I read this and initially took a similar, "Oops, what are we doing," mentality. When I started thinking more about it, I came to the conclusion that "group think" (which is similar to an echo chamber I think) is not what collaboration and "team learning" is designed to be.
Like most educational strategies, if we misuse or rely too heavily on them, our learning environment becomes stale, static, or worse yet, dysfunctional.
What is not mentioned in this article, is the power of push back; folks culling ideas from their own creative processes and building something amazing. Apple, came up with the original iphone thirty years ago, but it wasn't until teams of folks chewed on, reflected, pushed back, and collaborated did we get anything near what we have today. http://www.digitaltrends.com/apple/1983-apple-prototype-pictures-show-iphone-ancestor/
What this means for me is that as we continue to move and shift traditional teaching models into blended learning environments, it is important that we use the power of collaboration for what it truly can be. An environment where learners digest, reflect, share, and repeat the cycle. If we aren't given opportunities to challenge, adapt, and modify our existing paradigms the teaching profession will look drastically different.
Let's own the shift.
Like most educational strategies, if we misuse or rely too heavily on them, our learning environment becomes stale, static, or worse yet, dysfunctional.
What is not mentioned in this article, is the power of push back; folks culling ideas from their own creative processes and building something amazing. Apple, came up with the original iphone thirty years ago, but it wasn't until teams of folks chewed on, reflected, pushed back, and collaborated did we get anything near what we have today. http://www.digitaltrends.com/apple/1983-apple-prototype-pictures-show-iphone-ancestor/
What this means for me is that as we continue to move and shift traditional teaching models into blended learning environments, it is important that we use the power of collaboration for what it truly can be. An environment where learners digest, reflect, share, and repeat the cycle. If we aren't given opportunities to challenge, adapt, and modify our existing paradigms the teaching profession will look drastically different.
Let's own the shift.
"Sharing lesson plans or classroom management strategies—“what works and what doesn’t”—transforms teaching from an art into factory work. It presumes that the unique relationship between the teacher and his/her students is transferrable to other teachers and students. I just don’t think it is, unless that relationship is merely superficial to begin with."http://coopcatalyst.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/teacher-collaboration-is-important-but-not-for-the-reasons-we-might-think/
What do you all think?
Just "found" this site again. I remember the original and at the time I thought it was amazing. This matrix and website is a nice addition to a PD library as it incorporates some examples and videos for folks looking to try to integrate technology into their classroom. I was messing around and went to transformational collaboration in Language Arts. The Matrix took me to a page with some examples and a video of a teacher using technology and collaboration with older students to create videos and exemplars for students studying phonics.
"The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) illustrates how teachers can use technology to enhance learning for K-12 students. The TIM incorporates five interdependent characteristics of meaningful learning environments: active, constructive, goal directed (i.e., reflective), authentic, and collaborative (Jonassen, Howland, Moore, & Marra, 2003). The TIM associates five levels of technology integration (i.e., entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, and transformation) with each of the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments. Together, the five levels of technology integration and the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments create a matrix of 25 cells..."
Centre for Learning and Teaching Resources
There are SO many resource sites like this out on the web. truthfully, it is almost overload. This one seems to have been built and then abandoned as there has been little acton on it for awhile. All the same, I like the resources and its worth peeling back some of its layers.
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