No educator can do it all. Running a classroom and giving timely feedback are huge tasks. The good news is that accountability for learning doesn’t have to fall solely on the educator’s shoulders. This responsibility can be shared with learners through collaborative tech. The outcomes are better if the educator is willing to adopt collaborative tech in the classroom.

Most educators have already adopted a collaborative tech approach in their classrooms. They have been willing to step away from center stage and let their learners take on more responsibility for their learning.

You can bring collaborative tech into your classroom if you are willing to help your learners envision, explore, and extend

Envision

When it comes to lesson planning, establishing objectives and goals come first. You know what your learners need to learn to satisfy curriculum requirements, but your learners also should be involved in goal setting when utilizing collaborative tech.

Learners who can articulate what they must achieve with their collaboration are more likely to complete their tasks. Working together encourages learners of every ability to communicate well and seek ways to cooperate with each other.

Explore

Exploration takes time. Learners need plenty of opportunities to pause, reflect, assess. As frustrating as it might be to allow enough time for this process, collaborative tech shortens the amount of time spent doing other tasks related to the learning.

Tools like Padlet and Flipware make collaborative tech easy and efficient. When students spend less time on administrative tasks, they can spend more time on learning.

Enrich

Learning is always more efficient when shared with others. Your learners probably have one of the most robust tools for this at their fingertips: their smartphone. They can use these devices to disseminate posts about learning.

Sending out info about learning discoveries can be exciting, especially when others comment on the findings. The enthusiasm for the topic encourages learners to dig even deeper and have meaningful conversations.

To assist in making learning relevant, teach your learners about collaborative tech such as:

·      Tweets (for observations)

·      Posts (for sharing ideas/discoveries)

·      Vlogs (for providing documentation/persuading)

If your learners don’t have smartphones, consider how you can provide equitable access to tech for everyone in your classroom.

Collaboration tech yields impressive benefits. Users are better able to examine and interpret data. They are usually more creative in solving problems. Finally, team members find their relationships with each other to be more satisfying.

Your classroom is just the start. Labs and media centers are also prime locations for collaborative learning. Where will it take your learners?