Session+7

__**7.1 Collaboration**__ What is collaboration? Collaboration is working together to learn, often times with an end-goal or product in mind. It helps the individual grow through discussion and also listening to other points of view/ideas. What are 3 ways in which students collaborate in your classroom and are they successful? One way is through small group discussion. They often are given facts, problems, or questions and are asked to share ideas or thoughts with one another. A second way is through group projects. Often, students are grouped together to produce one final product. A third way my students collaborate is through exercises like the "carousel." Students are silently walking from poster to poster, writing down thoughts and ideas, and having a "silent discussion." Yes, it all works. Many times, I feel that students have so much to offer or to learn than what I put in front of them. From many student collaborations came ideas that I would never have thought of myself.

__** ﻿7.2- Video Response **__ media type="custom" key="10153405"

1. How can expanded use of technology help develop depth and breadth for our students? Technology can bring an exceptional amount of depth to any subject. As I stated before, there is so much more out there that my students can discover through technology than I can begin to offer in one class period. 2. What is the difference between cooperation and collaboration? As Randy stated, when people are cooperating that are basically just trying to work without bothering or getting in each other's way. With collaboration, students are learning and building upon each other's skills. 3. What are the challenges in getting students to collaborate rather than just cooperating? Many, especially with middle school students. By the time my students get to me in8th grade, the majority are able to cooperate in a group. The problem is being comfortable sharing and accepting other ideas.I'm looking for my students to build off each other's ideas, show genuine interest, and use that collaboration as a learning experience.

__**7.3- Voicethread Definition**__ To me, Voicethread is a place where my students can voice and, more importantly for them, hear their own opinions. The feature that allows them to draw/write while they are speaking makes them the 21st century instructors themselves. I can see my students who are bit afraid to speak in front of a whole group feeling much more comfortable to lend their voices on Voicethread. We can compile the views of several different students without as many classroom interruptions.

__**7.4- Immigration Voicethread**__ It was fantastic to listen to the voices of these students. As a teacher, my favorite moments are watching or listening to my students give presentations. It sounds as those these students prepared themselves very well knowing that they would be recorded. The only improvement I would make would be to include more responses to each other's messages...maybe more of a debate.


 * __7.5- Voicethread in the Classroom__**

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I love Voicethread. My students would love to lend their voices and faces to a thread. I can see using this at the beginning stages of our Community Service Learning projects. I would love to groups students and have them use this as a debating tool to have them discuss which issues to focus on. Or when they have chosen an issue, to discuss the problems within that issue to really develop their understanding of the problem(s).