Collaboration... the word is everywhere in education. It isn't a new concept, its just been highlighted as one of the 21st Century Skills, so it seems to have achieved a higher status. What is new? Technology is decimating barriers such as distance, clarity, and limits to participation numbers. When I look at the MOOCs (Massive Open Online Course) available, it is astounding. In my world, I share and use video conferencing for two purposes. Student learning and Professional Development. Here are examples of both.
For many years now I have participated in something called CATC Camp. (Computers Across the Curriculum) I've jumpstarted and shared most of my technology learning at this amazing PD opportunity which is available to any WRDSB teacher. One of the best collaboration ideas I've been involved in came from a brainstorming session one summer at this camp. Myself and four other teachers, who had classes from Grade 2 to 6, decided to use Adobe Connect to bring together and share our learning asynchronously. Our topic was Canada. Each month we would meet online and the host school would invite the other classes to connect with us. Hence we titled our project 'Canada Connects'.
This first picture shows my class checking in with the 4 other schools. We can all see each other. In the next photo, one student holds up a script while the other shares a flag they have created and describes it to the other schools. On this particular occasion my students decided they wanted to ask the other schools to vote, using a built in polling tool, for the best new Canadian flag. (We had been studying its history.)The winning flag is also portrayed. The artist was able to thank those who voted for it!
The students really enjoyed the experience throughout the year. It gave them an audience for their efforts. We shared facts, poems, artwork, up loaded stories, and songs. As well, we invited guests to join us from the east coast and west. By June, we were all saddened to say goodbye as we had come to know many students at the other schools by name. For the teachers it was a very engaging experience in learning that challenged us to really think about the tool and how to make the most of its capabilities. I have used Adobe Connect for various planning sessions with other teachers and at conferences. I'm grateful that my board supports it for all teachers. It alleviates unnecessary travel and allows for screen shares. The chat features and tools make it very interactive. It's nice to see everyone's face. By far though, the most memorable occasions are the ones involving student connection.
Recently I began using Blackboard Collaborate. As a presenter for OTF Connects, I needed to learn how to use it a few days before an online seminar that my partner and I were presenting. Fortunately, with our Adobe experience we were able to transfer our skills and had a successful session. We were initially disappointed that the bandwidth would not support video of us speaking and we would not be able to see our participants. However, there were so many other features available that we still felt a rapport with everyone. We uploaded a Powerpoint that was created with interaction in mind. We used polling tools, participant features and the interactive whiteboard for feedback and input. We could also leave the whiteboard and go to the web at any time. The chat room was ideal as teachers could ask questions while the presentation continued and then we could weave in an answer as we went. The participants logged in from all over Ontario and we were able to share experiences and learn from each other. We were able to share links to forms and spreadsheets, post results, and make decisions based on a collective input. A final bonus was that since we could present from home, we could wear our comfy clothes and snack at will!!! Comfy collaboration, now that's a barrier worth breaking!
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