I am very fortunate to teach in a district where getting devices in the hands of students has been a priority. We've had many visitors touring our district to see how our students are using technology. From just about every group that has visited us; I've been asked, "How can students collaborate if they are glued to their computers?" This seems to be a common concern. |
You know where I'm going with this...
My third graders collaborate WHILE using their computers all the time! My students have worked on many assignments with partners or groups this year. From creating a Google Drawing to show how they solved a fraction problem to working together to make a Google presentation.
Why I Love GAFE (Google Apps For Education)!
Students can work together on a Google doc, drawing, presentation and more with a simple click of that SHARE button! This is a ridiculously powerful thing! I will have students share with me also, so I can give comments/advice/feedback AS THE STUDENTS ARE WORKING! This is huge! Earlier this week, my third graders worked on a "Collaborative Flash Research" assignment. They had to pick a partner, open the google doc via Google Classroom, share that doc with their partner, choose an endangered animal to research, complete all the parts of the assignment together before the 40 minute time limit was up. No big deal, you say? Here's the kicker...they had to complete the entire assignment WITHOUT TALKING! Not a word, not a whisper, not a grunt...nothing! They couldn't even sit together! I had students sitting across the room from each other and the only way they could communicate was through the chat function within the google doc. So, do you think they had to collaborate to get the assignment done? You bet they did! Click HERE to see the assignment.
Now the REALLY spiffy part...
On the day we were working on this assignment, one of my students was home sick. By chance, another of my students noticed that he was online and I quickly emailed EJ (the sick student) and shared the same google doc with him that all the other students were working on. How cool is that? EJ was at home, but was able to "join in" with something the rest of the class was doing! So while EJ and I were working on the google doc together (ok...I wanted to play too!), I was so excited that I tweeted a link to the doc out to Alice Keeler and she jumped right into our doc! Oh my gosh...I can not tell you how excited I was. My geek-i-ness was through the roof!
Alice chatted with us for a while and gave us some tips to make our Google searches more efficient. That is the beauty of GAFE, you can give instant advice and feedback right there IN the doc (or drawing or presentation)!
So, is tech the enemy of collaboration?
Absolutely not! With the integration of technology into my lessons, I have been able to do more than ever! It is so easy to have my third graders share and work together. One student might have the directions to an assignment up on his/her computer and the actual product they are working on might be on the other student's computer. One student might use the computer's webcam to take a picture and then email that image to his/her partner so they can both have access to it. I've had students make screencasts and share the videos with each other. The possibilities know no bounds!
Please leave a comment. I'd love to read how your students collaborate while using technology.
Please leave a comment. I'd love to read how your students collaborate while using technology.