Reflection #6

REFLECTION #6

The Tele Collaborative learning method is like the Collaborative/Cooperative learning method comprised of 2 or more students working together towards a common goal. Since the method is rooted in Constructivism, the student’s past experiences, knowledge, background are taken under consideration and celebrated. In this learning method, it is taken to the next level where students are communicating with each other from possibly different parts of the world. Imagine how much a child learns when things are shared about the child’s background and family history? Now imagine the kids actually living and experiencing life in a different part of the world. From personal experience, I feel that students will not only learn and accept diverse cultures and customs, but also learn & accept their own and the customs of diverse people around them. The World Wide Web has been an integral part in making this happen. Many years ago, this was not possible, but now a student can have a real time conversation with another student clear across the globe. From personal experience, this method is very effective and life altering. There were a lot things I did not like about Miami back when I was in High school, but when I completed my first 2 years of college, I enrolled in a study broad program and headed to France. I had looked at other countries in Europe with rose-colored glasses and found everything to criticize about Miami, Florida. I came to realize all the wonderful things we have right here at home and how similar we all are. I learned that the little things that bothered me about Miami, especially the younger generation, I found evident in the young generation in France. We are all more similar than we think. I came back with a broader understanding of different cultures and customs and learned to appreciate everything a little more. It took traveling abroad for 5 months to learn all this. With TeleCollaborative learning, the learning can be done from home and it’s all encompassing. A student can travel all over the world without leaving their home, or classroom. The teachings are a group effort but individuality and personal achievement and expectations are emphasized. There are clear objective/objectives and every member is encouraged to participate, & is respected and given equal time to demonstrate their special skills, knowledge and contributions. In this case, another language may be thrown in the equation, possibly prompting a student to take up second language. This method of teaching takes diversity to another level. The advantages are the exposure to different cultures, languages, geography, world politics and the celebration of cultural differences. The cautions we must all take are the the strict regulating of sites visited by the students and the need to be set goals and expectations and have them be clearly defined. As we all know It is very easy to get distracted on the Internet and stray from our initial task at hand. Regardless of the debates, the advantages are many and it is a teaching technique that will continue to gain in popularity. Like the Collaborative teaching method, as long as any conflicts are resolved early on and rubrics are clearly defind and designed, excellence in results are to be

expected.

EME2040-Introduction to Educational Technology

Prof. Joseph D. McNair