Week 4 - Collaboration With Digital Technology
How Technology Assists in Developing Truly Collaborative Tasks for Students
Technology significantly enhances collaborative tasks for students by providing platforms and tools that facilitate communication, coordination, and shared learning experiences. In Physical Development, Health, and Physical Education (PDHPE), technology can support collaborative learning by enabling students to collaborate on projects, share resources, and reflect on their progress in real-time.
Collaborative Idea: Virtual Health and Fitness Challenges
One collaborative idea in the PDHPE content area is implementing a "Virtual Health and Fitness Challenge" using digital platforms. In this activity, students are grouped into teams and tasked with completing various health and fitness challenges over a set period. The challenges could include tracking daily physical activity, completing virtual fitness workouts or participating in health quizzes.
Technology Enabling This Task: Google Classroom and Fitness Apps
Platforms like Google Classroom can be used to create school-appropriate and monitored groups where students and educators can post updates, share progress, and encourage one another. Google Classroom provides a space for students to communicate, share tips, and celebrate achievements, promoting a sense of community and collaboration (Henderson, Snyder, & Beale, 2013).
Fitness apps such as MyFitnessPal or Strava can be used to track individual and team progress. These apps allow students to log their physical activities, set goals, and monitor their performance. The data collected can be shared with team members, enabling them to offer feedback and support (Henderson et al., 2013).
Implementation and Benefits
To implement this collaborative task, students would first be introduced to the challenge's objectives and divided into teams. The teacher would create a separate Google Classroom for the fitness challenges to communicate their achievements and a fitness app to track their activities. The Google Classroom would share regular check-ins and progress reports, and students could use the app's features to discuss strategies and celebrate milestones.
The use of technology in this collaborative task offers several benefits:
Enhanced Communication: Google Classrooms facilitate continuous communication between team members, allowing ongoing support and collaboration.
Real-Time Feedback: Fitness apps provide immediate feedback on performance, helping students adjust their efforts and strategies as needed.
Increased Engagement: Fitness apps' gamified nature and the social aspect of sharing progress can increase student motivation and engagement in physical activities.
Reflective Learning: Technology enables students to reflect on their progress and set personal goals, encouraging a deeper understanding of health and fitness principles.
Pedagogical Approach and Technological Choices
Smith and MacGregor (1992) emphasise that collaborative learning requires a thoughtful pedagogical approach, with technology as a supportive tool rather than the primary focus. In this case, the pedagogical approach involves setting clear goals for collaboration and using technology to enhance communication and track progress. By integrating Google Workspace and fitness apps into the activity, the technology allows for collaborative learning objectives, helping students achieve a richer and more engaging learning experience.
References
Henderson, M., Snyder, I., & Beale, D. (2013). Social media for collaborative learning: A review of school literature. Australian Educational Computing, 28(2).
Smith, B. L., & MacGregor, J. T. (1992). What is collaborative learning?