COLLABORATIVE TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM

Technology ResearchModule 6

Collaborative Technology in the Classroom

Vigo County’s Use of Cognite

Social Networking in Schools

Wikis in the Classroom

Conclusion

Source Citations

Vigo County’s Use of Cognite

Cognite is a digital learning environment that allows students, teachers, parents,

and administrators to collaborate electronically from any computer with internet access. Vigo County School Corporation in Terre Haute, IN has

adopted this software as a way to share resources, communicate, and work together outside of the classroom.

Cognite Cont.

Bill Bruce, the technology director for Vigo County School Corporation, stated that the use of Cognite will

allow all of the district’s digital resources to be easily integrated into a single interface; which in turn will

reduce costs. The goal is to eventually use this collaborative technology at all

grade levels in the district.

Reflection

After reading the article and learning more about the Cognite program, I’ve concluded the program seems to be much like oncourse. I am pleased to learn that school systems in Indiana are taking advantage of this type of

technology. This type of collaborative technology opens the door for positive

communication among students, teachers, administrators, and parents.

Social Networking in Schools

The article discussed the growing trend of social networking and the possibility of incorporating social networking into

the classroom in order to enhance learning and bridge communication

between students, teachers, parents, and administrators. The article also

listed some pros and cons to using social networking for educational purposes.

Social Networking Cont.

Although, the use of social networking in the classroom can be beneficial, it

must be done professionally and correctly. As the article mentioned,

teachers have lost their jobs for disclosing personal information on their social networking sites and

allowing their students access to this information.

Reflection

I feel that social networking, if used correctly, could be a very useful tool in the classroom. If teachers would like to set up a blog or use a site, such as facebook,

in order to be connected to their students strictly for educational purposes, then they should create separate pages from their own personal ones.

Teachers need to keep the relationship with their students professional, especially when using social networking sites. Using social networking as a way

to answer homework questions, and to communicate with parents and students can greatly benefit the

overall atmosphere of the classroom by bridging the gaps in communication and involving everyone in the

education process.

Wikis in the Classroom

The article greatly details how the use of wiki technology in the classroom can enhance the learning experience for students while also

allowing parents to view their child’s work and be actively involved in the entire process.

David Lindsay, the man who discovered wikis in 2005, gave many examples of how he has used wikis in his classroom. Some include: sharing

the students’ work with their parents, allowing students to collaborate on class assignments,

and giving parents and teachers the opportunity to view the progress of a student’s

and also give feedback.

Wikis Cont.

Lorna Larson, an ESL teacher in MN, also stated ways in which she

incorporates wikis in her classroom. She advised teachers to not lose sight of their purpose for incorporating this type of technology into their classrooms. She

noted, “Technology can be a great facilitator, but knowing the learning objective is the first critical step.”

Reflection

I never thought of the many different ways wikis can be used to enhance learning in the classroom until I read this article. I simply thought they were to ease the burden of group projects by making

collaboration more convenient. I particularly liked Lorna Larson’s advise to

teachers. I will be sure to keep this in mind when I’m planning for my own

classroom one day.

Conclusion

There are many types of collaborative technology that can be incorporated into the

classroom. I think, if used correctly, they each can be beneficial in their own way. One of the most important factors when deciding which technology to choose is to determine

the ultimate goal of the technology. Incorporating technology into the classroom

just for the sake of it would not enhance learning at all. There must be a sound

reason.

Source Citation

Aronowitz, S. (2010). Indiana k-12 school district moves to collaborative learning system. the Journal, Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/11/17/indiana-k-12-school-district-moves-to-collaborative-learning-system.aspx

McCrea, B. (2010). Wikis: pulling it all together online. the Journal, Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/10/20/wikis-pulling-it-all-together-online.aspx

Wells, C. (2010). Social networking: the essential balancing act in schools. the Journal, Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/11/17/social-networking-the-essential-balancing-act-in-schools.aspx