STANDARD  II - Communication and Collaboration

Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.  Students:
        a)  interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
        b)  communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
        c)  develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures.
        d)  contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.


In The Classroom
        a)  As important it is to understand the world around you it is also just as important to understand the ideas of your peers sitting next to you.  In order to gain a better understanding of one another in the classroom it is important for teachers to use programs such as web pages like this one, discussion boards, or just on line learning.  With the new law being passed that requires high school students to now take an on line course I believe this will benefit this overall requirement in may ways.

        b)  Being as important as it is to go out there and find the information you need it is also just as important to find effective ways of communicating that information.  It is especially important for teachers to understand that not every student learns in the same way therefore they must utilize many different techniques in order to communicate information to students.  It is also important for students to know how to effectively communicate information they have learned in ways that will benefit the entire class and not just the students giving the presentation.  In order to do this you can use Podcast, Digital Stories, short movie clips, and Microsoft Power Point.

        c)  Now this is probably the one thing teachers don;t do enough of and that is basically finding a way to communicate with other classes or other people from around the world.  It is important to understand how different cultures work but it is even more important to be able to learn that first hand by talking to a different classroom via 2nd Life or GSN.org.

        d)  It is extremely important for students to be able to work in teams to come up with a project or presentation on a certain topic/issue.  When working together they have to understand that not everyone has their same opinion or way of doing things.  It is a great tool especially when certain students don't understand how to do things and can then help the other students and teach them new things.  It is group learning and peer helping that can benefit students in so many ways including self esteem, knowledge, and collaboration.  Students can use many things such as Microsoft Powerpoint, short video clips, Podcast, Digital Stories, and much more.