Week 4: CEDO 525 Enhancing Learning Materials through Technology

Review: Clay Shirky on institutions vs. collaboration  and Clay Shirky: How cognitive surplus will change the world

This week our class reviewed the two Clay Shirky videos listed above that both spoke to the changing paradigm of collaboration.
In the video Institutions vs. Collaboration, Shirky compares traditional collaboration (setup, intention, costs, etc.) that requires an institution to be constructed in order to facilitate the sharing of information, to the current and future of online collaboration (open source, little to no overhead, non-exclusionary). In this video, Shirky pointed out the fact that in the new platform for collaboration the amount contributed is not equal, but value can be found in every piece of information shared. In the traditional institutional collaborative setting, value is placed on the number of contributions made, and those who do not pull their weight are taken out of the equation. I was struck by this insight, particularly when Shirky applied the concept to open source applications--even though someone might only have one idea to contribute, that idea could be the key to the success of the project as a whole.
Shriky's talk about How cognitive surplus will change the world was an insightful look at what can happen consumers of information take it to the next level of creating and sharing their contributions with the online community. We are a society making the transition from consumers to people who not only consume but also create and want to share our creations with others. With that desire as well as the tools to facilitate creation and sharing, comes the need to define the value of information out there. Shirky's approach to this topic does not discount the entertainment value of many of the products out there; he simply categorizes it has having more of a communal value in which certain groups of people will be drawn to the work that has been shared. Shirky categorized products that have more of a global impact as having "civic value" and it is this type of product that will contribute to changing the world. Regardless of the category in which a contribution falls, it is a step in the right direction of participating in the new world of collaboration.

Reflections: Cooperative Learning & Reinforcing Effort

In the past, I have attempted to facilitate cooperative learning in a meeting environment where the participants were interacting face to face. My organization meets once a month and during that short amount of time we have a lot of ground to cover, so the cooperative learning often gets the short end of the stick. In response to that need for a professional learning community where my staff can contribute without the time constraints of a physical meeting, I've created a company Intranet. I've included discussion boards on the Intranet site where staff members can share lessons and resources they've found to be effective in their Title I classrooms. We use the mimio interactive whiteboards, so this forum allows staff members to share interactive websites as well as mimio lessons they've created to support lessons that are unique to our diagnostic-prescriptive program. The company Intranet is a relatively new tool, and some staff members are more active on the site than others, but I hope to continue to drive participation and get everyone to see the value in this tool, as well as the opportunity for collaboration outside of our monthly meeting times.

Reinforcing effort is something that comes naturally with school-aged students, but can be a bit more challenging when working with a group of adults. In the past, I've attempted to recognize staff members who were able to meet organizational goals at each of our monthly meetings, but I found that not everyone appreciated being in the limelight. Currently, I make a point to email specific staff members to recognize their efforts: For example, I run reports and follow up with areas that need attention. If I see improvements upon the next report run, I am sure to let the individual know their efforts are noticed. With the implementation of the new Intranet site, I can use the announcements page to recognize staff members for their contributions to the organization; or to simply share good news on a personal note (birthdays, babies, etc.) to help connect our staff, which happens to be spread across 10 different locations. I believe that for the most part, people respond positively to being recognized for their efforts; and whether it is in a classroom or in a business, positive working environments will lead to more success and higher productivity.