COOPERATIVE LEARNING USING TECHNOLOGY
Technology is becoming more prevalent in today's society. Students need to be proficient in the use of it as well as learning how to work with others. Can you think of a better way to to learn than incorporating the two together?
There are many websites and software programs that can be used. I will be only touching on a handful. There are so many great 2.0 tools and websites out there.
Google sites is one that you can use in the classroom. Students can use them as online portfolios. Teachers and students can use it to create something together. Something I like about this is it can be open to the public or it can be set so only the teacher and students can see it. Blogger is another tool from Google that can be used in a classroom. This is a great way for students to discuss something by writing and responding to others. In Google Drive there is document, presentation, spreadsheet, form, drawing, and Lucidchart Diagram. These are beneficial because multiple people can be on and editing at the same time and comments can be added. One thing that I find extremely beneficial is that students can no longer use the excuse that they can't do the work because their partner is absent. Students also can collaborate after school online and continue to work on their project even if they are not able to meet.
Of course you have your online learning communities like Moodle, Blackboard, and Edmodo that can be used to facilitate discussions. Students and teachers can post information, share ideas, and communicate in a community.
There are many websites and software programs that can be used. I will be only touching on a handful. There are so many great 2.0 tools and websites out there.
Google sites is one that you can use in the classroom. Students can use them as online portfolios. Teachers and students can use it to create something together. Something I like about this is it can be open to the public or it can be set so only the teacher and students can see it. Blogger is another tool from Google that can be used in a classroom. This is a great way for students to discuss something by writing and responding to others. In Google Drive there is document, presentation, spreadsheet, form, drawing, and Lucidchart Diagram. These are beneficial because multiple people can be on and editing at the same time and comments can be added. One thing that I find extremely beneficial is that students can no longer use the excuse that they can't do the work because their partner is absent. Students also can collaborate after school online and continue to work on their project even if they are not able to meet.
Of course you have your online learning communities like Moodle, Blackboard, and Edmodo that can be used to facilitate discussions. Students and teachers can post information, share ideas, and communicate in a community.
PBWorks is a collaborative learning environment. It is a professional wiki hosting and file sharing site.
Everyone can work on one document at the same time.
WebQuests are inquiry oriented activities where students work together to learn about a particular subject. It is engaging and uses higher order thinking skills. WebQuests can be designed from scratch, a template, or use one that is already made (you even have the choice of changing it to meet your students' needs). Some of the WebQuests out there are WebQuest Taskonomy, Quest Garden, Zunal WebQuest Maker, and many more. See my WebQuest link above for more ideas and direct links.
Multiplayer Simulation games allows students to interact with each other and use problem solving skills.
Communicating with students in other places to collaborate and learn about other cultures. Students can also do project sharing.
The website Jigsaw helps students work cooperatively to learn content and skills.