Collaborative Knowledge Development
Rational/Pedagogy/Androgogy
I'm sharing this assignment guideline because I believe it accomplishes several desirable tasks.
One, it forces the students to study in a meaningful way. It is very important to practice tasks that move information into semantic memory. I also believe it helps them develop life-long learner skills. If applied correctly, it will even have them study in areas were the lecturer and the textbook author fail to teach them (see my suggested guidelines below). I believe that these types of assignments have the ability to be empowering for the learner.
Two, they develop collaboration skills and technology skills that are current at this time in our society. They learn to use online, shared document services. They learn to communicate in synchronous and asynchronous ways with a variety of students (I suggest you not let them self-select groups). This can be very frustrating for them... just like their jobs will be once they graduate (committee work anyone?).
Suggested guidelines for use in class:
Create collaboration groups for each test. Share a Google doc with each group and make it public. Share the public URL with the class (I like to post it on my class blog, but you could send an email). I give three exams during the semester, so I have three collaboration groups.
Provide the groups with guidelines that will give their media creations some direction. I am currently doing the following in my Cognition class.
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As a group, pick the 5 most confusing topics from the material for your designated exam.
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Share media in the Google document that will aid all of our understanding about the material.
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Pick websites that have simple explanations (and detailed explanations).
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Try to find material that is both verbal and visual and...
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If applicable, find a simulation or material that will allow us to have a phenomenological experience with the construct/theory/idea/task/etc...
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Organize the material so that it is easy to read and easy to use as a study aid. Usability is important! Remember that this is a public document and a variety of individuals may come to the site looking for knowledge.
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When you remix information from another site (words, images, simulations, etc.) you have an ethical responsibility to cite and credit the creator of the content. It will be much better for you to paraphrase how the material on a website can aid our understanding and then provide a link, than to copy the material.
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Plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the entire group, so monitor the groups work and help each other with APA style citations.
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Pre-Test Review! The last class period before the exam I want each group to share what you have done with us as a serious and engaged study session. You might want to create a presentation document to aid in this endeavor. I will be happy to help you copy handouts to aid any simulations (for example, you might want to recreate a classic experiment in class). Each document and presentation should improve over the semester as we learn from the previous groups mistakes.
How Tos and other stuff to make you a Google Doc expert.
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Videos to grow your expertise!
(watch me first for inspiration)
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Text based help to make you an expert!
For those of you worried about ownership.
Here is the NPR story talked about in the Friday afternoon session by the James Madison folks.