Studying Constructivism theory we understand that humans generate knowledge and meaning from their experiences. This is often achieved through our interactions with others. When we share our ideas, we reflect on others ideas and the knowledge is constructed. In our technological society, social networking and virtual world have the ability to facilitate collaboration giving us the opportunities to solve problems from various settings as a group in a collaboration process. But this process has to be learning.
The experience of learning in a behavioral way, teach us the competency and the fear of failure. The experience about, let us learn that we need working together instead alone to promote a feeling of success. As Rheingold (2005) discusses the humanity experiences teach that need process to give us the opportunity to improve, Collaboration. As he states: this process gives us the experience to see that we have “succeed by destroying and dominating competition.” Then, more that believe that humans have a basic instinct to interact and work as a group, the failure experience to success alone allow us look for new ways to get a better performance, work together in a collaboration process. Today we have those opportunities with the internet, web 2.0 etc. As examples, Rheingold (2005) discusses the Open Source including Mozilla, the free Open University Lectures and the evolution of Wikipedia.
Using technology give us the opportunity to facilitate collaboration process with our students interacting with others from across the world to help share and collect information and develop their own experiences. We have to teach new ways of learning and develop the instinct to look for better ways to grow.
Rheingold, H. (2005). Way-New Collaboration. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html
You mention "opportunities to solve problems from various settings as a group in a collaboration process. But this process has to be learning."
ResponderBorrarCould you explain how collaboration might not be learning?
Bob: I wrote that collaboration is a process that has to be learn. The teachers have to teach this process in their pedagogy. As usual, we work teaching to get the objective and to cover the standard using the behavioral theories. Working in collaboration is a response of the inefficiency of this way (behavior theory) to cover other skills that are necessary as the world has changed.
ResponderBorrarBob and G,
ResponderBorrarI think that the most critical element for supporting collaboration is effective communications. If there is a break down in terms of communication, collaboration efforts are harpooned.