In our 307 class, we have been recently discussing the benefits of online collaboration in “hybrid classes” (classes that do most work online-like ds106!). We read much about this topic in The Process of Online Collaboration, which gave us great insight into the procedures and different ways to go about implementing online collaboration in the classroom.

We discussed a class of second and third graders who had been posting on the internet to youtube and similar sites. The result – they’re still alive! No catastrophic turn of events lead to their demise due to their internet usage. So this begs the question of whether internet is really that detrimental to children’s lives and minds. Parents are constantly afraid of exposing their kids to the “dangers of the internet”, but isn’t it inevitable. We live in the 21st century. Hello!! Kids are going to be exposed to the internet regardless of how long parents try to shelter them from it – and wouldn’t it make much more sense to educate them on how to avoid the “dangers of the internet” so they know how to navigate the internet safely and efficiently?

Check out Will Richardson’s The Bigger Shifts… Deal With It for more on this subject!

The most efficient way to implement online collaboration into the classroom is to develop a set of guidelines with students. Get the kids together in groups and ask them what their rules will be – let them create their own standards and regulations. Teachers can also require weekly responses and reflections on how online collaboration is going, to make sure the students are getting the most out of their learning experience. The bottom line is, with online collaboration, students are free to work with others in a space of their own, to explore and develop their own individual identity and it will foster their creativity.

I asked my 15 year old brother (soon to be 16, in about a week) what he thought about online collaboration. He looked up from his video game and said “I don’t even know what that means”. Though I asked him the question as a joke, I was a little disturbed by the answer. How are more schools not implementing online collaboration into the classroom, it’s so easy. So I then asked, “would you say that your teachers encourage creativity and individuality?”, to which he responded “encourage creativity? Nay.” I think a direct correlation can be observed here.