Collaboration

The value of collaboration emphasizes the importance of many different roles, as well as the inherently networked nature of new media. Collaboration is often the exception in schools, but it is just as often the rule for young people outside of school. In the new media landscape, collaboration means not just group work but long-distance and often multi-cultural learning communities. “Participatory culture shifts the focus of literacy from one of individual expression to community involvement. The new literacies almost all involve social skills developed through collaboration and networking” (Jenkins, 2006). Collaboration involves new media literacies such as pooling knowledge with others toward a common goal (collective intelligence) and the ability to interact with technology tools that expand mental capacities (distributed cognition).

Collaborative students:

  • Consistently use appropriate tone and body language to indicate respect and empathy for others
  • Pose appropriate questions for clarification and understanding Make necessary compromises to help forge consensus
  • Actively listen to peers and mentors Routinely mentor and encourage less experienced peers

Reflection Questions

  • Do I enjoy working on projects with other students?
  • Do others enjoy working on projects with me?
  • Do I pay as much attention to how I say something as to what I say?
  • Do I try to understand what other students and mentors are saying before I respond?
  • What kinds of questions do I ask when I don’t understand what someone is trying to say?
  • How do I know when I should compromise and when I should stick to my principles?
  • When other students are having a problem, do I avoid them or do I try to help?