I agree with Rheingold that humans share a basic instinct to interact and work as a group, although I believe that there are some exceptions to this ingrained instinct. Some individuals are naturally introverted or may be completely anti-social. Collaboration essentially eliminates the potential for individual rewards and self reward because of the design of most collaborative activities, so some individuals may not be naturally inclined to gravitate towards collaborative work because they may need or seek individual reward and recognition.
Technology is a great facilitator of collaboration. It can bring learners together from across the globe. Applications such as Skype, Facetime, and messenger bring learners together because they are able to interact instantly and learn by doing. Students can work together simultaneously and create various projects. In the case study by Microsoft, it discusses how employees at EA used social networking to learn about one another, collaborate, share ideas, and create action packed games on a tight schedule (Microsoft, 2009). It demonstrated how getting to know the other people within the company and having a place to quickly and safely share ideas increased productivity and learning within the company.
Microsoft. (2009). Electronic Arts Embraces Social Networking to Create Better Games on Tight Timelines. Case Study.
Rheingold, H. (2008, February). Howard Rheingold on collaboration [VODCAST]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html
I also believe that humans have instincts to interact but I believe that humans have to learn how to effectively work in groups. I do not see these two items as being exactly the same.
ReplyDeleteMy reason for this thinking is because as kids grow we have to teach them about collaborating with others and working towards a common goal. They do not necessarily know how to interact in a group setting because they are uncertain of their role in such setting.