Collaboration and the role of technology in the 21st Century Classroom
The 21st Century has seen technology play a key role in classroom innovation. Have a look at this interesting infographic by Open Colleges. As you can see, the changing dynamics of the classroom have revolutionised the arts of teaching and learning. And it can only get better.
More and more, it is becoming clear that collaboration is the future of education and its ability to optimise 21st Century learning. As a matter of fact, Collaborative Problem Solving will be added to the OECD’s international PISA study in 2015 as a compulsory element of 21st Century skill assessment.
Students learning in a collaborative, team setting are believed to think at a higher level, take away more information and retain that information for longer than those who work alone. Collaborative workers are more inclined to learn through “discussion, clarification of ideas, and evaluation of other’s ideas”.
Microsoft Office 365 has all the features you need to operate a creative and collaborative learning environment in the classroom. Check out this great video and see how easy it can be for students to collaborate between themselves and their teacher. Excel Surveys and Lync are two fantastic examples of how Office 365 has changed the future of teaching 21st Century skills.
And don’t forget, it was a collaborative middle school computer club that combined the two minds that changed the face of computing - Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the founders of Microsoft.