Unit 3 - Collaborate

Welcome to Unit 3! So far, you've learned about the foundations of educational technology. You explored GSuite tools and other tools that can be used to facilitate learning and you read a bit about meaningful learning with technology, universal design for learning, ISTE standards, and general knowledge about classroom technology integration. Then you wrapped all of your new knowledge into writing about the connections between what you'd learned and how that connects with the ISTE standards for student learning with technology. Not bad for the first 1/3 of the semester.

In Unit 3 you'll look at the ways technology can support communication and collaboration in classrooms. You'll connect this back with your readings from previous units and new readings from this unit. But most importantly, you'll have an opportunity to find new tools to support your own learning.

As you move through this unit, think about where these tools might show up in your own life. How could they help you work on group projects, lead presentations, organize a team, or share ideas effectively? The goal is not just to learn what is possible in classrooms, but to start identifying what is possible for you.

Unit 3 tasks are due Monday, 10/13 at the end of the day.

Need a class this summer or fall?

Registration is right around the corner and we have lots of in-person and online EDIT classes that might be of interest. No prereqs for any of our courses. We also offer EDIT 5100e in the summer if you're planning that part of your schedule, too. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about courses or our undergraduate certificate in Learning, Design, and Technology.

TASK 1: Communication and Collaboration in the Classroom

Grade value: 5% of total grade

Let's go a little old school for a minute. On a piece of paper (if we were in a face-to-face class I would hand you an index card or giant post-it note to do this. I am kind of a huge fan of office supplies. It's such a shame that I don't get to make use of my world's largest collection of Sharpie markers in this class) - okay - back to that piece of paper:

On your paper, write a little about each of the four topics listed below. What are they? What is their value (if any) in a learning environment?

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Communication
Collaboration
Creativity and Innovation

Don't use Google for an answer - let's just see where you are. And it's perfectly okay to give an example or to even say "I have no idea"

2. Take a picture of your paper - because I can't actually see it otherwise. Save it for later.

3. Now let's watch a short video about the "4 Cs" that you just wrote about. This video does a great job of showing how different K12 activities connect with the 4 Cs - so you might want to watch this one in addition to or instead of the other video.

4. Now back to the picture you took in step 2. Use your favorite picture editing tool (mine is just the tools available on my camera app) to make some observations about your original ideas and how they have changed based on viewing the 4Cs video. I've included a simplified example in the picture above. Please note: your finished task should be much more detailed than my example.

5. Upload your completed image to your Collaborate webpage.

TASK 2: Identifying Communication and Collaboration Tools

Grade value: 5% of total grade

For this unit, our primary focus is communication and collaboration. Critical thinking is an important concept throughout all of our units and we'll focus on creativity and innovation in Unit 4. Now that you've had some background information on the 4 Cs - let's look at some tools that can help support communication and collaboration in the classroom.

1. There are several sections of communication and collaboration tools to explore in your textbook. It's also important to note that all of the tools you explored in previous units could also be classified as communication and collaboration tools. And my list is not meant to be an exhaustive one. If you look around the Tools page - I'm certain you will find additional tools that support communication and collaboration. Take a few minutes to learn about a few more tools from the following links - don't forget to login (for now, just read each short section overview and become familiar with the different tools listed in each section):

2. After you've become familiar with the tools in the 10 sections listed above, think about a project you had during last fall or spring semester. How might that project have been different if you used one of the 10 types of tools you've just explored? What if you created a podcast for a reading response? What would it have looked like if you'd created an interactive poster for a presentation you were assigned? How might one of the writing tools have improved an assignment you had last semester? Select a previous project and a relevant communication/collaboration tool and provide us with a demonstration of what the finished product might have looked like if you had used this tool.

For instance, you could: write the beginning of a blog post on a former research paper topic, create a Padlet that you could have used for a class discussion during a presentation you had last semester, design a ThingLink to label some diagrams in preparation for a test, or share course materials through one of the collaboration tools. You can even look back at the Presentation section of your textbook and use Canva to create a flyer about a topic from a previous semester's class.

The main requirement is that you try something new to you. And that you share something new with us from one of your classes from last year. You don't have to recreate the entire project - just give us an idea of how it might be different if you used a different tool.

Once you've created your example - add a link or a screenshot (whichever makes the most sense for the tool you selected) to your Collaborate webpage and write 4-5 sentences describing what you created and what you learned. Make sure to include the name of the tool you selected and a link to it. And don't forget to publish your page.

TASK 3: Communication and Collaboration in Real Classrooms

Grade value: 6% of total grade

Now that you have some experience using a number of tools that support communication and collaboration, it's time to apply what you've learned in a K12 setting.

Think about a teacher you've had recently. A teacher that would be open to new ideas and technologies. This could be a teacher you had in K12 or in college. What kind of communication and collaboration resources does that teacher already use? What new tools might be useful to them? Take a few minutes to jot down the type of work you did in that course and which tools you've learned about in previous units that might be useful to that teacher and the students in their course. What would it look like if these tools were used in the class/by the teacher you've identified?
On a new Google Doc, write a "day in the life" of the teacher you've selected. You may identify the subject area in your story - but do not identify the actual teacher. The story should include multiple examples of communication and collaboration tools and how they support the tasks that happening over the course of the semester. Your write up should be detailed and 4-5 paragraphs in length. Insert this Google Doc onto your Collaborate webpage (remember, there are instructions for how to do this correctly in Task 3 from Unit 2 - if you don't follow those instructions, I won't be able to view your work.)
Next, you're going to take what you wrote about in your "look inside the life" story and create a resource page for all of the tools and activities you described. This resource page will contain links, tutorials, ideas, connections to teachers using the tools. Remember, you may identify the subject area on your resource page - but do not identify the actual teacher.
Your resource page should be built in Padlet. You can see a simplified example here. There are many tutorials available but a basic page on "how to post" can be found here. You can sign in with your Google account and you should be selecting the free version of Padlet (you can make up to 3 padlets for free).

Your padlet should contain the following items:

All of the communication and collaboration resources that would be useful for your selected teacher that you shared in your "look inside the life" story.
An audio or video overview of why you've chosen these tools (remember, you can post all types of media in your padlet - including audio and video)

6. When you have completed your padlet, provide a link to your padlet and a short description on your Collaborate webpage.

7. Make sure to publish your page.

TIP: All of your readings/videos for this unit (Guide to the Four Cs, textbook readings) will help you with ideas for all of this. But if you're still stuck, email or text me with the name of the course for which you are writing the story and resource guide and I can help.

TASK 4: Making Connections

Grade value: 10% of total grade

For this task you'll continue to synthesize what you've learned about educational technology so far and how it supports communication and collaboration. You should probably re-read what you wrote in Unit 2 for the CONNECT paper in preparation for this task. You'll write this on a new Google Doc and it should be 4-5 paragraphs. If you want more writing tips - here's a link to some suggestions I give to students each semester. **Please note - using generative AI tools like ChatGPT, CoPilot, Gemini, or similar tools to write reflective papers such as this one is not appropriate. Using tools like Grammarly to check sentence structure and spelling is completely fine.

First - think about the terms you wrote about in Task 1: critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity and innovation. Write about how your understanding of those terms has changed after this week's readings and exploration work. How can students and teachers use technology to support the four Cs? What can you share from your very first week's reading that relates?

Next - connect what you've worked on this week to the ISTE standards you viewed last week. How do the 4 Cs relate to the ISTE standards?

Finally - what is your current understanding of the role educational technology can play in helping students and teachers to communicate and collaborate? How can these tools support meaningful learning? (References to specific tools and readings here are a good idea.)

Don't forget to share the document before you insert it onto your Collaborate page (or I won't be able to view it). And don't forget to publish your website!

You are over halfway finished! Just 2 units to go! Please make sure to call or email me if you have questions or concerns at any point in these tasks.

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