Communication and Collaboration

I have a vested interest in K-12 education for several reasons:

• That's what I wanted to do when I grew up (high school History teacher).
• I enjoyed working the classroom when my daughters were in elementary school.
• We have two little grandchildren who will be going to school in the not too distant future.
• This is my program area (Elementary Ed and Early Childhood Ed).
• K-12 education is moving ahead in technology and what happens in the lower level effects us in higher ed.

The International Society for Technology in Education has developed 6 Standards for (K-12) Students "What students should know and be able to do to learn effectively and live productively in an increasingly digital world …” http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/NETS_for_Students.htm

• Creativity and Innovation
• Communication and Collaboration
• Research and Information Fluency
• Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
• Digital Citizenship
• Technology Operations and Concepts

In my Intro to Computer classes, I'm about to embark on a group project that would fit right into the Communication and Collaboration standard.

Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:

1. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
2. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
3. develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures.
4. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.

http://www.hotchalk.com/mydesk/index.php/all-articles/888-iste-netss-part-2-communication-and-collaboration

We are just getting started this week and the first part of the assignment is to choose a group and participate in the small group discussion about the project. They will choose a Web 2.0 application to research and write about and then upload that short report to a class wiki. I'm using D2L's Groups tool which allows students to self-select their own groups. I will keep you posted about the progess of this project.