Yes, I do believe that humans, like insects, fish, locusts, and others in the animal kingdom, form networks that create connections and relationships that allow us to emerge and work as high functioning community networks. According to Fischer (2009) collective behavior results from simple rules of social interaction between people. According to Rheingold (2008), many corporations are creating supercomputing collectives that allow people to work to find solutions for our world problems. These relationships are effective because the members of the system work from an understanding that when we enrich others, we enrich ourselves. Finally, we have discovered that we are able to do more for our world collectively, than we are as individuals, and technology is the tool that links us to create effective working community networks.
Technology can facilitate collaboration among learners utilizing constructivist principles by bringing groups of people not limited by time and space, to build on positive educational experiences. According to Reste & Laferriere (2007), convincing evidence indicates learning benefits for online collaborative learning includes high order thinking skills, student satisfaction with the learning experiences, and improved productivity. However, in order for collaborative learning to be successful teachers need to create a learning space that focuses on student engagement and pedagogical strategies that foster the development of a knowledge building community and are student centered and steeped in constructivist principles.
References:
Fisher, L. (2009). The Perfect Swarm. New York, New York. Basic Books.
Resta, P. & Laferriere, T., (2007). Technology in support of collaborative learning. Educational Psychology
Review. Retrieved at: http://www.edb.utexas.edu/cscl/2010/readings/resta_2007.pdf
Rheingold, H. (2008, February). Howard Rheingold on collaboration [Video file]. Retrieved at
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold on collaboration.html
