This document discusses collaboration in blended and online learning environments. It defines collaboration as a group coming together, driven by mutual self-interest, to constructively explore new possibilities and create something greater than what they could individually. The document justifies collaboration, stating that employers prioritize collaborative skills and constructivism requires social interaction and knowledge building. It then outlines features in Canvas that support collaboration, such as groups, wikis, shared files and Google Docs integration.

1. in Blended & Online Environments
Using
Groups:
Collaboration
T h e o r y a n d P r a c t i c e
A Presentation by
Jeff Lofting for

2. ”
Collaboration Defined
§ Collaboration is…
…when a group of people come together,
driven by mutual self–interest,
“

3. ”
Collaboration Defined
§ Collaboration is…
…when a group of people come together,
driven by mutual self–interest,
to constructively explore new !
! ! !possibilities and
“

4. ”
Collaboration Defined
§ Collaboration is…
…when a group of people come together,
driven by mutual self–interest,
to constructively explore new !
! ! !possibilities and
create something that they
couldn’t do on their own
(Callahan)
“

5. ”
Collaboration Defined
§ Collaboration is…
…when a group of people come together,
driven by mutual self–interest,
to constructively explore new !
! ! !possibilities and
create something that they
couldn’t do on their own
(Callahan)
§ Utilizing collective knowledge and
skills offered by a group to cultivate
new ideas and solve problems.
“

6. Justification for Collaboration
I. Collaboration is a high priority need
» 45% of US employers say lack of skills is “main
reason” for entry-level vacancies

7. Justification for Collaboration
I. Collaboration is a high priority need
» 45% of US employers say lack of skills is “main
reason” for entry-level vacancies
» Employers would be willing to pay new workers 22%
higher salaries if they did have the skills "
they need

8. Justification for Collaboration
I. Collaboration is a high priority need
» 45% of US employers say lack of skills is “main
reason” for entry-level vacancies
» Employers would be willing to pay new workers 22%
higher salaries if they did have the skills "
they need
» 72% of educational institutions "
believe newly educated "
workers are ready for work…

9. Justification for Collaboration
I. Collaboration is a high priority need
» 45% of US employers say lack of skills is “main
reason” for entry-level vacancies
» Employers would be willing to pay new workers 22%
higher salaries if they did have the skills "
they need
» 72% of educational institutions "
believe newly educated "
workers are ready for work…
» 42% of employers feel "
the same way (Bersin)"

10. Justification for Collaboration
I. Collaboration is a high priority need
II. Constructivism requires it

11. Justification for Collaboration
I. Collaboration is a high priority need
II. Constructivism requires it
» Dr. David Jonassen, CLEs on the Web"
"
Learning most naturally occurs not in isolation but "
by teams of people working together to "
solve problems. CLEs should provide "
access to shared information and "
shared knowledge building "
tools to help learners to "
collaboratively construct "
socially shared knowledge (6).

12. Justification for Collaboration
I. Collaboration is a high priority need
II. Constructivism requires it
» Collaborative learning leads to
• deeper level learning,
• critical thinking,
• shared understanding, and
• long term retention of the learned material
(Kreijns 337)

13. Justification for Collaboration
I. Collaboration is a high priority need
II. Constructivism requires it
III. Struggling is inherent in the learning
process

14. Justification for Collaboration
I. Collaboration is a high priority need
II. Constructivism requires it
III. Struggling is inherent in the learning
process
» Piaget’s social cognitive conflict
• Social Interaction à Cognitive Conflict
• Disequilibrium à Knowledge Construction

15. The Practice of Collaboration
§ So, how can students be empowered to
collaborate successful?
» CLEs should provide access to shared
information and shared knowledge building
tools to help learners to collaboratively
construct socially shared "
knowledge.
§ Canvas provides an "
incredible resource of "
shared knowledge "
building tools.

16. Canvas Groups Features
Course
Project
1
Set
Group
1
Group
2
Announce-­‐
ments
Pages/Wikis
Discussion
Boards
Shared
Files
CollaboraBon
(Google
Docs)
Group
3
For Students:
§ Announcements
§ Wikis (collective knowledge repository)
§ Calendar events
§ Shared resources

17. Canvas Groups Features
Course
Project
1
Set
Group
1
Group
2
Announce-­‐
ments
Pages/Wikis
Discussion
Boards
Shared
Files
CollaboraBon
(Google
Docs)
Group
3
For Students:
§ Announcements
§ Wikis (collective knowledge repository)
§ Calendar events
§ Shared resources
For Instructors:
§ Group messages
§ Group assignments
§ Group discussion threads

18. Sources
Jonassen, David. "Constructivist learning environments on the web: engaging students in "
meaningful learning." The Educational Technology Conference and Conference Singapore (1999):
n. pag. Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.
Kreijns, Karel, Paul Kirschner, and Wim Jochems. "Identifying the pitfalls for social interaction in "
computer-supported collaborative learning environments: a review of the research." Computers
in Human Behavior 19.3 (2003): 335-353. Print.
Callahan, Shawn. "Anecdote: when should we collaborate?" Anecdote. N.p., 12 Mar. 2008. Web. 24
Apr. 2013. <http://www.anecdote.com.au/archives/2008/12/when_should_we.html>.
Bersin, J. (2012, December 10). Growing Gap Between What Business Needs and What
Education Provides - Forbes. Information for the World's Business Leaders - Forbes.com.
Retrieved April 24, 2013, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2012/12/10/"
growing-gap-between-what-business-needs-and-what-education-provides/
Lipponen, Lasse. “Exploring foundations for computer-supported collaborative learning." University of
Helsinki Finland: n. pag. Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX (2002). Web. 24 Apr. 2013.
What Do Employers Expect…from Today’s High School Graduates?. (n.d.). Vermont Business
Roundtable. Retrieved April 24, 2013, from http://vtroundtable.org/filemanager/download/8717/