CEDO 525 Entry Four

Reflecting on Clay Shirky TED Videos:
institutions vs. collaboration and How cognitive surplus will change the world and How social media can change history:
Upon watching Clay Shirky's videos it really has caused me to consider the "revolution" of sorts that he is describing. We have known for years that the computer and Internet are drastically changing many aspects of society but they are truly revolutionizing information and communication and even changing the meaning of what they are. Most countries and organization work on a top down structure however that is being turned upside down as limits are pushed and things like social media, cooperation into infrastructure, and cognitive surplus are changing the way information is gathered and distributed at their most basic level. At no point in human history has it been possible for so many to people to contribute so much in so many ways. It really makes me realize how much has been missed out on throughout history whether it would be an innovation, an idea, a question, or who knows what else. While globalization has interconnected people for decades it is not until now that there are seemingly unlimited mediums of communication and information exchange. Skirky did proclaim that he could not predict what all of this means or where it is ultimately heading but it seems to become more clear by each new innovation that there has been a major shift and we need to be ready for and get good at it!

Other Interesting Observations:
The importance of a cultural value of generosity emphasizing social constraints. Really made me rethink some of the ways that student situations are handled.
The vastly underrated and underused cognitive surplus that this world has and how the "revolution" will bring it to the forefront.
The sometimes blatant ineffectiveness of an institutional setup.

Reflecting on Strategies:
Cooperative Learning:
Cooperative learning is an oft-used strategy by many teachers but may not always be used in the most effective manner. Organizing groups can be a challenge as most students first choice is to be with their friends. Good cooperative learning forces students not only to be productive in groups with their friends but also exposes them to different people and personalities than they may be used to. The reality of most situations is that there is a need to be able to adapt and cooperate with different people. At the same time however it is also necessary for students to be able to be productive with their friends as well.
The teacher's role in a cooperative learning activity is as a facilitator. Groups need some freedom in order to learn how to problem solve and collaborate but many students need some degree of direction. I have found in my experience that a well structured activity with clear steps and tasks creates an environment where there is more group success and students tend to be more accountable to themselves and their group. Many students do not contribute because they are lazy or unwilling, but more often because they do not feel involved or do not understand the task. Teachers can prevent this by creating clear structure and direction.
Technology has played an impact in cooperative learning by creating a medium of communication, organization, and production. Groups no longer have to only meet face-to-face as tasks and communication can be completed electronically. This has a positive effect as it may be a more comfortable way for some students to contribute to their group and my classroom experience using technology in a cooperative environment has been very effective.

Reinforcing Effort:
Many students do not always clearly understand the value of effort and simply will do enough to keep their parents and teachers off their back. In order to promote effort it is important for teachers to track and communicate about it to students. There is generally a strong correlation between effort and achievement. By tracking effort and also by having student track and reflect about their effort, it is more likely that they will see that their effort and achievement are usually aligned.
Technology, like in many other aspects, has created more ways communication and tracking. Teachers has many mediums to send feedback to students regarding their effort. There are also ways for students to reflect and evaluate their effort. There is also several ways that outstanding effort can be recognized and communicated to a mass audience, which also acts as a motivator for many students.