Promising Practices: The Pragmatics of Educational Telecooperation & Telecollaboration Judi Harris College of William & Mary Virginia, USA

(In case you are wondering…)

William III (1650-1702) Mary II (1662-1694)

College of William & Mary: chartered 1693

Hmmmm… “Team means: Together Everyone Achieves More!” - Anonymous  “There is no ‘I’ in T-E-A-M.” - Anonymous  “Sure there's no ‘I’ in ‘team,’ but there is a ‘ME!’” - Anonymous  “Contrary to popular belief, there most certainly is an ‘I’ in ‘team.’ It is the same ‘I’ that appears three times in ‘responsibility.’ - Amber Harding  “Finding good players is easy. Getting them to play as a team is another story.” 

- Casey Stengel

There is tension between… Individual responsibility

Collective responsibility

…in learning & teaching.

Learning about Antarctica Explorer Project - Collection of highquality educational resources  77 Degrees South - Researchers’ journal is posted online for students to read  Arise in Antarctica - 8 science teachers work with researchers analyzing ice core samples and answer students’ questions  Bitantart - Students follow a team of Antarctic scientists, asking questions & sharing their work in the project’s forum  Project IDEALS - Teams of students from different countries communicate online to negotiate the future of Antarctica 

Two basic types of Internet-enriched learning: 

Telecooperative/Telecollaborative (Students communicating with others online)



Teleresearch (Students accessing information collections online)

Internet-Enriched Learning Activities  Teleresearch:

Why do it?

Access information not available locally.  View information in multiple formats.  Compare/contrast differing information on the same topic.  Consider emerging/recent info.  Delve deeply into an area of inquiry. 

Teleresearch

Internet-Enriched Learning Activities  Telecooperation/ Telecollaboration:

Why do it?

Consider multiple points of view, perspectives, beliefs, experiences, etc.  Compare/contrast/combine similar information across dissimilar locations.  Communicate directly with a real audience.  Work together toward a common goal. 

Telecollaborative: Telecooperative:

Telecooperative & Telecollaborative Learning  Cooperate:

cooperar

“to

work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor”  root word: operate (manejar)  Collaborate:

colaberar

“to act together or in compliance”  root word: labor (trabajo) 

Telecooperative/Telecollaborative

Cooperative learning is…  … an instructional approach in which  students

work together as a team  with each member contributing  to the completion of the task or project  …more directive than collaborative learning  … closely monitored and controlled by the teacher.

Collaborative learning is…

 …a relationship among learners

that requires:

 Interdependence

(sink or swim

together)  Individual accountability  Interpersonal interaction skills  Productive interaction  Processing (reflection upon group processes, leading to improved collaboration)

Collaborative Learning Benefits  Students discover, construct, and

become aware of their own thinking processes.  This

is due to the sharing of critical thinking methods, illustrating the divergent ways different people find solutions.

 Provides a natural setting for

knowledge articulation, to self and to others…which leads to the development of critical thinking.

Teachers use more teleresearch than telecooperation and telecollaboration. Why? “Education is learning what you didn't even know you didn't know.” - Daniel Boorstin

What can we do about this?

One approach to professional learning about telecooperation & telecollaboration: “Wetware:” Thinking tools for teachers about learning activity choices and design

Activity Structure Categories Interpersonal Exchange: Communicate individually and/or in groups. (x 6 types of activities)  Information Collection & Analysis: Collect, compile, and/or compare interesting information. (x 5 types)  Problem Solving: Think critically; cooperate or collaborate in problem-based learning. (x 7 types of activities) 

GSN’s Hilites: 4 months Interpersonal Exchange: 10  10 global classrooms  Information Collection+Analysis: 55  33 information exchange  3 database creation  10 electronic publishing  1 telefieldtrip  8 pooled data analysis 

GSN’s Hilites: 4 months Problem Solving: 22  1 peer feedback  5 parallel problem solving  7 sequential creations  1 telepresent problem solving  1 simulation  7 social action projects  No student activity online: 5 

Replication Study (Harriman, 2006)  GSN total projects: 93 (in 4 months)       



Interpersonal Exchange 10 projects (11%) Information Collection + Analysis 55 projects (59%) Problem-Solving 22 projects (24%) No student online activity: 5 proj. (5%)

oz-Teachernet total projects: 52 (1 yr) 

10% problem-solving

Why is this so challenging?

Every change creates other changes. technology

pedagogy content

Making Choices  Telecollaboration probably takes

more time than telecooperation, which, in turn, is more timeconsuming than teleresearch.  Therefore, the current trend in teachers’ choices will continue, unless…  …teachers, making instructional decisions on behalf of their students, perceive the educational benefits of telecooperation & telecollaboration to be superior to teleresearch.

Is this activity “worth it?” 1. Feasibility Test 

Questions to answer first:  Do we have sufficient Internet access?  Do we have adequate comfort and competence (content, pedagogy, technology)?  Do we have enough time and energy?  Is there a compelling All educational purpose “YES?” for the activity?

Is this activity “worth it?” 2. Appropriateness Test Should I ask:  this student/these students  with these learning needs  with these interests & preferences  with this prior experience  ... to do this “YES?” particular activity?

Is this activity “worth it?” 3. Relative Advantage Test  Will it enable us to do something

not possible before?  Will it enable us to do something in a better way?

“YES?” →

FOCUS: Students’ learning, not technology use.  

It’s not about how we use the TOOLS ...it’s about how we USE the tools.

Global Schoolnet’s Internet Projects Registry: www.globalschoolnet.org/gsh/pr/

Virtual Architecture’s Web Home: virtual-architecture.wm.edu

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead