How does CONNECT2LEARN work?
How does CONNECT2LEARN work?
Students and teachers log in to learning platform (first name & email)
The platform is safe and visible to only the students collaborating at a given moment. Subscriptions are terminated after the collaborative session (about 2 weeks) is over.
Mixed student groups are set up by facilitator (in collaboration with teachers)
Facilitator/administrator randomly sets up “forum groups” of about 6-10 students, keeping in mind a ratio of males/females and number of students from each class/school per group.
Students log in to unit sessions to complete the online and offline tasks
Each session (6 total) can be accessed at any time, allowing for diverse pace depending on each class’ meeting time. Sessions are intended as “whole class time” to enable the teacher to guide students through the tasks, provide tech assistance, or facilitate additional discussion based on knowledge gained by students through participation in various groups.
Teachers moderate forum discussion and recordings for content and netiquette
Teachers become Guest Moderators for a forum group in order to model responses by adding comments to a few posts, and to ensure that appropriate language is used in comments and posts. Students misusing any part of the platform (eg., Google docs are editable by everyone in a group) will have their subscription terminated immediately.
Teachers facilitate F2F discussion in class and assign additional tasks if needed/desired
In their classes teachers may conduct additional discussions and assign the provided extension tasks (or other tasks) as needed or desired.
Students collaborate on a joint project to share
The challenge is to collaborate through the provided Google tools asynchronously (patience or meticulous synchronization required) and/or synchronously (agreeing to a medium, and relinquishing a bit of privacy if a Whatsapp/Fleep or another “real time” group is established.) Either way, a phenomenal real-life learning experience takes place, during which students discover their own strengths and weaknesses in handling tech and collaboration challenges.
Students reflect on their learning experience
Two ways to reflect: on the knowledge and understanding gained from the provided reading and listening resources, and on the practiced interactive, interpersonal and collaborative skills.