My learning has been explosive this week. After getting through my reading on 'connectivism' my head was a jumbo mess but after some discussion with my mate I began to gain perspective and my own thoughts started to sort themselves out. I couldn't imagine reading all the readings on each learning theory, there wouldn't be enough time for me to process all that information before the end of this course. Going through all the posting and getting a brief overview of the learning theory along with some different perspectives on the advantages and disadvantages of them was, by far, more efficient and effective way to learn. My head didn't hurt so much and so this is where I found the value of collaborative learning. I love it!!!
I highly value this constructivist approach for today's students. Learning is supported by peers. In this case, each contributed a part of the puzzle so that everybody could gain a fuller understanding of learning theories. Furthemore, students can adopt ideas and perspectives of others or challenge and add new ones all on the one site. While teaching will always remain relationship based for me, I am finding more room in my thinking for the benefits for supplementing with eLearning. Wiki's would be ideal for collaborative research projects within the class. It is environmentally friendly, won't get lost and the dog can't eat it. Wiki's do not greatly support all learning styles but are great for the information gathering stage which has to be in text. I guess one downside is that loafers can hide a little easier and can disengage completely by not logging in.
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