Module 3 - Collaboration

Collaboration

Humans have a basic instinct to interact and work together as a group. It is simply human nature to not only communicate with others, but to feel as if one belongs to a group. People have been working together for a very long time and have worked in groups in order to complete specific task (Rheinhold, 2008). Evidence of this can be seen in every aspect of life: families, raising children, education, work, etc. I am reminded of the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Each and every aspect of my personal life involves interaction and working as a group. While at school, I depend on my coworkers for support and guidance. I depend on communication from my students to determine whether something needs to be retaught to the entire class, to just a few individuals, or to none at all. My coworkers and I work together as a group to ensure that all students are given the same exposure to conent. Within my classroom, although I am the teacher, we work as a group to build our knowledge base and to reach one common goal: understanding. When my workday is over, I return home to my family. I depend on my husband to help with our children and we assist one another constantly.

Technology can certainly facilitate learning based on constructivist principles. To put it simply, technology is such a part of our students’ real lives. They have access to all kinds of collaborating tools online, such as wikis, blogs, social networking sites, skype, etc. The technological options are endless for our students. Participating in a blog that enhances their education is ideal because not only is the learner engaged, they are enjoying being able to integrate technology into the everyday classroom.

Holly

Reference:

Rheinhold, H. (Artist). (2008). Howard rheingold: way-new collaboration. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html

**I posted responses to the following:
http://janedewitt.blogspot.com
http://sharon-mcdaniel.blogspot.com

Module 2 - Cognitivism as a Learning Theory

After reading the blogs of Bill Kerr (2007) and Karl Kapp (2010), I am convinced now more than ever that the culmination of learning theories is the most beneficial for the educator, as well as the student. As Kerr (2007) stated, "We need to take pieces from each school of thought and apply it effectively because…Cognitivism doesn’t explain 100% how humans process information and neither does Constructivism or Behaviorism. What we need to is take the best from each philosophy and use it wisely to create solid educational experiences for our learners." I totally agree with these statements. When both behaviorism and cognitivism theories are taken into context, the teacher can use both effectively in the classroom to control behavior and use the best strategies to teach the students.

References:

Kerr, B. (2007). _isms as filter, not blinker. Retrieved April 5, 2010, from http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html

Kapp, K. (2007). Out and about: discussion on educational schools of thought. Retrieved April 5, 2010, from http://karlkapp.blogspot.com/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational.html

Responded to:

Carol Lee - http://carollee387.blogspot.com/
Angela Finley - http://finleylearningtheory.blogspot.com/