In “The Future of Distance Education,” George Siemens offers three key elements which are creating more effective e-learning experiences: global diversity, communication, and collaborative initiative (2008). Global diversity refers to the education-without-borders atmosphere of e-learning. The asynchronous platform of most online experiences eliminates time zone issues (Palloff & Pratt, 2007, pp. 68). Students are able to participate in class discussions and projects wherever they are around the globe. The mention of communication refers to the advances made in communication technology. These communication advancements have paved the way for the collaborative initiative, the quest for better collaboration tools.
Collaboration in the e-learning setting has changed significantly because of the Web 2.0 (and 3.0) tools. Jessica Dye defines Web 2.0 as “second generation of internet-based services – such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, and folksonomics – that emphasize online collaboration and sharing among users” (2007). Wikis, “asynchronous collaborative authoring environments,” provide platforms for group members to compose, edit, and share information (Minocha & Roberts, 2008). Additionally, users are able to monitor changes as they occur. To describe the impact of wikis, Michael Krieg describes collaborating across a distance as a process with “untold amounts of paper, postage, meetings, travel budgets, conference calls, and time required to coordinate it all” (Dye, 2007). Additionally, educators have commented on the impact of collaborative tools such as wikis at the following blogs:
Beth’s Thoughts on Technology in Education (Article - Ben Franklin, Education and the 21st Century, Part 2)
Remote Access: Blogs, Wikis, and Ning
A wiki is simply one tool in the plethora of collaborative tools available (e. g., skype, gotomeeting, etc.).
References
Dye, J. (2007). Collaboration: Make the web your workspace. EContent. Retrieved June 22, 2009 from Academic Search Premier database.
Palloff, R. M. & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Minocha, S. & Roberts, D. (2008). Social, usability, pedagogical factors influencing students’ learning experiences with wikis and blogs. Pragmatics & Cognition, 16 (2), 272 – 306. Retrieved June 4, 2009 from Academic Search Premier database.
Siemens, G. (2008). The future of distance education. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=3476922&Survey=1&47=5513753&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1
Angela-
ReplyDeleteGood reflection this week. I always appreciate extra resources. You never know when they could come in handy. One thing that I have set up on my computer is that any time someone shares an extra resource, I mark it as a favorite in my "Extra Resources" file and that way I will never forget or loose a possible resource for an upcoming project. Nicely done.
Kassidy
Angela,
ReplyDeleteI thought your reflection was spot on! I need learn more about online collaboration. This is not something that I get into (aka..blogs and wiki- I do it for class but not for personal use). I am at NECC this week and plan to attend session on how wikis and blogs fundamentally change learning. I am kind of excited. Again, good post this week.
Angela,
ReplyDeleteThe idea of education without borders is a good visual. I know that it is always eye-opening to see different perspectives from people around the globe. The opportunity to be in class with someone from a different part of the country or a different country all together provides phenomenal educational opportunities. It allows us as students to expand our horizons not just through text, but through collaboration and engagement.