In Focus | Getex
Learning in the wired world
The current internet generation is connected, interactive and thrives on continuous communication and collaboration for learning, working and socialising.
- By Shameema Parveen, Gulf News Report
- Published: 00:00 April 10, 2007
- Image Credit: Atiq Ur Rahman/Gulf News Archive
- Collaborative learning contributes to the overall development of a student.
Collaborative learning has gained significance in the era of interactive technology.
The current internet generation is connected, interactive and thrives on continuous communication and collaboration for learning, working and socialising. This generation uses technology as the medium to build these online interactions, creating a 'network of tribes' that they call upon online. There has been an explosion of social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube, among others, which are frequented by students to build and expand their networks. Welcome to the age of online interaction.
Such access and dependence on technology within the current student population can be used to foster collaborative learning and teaching. Collaborative learning has many definitions depending on who you talk to. It is a shared attribute in that learning occurs through interaction between students as well as between students and teachers.
Learners collaborate through several modes of communication — it can be face-to-face or with the aid of technology — for active exchange of ideas, discussions, debates and developing critical thinking. The main idea of collaborative learning is to obtain and discover new knowledge from one another. Although not a new concept, it has gained significance in the era of interactive technology, where the young generation is accustomed to communicating using technologies such as instant messaging (IM) and SMS. These technologies have developed the students' sense of networking and have encouraged them to communicate with others to source information, clarify ideas, or simply to stay in touch.
As such, students develop an enthusiasm to learn and work in teams, which is essential as they prepare and build their skills for the workplace.
Many schools and universities encourage their students to work in teams and increasingly pupils are required to work on projects in groups. They hold discussions on the assignment, debate the action plan, select the team leader, schedule work and constantly stay connected to coordinate their work better. These projects are rated as team effort, often accounting for each student's overall performance for a given school term, and consequently motivating them to contribute productively for the betterment of the team.
Collaborative learning promotes skills necessary for success in the 21st century workplace. They help sharpen analytical ability, develop skills in social communication and solve practical problems.
State-of-the-art technology helps promote collaboration at all levels and the education sector can only benefit by leveraging it. From everyday technologies such as e-mail that aids in peer review process to hi-tech videoconferencing that connect students from multiple locations, technology helps students march forward to a brighter future.
"Learning is enhanced when it is more like a team effort than a solo race," wrote Chickering and Gamson. The current generation of networked learners have more people outside their organisations/institutions in their networks through a larger social network and they can win the race with a collaborative effort.
— The writer is Knowledge Officer, Edutech Middle East.
