Abstract
Do digital and collaborative work go hand in hand? This chapter combines the practical experience of two university teachers and literature to answer this question. Basic notions are revisited: Collaborative work, Distance learning, Social constructivism, Authentic learning to establish the winning conditions. Collaborative work implies three types of action, i.e. communicating, coordinating, and producing. Digital technology finds its place in each of these, given the great diversity of tools available. To promote collaborative work with digital, the authors propose to clarify teaching objectives, to vary digital and pedagogical tools, and to develop the evaluation of collaborative work. The practical experience helps to clarify the main constraints of remote collaborative work and to identify some key elements to be aware of. Several concrete examples illustrate the problems and possible solutions.
TopBackground
This section of the chapter puts forward the current pedagodigital context as well as certain definitions, specifically with respect to collaborative work.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Collaborative Work: Horizontal organization of tasks involving a mutual commitment and a division of responsibilities distributed evenly among team members in a coordinated effort.
Asynchronous: Communication not simultaneous but at the same place or with the same tools.
ICT: Information and communication technology.
Collaboration: A form of work where students work together to achieve common objectives while valuing individual contribution in a spirit of shared responsibility.
Distance Learning: Form of education using technologies and instructional systems design to students and/or teachers who are not physically “on site”.
Social Constructivism: Learning through social interactions between learners intended by a modification of a previous learning or reorganizing a basic structure.
Cooperation: Form of work where students work together to achieve common goals.
Pedagodigital: Use of digital technology in a pedagogical context.
Authentic Learning Situations: Complex and significant situations presented as a context that is conducive to learning.
Co-Modal: Training system where both face-to-face and distance learning modes coexist simultaneously.
Synchronous: Instant communication mode allowing learners to communicate at the same time.