At times teachers are overcome
with students who demand new ways of being taught, teachers are literally
running out of ideas to bring new content to the classroom. As good as teachers can be, there are times
they need great assistance in keeping students interested in learning. Teachers are often demanded to find creative
innovations to keep the classrooms excited and at times it feels as if they are
about to slip into the raging river of despair! However, there is a lifeline
that is ever thrown at teachers, and it is called collaboration.
Collaboration among teachers
helps to creative positives impacts among themselves and others that can
significantly contribute towards school improvement (ASU, 2017). This is more than just conducting a seminar
or workshop in a conference or staff room.
As twenty-first century educators, we can now use digital gadgets or
collaborative tools that can help use to collaborate quicker, faster and
cheaper to reach out to other individuals.
This can help teaching professionals or resource persons to share ideas
and updated information in the raging classrooms, preventing waves of boredom from
capsizing the ship of learning.
There are many collaborative tools in the
digital world. Sometimes the amount out there is very intimidating and may
cause people to resist adopting or trying them (Martin 2017). However,
there are some collaborative tools to the rescue that are very useful for
teachers to use to help share relevant information and ideas amongst
themselves:
i.
Google
Docs - (Bika, nd). Share documents
online where persons at different locations can view and edit documents
instantly allowing persons to share their lesson planning ideas for others to
use.
ii.
Slack
– (Martin, 2017). Promotes virtual
connections with other individuals to promote information exchange.
iii.
Whatsapp
– (Elcom, 2018). With the use of
WhatsApp Web or a good smartphone files from teachers can be shared with shared. Whatsapp groups can be formed with subject
teachers to share content matter simultaneously.
iv.
Red
Pen – (Time Doctor, 2019). Good with visual arts teachers, help to design
collaboratively and share those designs into the classrooms. Students can use the
same software for group work.
v.
Skype
– (Time Doctor, 2019). This helps in
collaborating with teachers and specialists instantly with teachers world-wide
and locally.
vi.
Google
Drive – (Pappas, 2013). It is a shared account,
which allows teachers within an organization much-needed documents that have
been placed in the space for others to use.
vii.
Thinkbinder
- (Pappas, 2013). A group platform that
allows posts and updates on projects, used for promotion of unconventional
ideas and with the use of calendars mark dates for set goals and honour due
dates. Files are amongst users.
The list goes on! Being in the
classroom myself, there are times my colleagues and I forget that we can seek
and get much-needed help. This link is
for Ad employees but it is applicable to teachers who need to know the
collaborative tools that exist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-LVPOK91Tc.
We unnecessary find ourselves drowning in the abyss of boredom, ignorance,
mental fatigue and lack of creativity.
It is always good to form a community of persons who can collaborate
with, and re-energize the minds for creative and stimulate ourselves to steady
the waters in the classroom and in our minds (ASU, 2017). It is always good to collaborate with the use
of the right tools, therefore before selecting, one be mindful of the reason
for selecting them.
Collaboration does not only happen
among teachers but also among students who need support and good productive
learning environments to sail into the sunset of the acquisition of
knowledge. There are so many benefits
education can get from using online tools https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SC8SL7LxoI.
I am of the view that the proper use of using collaborative tools help in the promotion of a healthy productive
learning environment. It helps to put
the exhausted teacher on to a raft that assists in facilitating such a stable,
creative and enjoyable environment, and therefore, in other words, rescue the
teaching-learning environment from death by boredom!
Reference
Arkensas
State University (2017). The importance of teacher collaboration
https://degree.astate.edu/articles/k-12-education/importance-of-teacher-
collaboration.aspx
Avandale Inc. (2017). Guidance on
Microsoft Collaboration Tools for Avanade Employees.
Retrieved https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-LVPOK91Tc
Bika, N., (nd)14
collaboration tools for productive teams.
Retrieved
Elcom (2018) The
importance of collaboration in today’s workplace. Retrieved https://www.elcomcms.com/resources/blog/the-importance-of-collaboration-in-todays-workplace
Martin, A., (2017).
How to pick the right collaboration tools. Retrieved https://www-computerworld-
com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.computerworld.com/article/3209184/
how-to-pick-the-right-collaboration-tools.amp.html?usqp=mq331AQCCAE%3
D&_js_v=0.1#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_
tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2
Fwww.computerworld.com%2Farticle%2F3209184%2Fhow-to-pick-the-right-collaboration-
tools.html
Pappas, C., (2013)
The 5 best free collaboration tools for teachers. Retrieved https://elearningindustry.com/the-5-best-free-collaboration-tools-for-teachers
SC8SL7LxoI
Time Doctor, (nd). 53
online collaboration tools to help your team be more productive. Retrieved
https://biz30.timedoctor.com/online-collaboration-tools/
No comments:
Post a Comment