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Communication & collaboration

In responding to the questionnaire, communication and collaboration are the prime uses that ICT is put to in seeking to change education. ICT is seen as a vehicle for collaboration and contact with others at any time and place, enabling, for example, communication between parents and authorities. ICT is also seen to extend both the scope of communication but also the role of students, enabling them to collaborate and communicate with learning partners and become decision-makers in their own learning. Tools such as blogs, wikis and pod/videocasting are proposed to support flexibility by working online and making communication, edition and publishing easy across the world. ICT is also seen to encourage and help teachers by providing dynamic, easily accessible guidance and communication resources whereby they can find support and communicate with coaches and colleagues. Finally, several people pointed to the increasing use of ICT to support social networks and the potential use of these for learning.

Collaborative vs. Cooperative Learning

Collaborative and cooperative learning are so closely related that the two terms are often used interchangeably. However, let's take a moment to address the similarities and differences in the two. Both learning theories assign specific tasks, both use groups, and both require the students to share and compare their findings. In both cases, discovery approaches are used to teach interpersonal skills and student talks are stressed as a means for working things out.

Collaborative learning has British roots and is based on the findings of English instructors who explored ways to help students take a more active role in their learning. It is a teaching methodology in which "students team together to explore a significant question or a meaningful project" (Disney).

Cooperative learning, which will be the focus of this chapter, was first used in America and can be traced back to John Dewey's philosophy of the social nature of learning. It is a "specific kind of collaborative learning" (Disney). In this setting, not only is the group assessed as a whole, but students are also individually accountable for their work.

A climate such as that created by cooperative learning will help Mrs. Solomon to better manage her classroom and help to keep the students on task. By following the guidelines presented in this chapter, Mrs. Solomon will be able to help her students use cooperative learning to acquire the knowledge necessary to reach the objectives of the course.