Module 3 Assignment

Reflect on Rheingold’s video, and then respond to the following:

Do you believe that humans have a basic instinct to “interact and work as a group,” as Rheingold proposed in his discussion of the evolution of Wikipedia as a collectively developed encyclopedia? How can technology facilitate collaboration among learners based on constructivist principles?

To some extent I believe that humans have a basic instinct to interact and work as a group. I think some individuals need to know that what they are learning is valid and they seek validation sometimes through others. Many of the theorists we have studied in the course thus far seem to share the belief that individuals learn from their experiences. Constructivism is a theory of knowledge (epistemology) that argues that humans generate knowledge and meaning from their experiences. It helps construct our understanding. We must ask questions and explore to build upon what we have already learned to further develop our understanding. This is often achieved through our interactions with others as our knowledge is expanded further. When individuals share their ideas, it creates an opportunity to reflect on others ideas and talk about what is being learned. The recipients of this interaction may be challenged to view and consider the perspective of others thereby changing his/her original perspective. Today, social networking and virtual simulations have the ability to facilitate collaboration among learners as well as allow them opportunities to problem solve from various settings in a collective format.

Reference:

http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/index.html

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer) (2008). "Way-New Collaboration." featuring
Dr. Howard Rheingold [http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard rheingold on
collaboration. html.]