Why I went the tech route with my collaborative work

My post in defense of the use of technology in the classroom, with reasons why! Inspired by the wonderful Sue Lyon-Jones

NOTE: If there’s a big white space instead of a video clip below, try here to watch how I use the app I talk about.

Whichever way we look at it, the presence of computers in the classroom and the exponential growth of the Internet are changing our teaching philosophies and practices. For better or worse, the online realm is also rapidly restructuring the nature of social relations in the classroom. It is expanding access to information and knowledge while also exposing us to more nonsense than we’ve ever previously witnessed. It is enabling the distribution of information across local, regional, and national boundaries: how much of this is the spread of hate and lies is hopefully less than the obvious benefits that can be derived from this sharing.

One thing I do strongly believe is that it is has the potential to encourage the dogme philosophy of teacher and learners co-constructing and sharing knowledge (there are numerous references to this in the literature: see my suggested further reading below). Nevertheless, you should always question the place of technology in your classroom. For every teacher extolling the virtues of an application that allows you to approach a teaching aim more effectively than could be achieved by other means, there are a dozen ‘10 ways your iPhone will help you scratch your arse more satisfyingly in class’ proponents of pointless for-the-sake-of-it tech ‘solutions’ to your teaching ‘problem’. Today I will sincerely try to adopt the former approach.

My situation

My students took an ‘open book’ exam yesterday. They had to write a 600-word essay on a given subject, utilizing information from five texts which contained information on a number of aspects relating to the subject*. Before sitting the exam, we spend some time on these texts in class. I quite like this form of assessment, as it mirrors the kind of processes they will have to enact during their continuing university careers. With this in mind, the time spent in class is invaluable in that we are able to work on skills such as locating key information, paraphrasing parts of the text, synthesizing ideas that appear in two or more sources, noticing cause/effect relationships and many more things. Given that class time is limited, I was looking for a way to maximize the opportunity for my learners to learn from each other and share their ideas, whilst also being able to oversee things and give a guiding hand when necessary.

This is the application that I used.

My students all have a laptop provided by the university and so I didn’t feel it was unreasonable to ask them to collaborate in such a way. They all have copies of the same materials and have been given the same time to work on them. So, my main concern was, ‘how can I best get my kids to work together on this?’ Sotillo (1997) put forward the following findings from a longitudinal study on ‘Cyberspace’ (it was the 90s) collaboration:

• Computer-mediated collaborative writing between native speakers and non-native speakers in networked classrooms benefited learners who regularly performed ‘exchanges’ with their partners.
• Computer-mediated writing activities in collaboration with native speakers facilitated growth in both fluency and complexity over time.
• Electronic exchanges between native speakers and non-native speakers allowed learners sufficient time to focus both on form and meaning while planning and shaping the content of their writing.
• Selective teacher corrective feedback was utilized by a majority of the learners in revising their work.
• Learning in a computer-mediated environment under the tutelage of a more skilled user of the language enabled self-reliant learners to gradually move from reliance on the native speaker to independent problem solving and learning.

From my experience with this application, I’d reiterate the above points. I feel that using technology in this case really was the best way to go. My students were able to help each other and be helped. They could access the collective work at any time. They were (all) able to benefit from my input instantly. In fact, a lot of what went into the collaborative document later manifested itself in their essays. Could I have done this more effectively with pen and paper, or over the course of in-class discussions? I don’t think so.

In addition to massively decreasing my domination of the discussion on the texts, many people in the field of composition studies agree that technology-based classroom communication promotes the following:

• Increases collaboration among learners (Bruce et al, 1993).
• Encourages peer review (Kemp, 1993).
• Provides more opportunities for student expression that lead to more complex language production (Chun, 1994; Kern, 1995).

*If you’re really interested and want to learn more about this, feel free to contact me.

Further reading for those of you are so inclined…

• Bruce, B., Peyton, J.K., & Batson, T. (Eds.) (1993). Network-based classrooms: promises and realities. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
• Chun, D.M. (1994). Using computer networking to facilitate the acquisition of interactive competence. System, 22, 17-31.
• Cummins, J., & Sayers, D. (1995). Brave new schools: challenging cultural illiteracy through global learning networks. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.
• Goodwin, A. A., Hamrick, J., & Stewart, T. (1995). Instructional delivery via electronic mail. TESOL Journal, 3 (1), 24-27.
• Kemp, F. (1993). The origins of ENFI, network theory, and computer-based collaborative writing instruction at the University of Texas. In B. Bruce, J.K. Peyton, & T. Batson (Eds.), Network-based classrooms: promises and realities (pp. 161-180). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
• Kern, R.G. (1995). Restructuring classroom interaction with networked computers: Effects on quantity and characteristics of language production. The Modern Language Journal, 79, 457-476.
• Meunier, L.E., (1994). Computer-assisted language instruction in cooperative learning. Applied Language Learning, 5, 31-56.
• Sayers, D. (1993). Distance team teaching and computer learning networks. TESOL Journal, 3 (1), 19-23.

• Sotillo, S. (1997) English as a Second Language: Learning and Collaboration in Cyberspace, The Technology Source Archives, December 1997

• Warschauer, M. (1996). Computer-mediated collaborative learning: theory and practice (Research Note #17). Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai’i, Second Language Teaching & Curriculum Center.

Related Blogs

• Crime Sonntag – NCIS / <a href="http://tvstrea.me/category/tv …
• <a href= »http://www.thetiffanyjewelry.org »>Replica Jewelry</a …
• href='http | fashion shoecrazydeal.com
• The God experiment: in conversation with Russell Stannard …
• Guest blog 11-11 – Ten things Russell Stannard thinks about …