Tips for Collaborating in a Digital World

Collaborating in a Digital World
As with communication, most people are more practiced collaborating in a face to face environment. Increasingly, however, this collaboration is moving to our digital world. Working together virtually can be more convenient, efficient and allow everyone an equal voice.

• Making Connections
• 4 Cs: Collaboration
• Blended Learning: Extend and connect collaboration between face to face to virtual environments.
• Differentiation: Collaborative tools allow students to learn from each other and offer input based on their unique skills.

Collaboration

1. Give students opportunities to collaborate in an online environment. 

Increasingly, we work with others in an online or virtual environment. Technology has allowed us to close the gap historically created by time and distance. As educators, we can provide students opportunities to collaborate virtually. Here are some digital tools to get you started having student collaborate.

• Nearly anything Google--Docs, Slides, Sheets, Drawings, Sites, Forms, Drive and more! 
• Padlet (post notes, images, video, links)
• Flipgrid (video discussions)
• Mindmeister (mind mapping)
• Ziteboard (whiteboard)

2. Give students opportunities to collaborate face to face while using digital tools.

Blended learning should not isolate students. We still want them to be working together to learn and solve problems. While digital tools and online learning will often be part of this process, it's important to find ways to "blend" the face to face collaboration with online or digital work. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Assign roles to help get all students involved. Check out these group role table tent template in Slides (shared as an earlier tip).
• Students create something together using an App and then upload it to both Seesaw portfolios.
• Students create something together digitally and upload their final product to both students' assignments in Schoology (slideshow, writing, Google drawing, websites, etc).
• Student groups work in a Project Based Learning environment and then collaboratively find a way to communicate their work using digital tools.
• Students use digital directions and tutorials to work together to solve an offline problem or create an offline product.
• Students work in teams to create a video or audio production using WeVideo or Soundtrap.
• Students use online sources to research solutions to collaborative problems.
• Students review using Quizlet live (where everyone must contribute).
• Student teams work to solve Breakout EDU lockbox puzzles or Digital Breakout EDU challenges.

3. Teach students collaboration skills.

Part of being a student is learning how to work with others. As teachers, we can play an important role in teaching the art of collaboration, compromise, etc. Here are a few ideas for helping students on this journey.

• Teach students how to respond to each other online (also included in last week's communication post). 
• Online Discussions: Tips for Students (University of Waterloo)
• Online Discussions: Tips for Students (Carlton)
• 10 Teacher Tips for Online Discussions (Educause)
• Practice! A good idea is to conduct a practice discussion in Schoology with a non-academic topic. Mixer or ice breaker activities are perfect for this! This could also be done in Seesaw with students replying to other student posts.
• Provide sentence stems. These can give students guidance as to phrasing their responses. Here are a few examples.

• "You said __________________. Have you thought about ________________?"
• "I especially like your point when you said ______________________. I like it because __________________________."
• "You said you __________________. What inspired you to do this?"
• "I have a question about __________________. What did you mean by this?"
• "I'm not sure I understand __________. Could you explain it more for me?"
• With online discussions, encourage students to support comments with evidence (quotes, stats, examples, etc.).
• Assign students with roles and consider rotating these, so everyone must be involved.
• Design projects so everyone has individual accountability while still having a group goal.