6. Communication & Collaboration Introduction
Becoming a digital educator implies making a shift from the "legacy model" of education (in which a teacher or lecturer ‘transmits’ information to students) to new learning contexts in which students play an active role in their own learning. Traditional models of education tell students when to learn, what to learn, where to learn, and why to learn when what we should be teaching them is how to learn, and why to love learning for its’ own sake. How and why we communicate and collaborate take on critical importance in making this shift.
The idea that all learning is social has been advocated by Dewey, Piaget, Vygotsky and others over the years. In every civilization, the tools and processes we are able to use to communicate and collaborate define the boundaries of learning: who has access, who can speak, who can hear. Teachers must become fluent in collaborating, both with peers and with students, in order to help facilitate the construction of meaning. Our goal is for learning to become a reciprocal experience for the students and teacher.
The idea that all learning is social has been advocated by Dewey, Piaget, Vygotsky and others over the years. In every civilization, the tools and processes we are able to use to communicate and collaborate define the boundaries of learning: who has access, who can speak, who can hear. Teachers must become fluent in collaborating, both with peers and with students, in order to help facilitate the construction of meaning. Our goal is for learning to become a reciprocal experience for the students and teacher.
Overview
Let’s start with purpose: Why do we communicate? How do different purposes suggest different methods? How do you match up with the methods used by your audience?
Communications in the analog age were periodic (the daily newspaper, the nightly news, the monthly PTA newsletter, the constant PA interruptions); their formality or casual nature was understood in terms of the container that delivered them. (The personal note was handwritten; the draft board notice was typed.)
Communications today are all over the map! Anyone and everyone can be an author, changing the basis of authority and increasing demands on learners to validate the quality of the information they consume.
Why do we collaborate? When are particular strategies best suited to reaching our purposes? How do we utilize these strategies? What activities allow learners to practice these strategies?
In this module, we will explore collaboration as it occurs in all of its varying contexts in schools. These can include: a group of grade-level teachers with common students, vertical collaboration between different grade level teachers, consultation between special education and general classroom teachers, and collaboration between educators, parents, and community members. We contend that collaboration is a way of being and is not limited to isolated actions; it is a way of redefining how adults and students interact in schools.
We will consider the basic communication skills that form the foundation of any collaborative interaction, provide communication models, elaborate on ways to facilitate or inhibit communication when engaging in a collaborative dialogue, and address group dynamics.
Communications in the analog age were periodic (the daily newspaper, the nightly news, the monthly PTA newsletter, the constant PA interruptions); their formality or casual nature was understood in terms of the container that delivered them. (The personal note was handwritten; the draft board notice was typed.)
Communications today are all over the map! Anyone and everyone can be an author, changing the basis of authority and increasing demands on learners to validate the quality of the information they consume.
Why do we collaborate? When are particular strategies best suited to reaching our purposes? How do we utilize these strategies? What activities allow learners to practice these strategies?
In this module, we will explore collaboration as it occurs in all of its varying contexts in schools. These can include: a group of grade-level teachers with common students, vertical collaboration between different grade level teachers, consultation between special education and general classroom teachers, and collaboration between educators, parents, and community members. We contend that collaboration is a way of being and is not limited to isolated actions; it is a way of redefining how adults and students interact in schools.
We will consider the basic communication skills that form the foundation of any collaborative interaction, provide communication models, elaborate on ways to facilitate or inhibit communication when engaging in a collaborative dialogue, and address group dynamics.
Objectives
Upon completion of this module, participants will:
- Discuss and hear classmates' perspectives on the differences between communication & collaborations of a digital educator versus a traditional classroom teacher
- Explore the "tools of the trade" of successful digital educators
- Learn about theories about communication & collaboration
- Participate in a personal/professional learning network, using powerful collaborative methods and tools
- Articulate the conditions under which a digital educator would use particular communication & collaboration tools in both synchronous and asynchronous environments