Initial Discovery

As we begin our discovery of collaborative learning, it is important to first gain an understanding of the principles behind collaborative learning. According to Wikipedia, collaborative learning is an approach that "involves joint intellectual effort by students or students and teachers. Groups of students work together in searching for understanding, meaning or solutions or in creating a product." An interesting study by Anuradha Gokhale, Collaborative Learning Enhances Critical Thinking, looks at the effectiveness of individual learning versus collaborative learning. She finds that the exchange among students promotes critical thinking through discussion, clarification and the evaluation of others' ideas.

In the next few weeks we will be looking at what works and doesn't work in collaborative learning. With wikis, blogs, discussion groups, social networking and RSS feeds, we must figure out how to best use these models to make the most of the learning experience. Tony Karrer's, Personal Learning for Professionals, takes a look at using Web 2.0 tools to make reading and research more effective. He compares tools for bookmarking and tags, with the recommendation of using Yahoo's MyWeb 2.0. Tony also suggests setting up a blog or wiki as an avenue to share information with others.

As a novice to all of the Web 2.0 tools, I look forward to actively participating in each of the tools to see what works best for the learner.