give our students the experiences they need to better understand how to effectively communicate and collaborate with others to reach a common goal.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Program 7. Social Learning Theories. [Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Program 8. Connectivism as a Learning Theory. [Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Bad News- The Game
3 months ago
Erika,
ReplyDeleteBeing a Kindergarten teacher, I am sure you work with your students on a daily basis in terms of how to act and functions around others. Even at a young age, children need to know how to collaborate and work cooperatively with their peers. As you stated, collaboration is a skill all students will need as the world continues to become more connected through the powers of technology.
The programs and strategies you discussed, multimedia, WebQuests, website design, and Keypals, all seem to be extremely effective ways to help students connect with others. I have completed WebQuests with my students before with success. Have you ever tried any of these social learning strategies with your students?
I too believe social learning theories have a place in today's classrooms. As the world continues to shrink due to the abundance of technology, it is vital that we as educators teach our students the necessary skills needed to succeed in the 21st century workplace.
-Jonas
Erika,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. You've done a great job of summarizing social learning and its connection to the bigger picture. I teach middle and high school, but I have three daughters who were all kindergarteners at one time, and it is such a social learning time! For kindergaretners to be able to blend academics with social learning activities seems like it would be extra meaningful for their growth. Using technology for collaboration seems like it would be a challenge, however, because kindergarteners' keyboarding and writing skills are in such primitive stages! Have you ever tried something like Keypals with that age?
Jonas and Susan,
ReplyDeleteDue to my students' young age, it is difficult to have them utilize social learning tools such as Keypals independently. Their writing skills are just in the beginning stages and keyboarding would prove to be difficult. However, I feel that exposing them to these resources in a whole group manner would still be beneficial. There the focus could be on generating ideas to communicate effectively, rather than simply concentrating on proper sentence structure and locating letters on the keyboard. I have not tried WebQuests, but I am eager to learn more about them. Do you feel that they would be applicable in my Kindergarten classroom? I want to provide my students with meaningful social learning experiences and utilize technology in an age-appropriate manner.
Erika
Erika,
ReplyDeleteI think if you find the right age appropriate WebQuest, you could definitely use it with your kindergarten students. As you mentioned, it would be difficult to have kindergarten students work independently on some of the social learning tools we read about this week. Though, exposing them in a whole group setting to this type of technology would be a good idea.
Erika,
ReplyDeleteI was struck by the powerful statement that essentially said "students must be able to learn and produce collaboratively." This is true in most all jobs outside of teaching and within. Most of my friends do not teach and the jobs vary as they do. Constantly they gripe about the problems working collaboratively. Most of them agree this deep-seeded hatred is rooted in the fact that they never worked together in school, but businesses desire this practice because it helps prevent oversight. As a teacher, my school just adopted the common planning model where specific subject areas plan together in order to get the best results and most effective lessons. Both of these examples underscore the importance of being deft within a team. Students must develop these skills or lose out on opportunities for employment.
Dr. Michael Orey greatly illuminated the need for these skills to be cultivated via technology and some of the tools necessary to carry out Teaching 2.0. As you stated, teaching kindergartners and a child that has grown up with instant connectivity must present problems. What level of technological proficiency do you estimate most have and are they capable of completing rudimentary projects together?
Erika,
ReplyDeleteA fine job of summarizing this week's topic of social learning and cooperative learning. More than ever, our world seems to be about networking, collaborating, cooperating, and communicating to complete tasks. Many times during our course work, we are asked to compare our classroom settings and how it compares to real world settings.
You also spoke of students sometimes being the more knowledgeable ones to be able to explain something that we as teachers can not. How many times do we see that happen where you try a number of different ways to explain something to a student who is just not understanding. Then, with a couple words, another student is able to explain the concept in a way that the other student then understands.
Nice post!
Chad
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