8 Simple Ways To Classroom Collaboration

The Collaborative Classroom is a model that honors all teachers and supports all students with intentional, field-tested practices that create safe environments. In Collaborative Classrooms, teachers facilitate an authentic exchange of ideas and children learn to become caring, principled people as well as thoughtful, disciplined learners. Teachers who use the Collaborative Classroom model make an intentional shift from having a classroom where they do the majority of the talking to constructing a learning situation and then facilitating it through student thinking and talking.

Teachers are increasingly using digital tools to stay ahead of today’s digitally literate students. Here are eight ways they’re harnessing technology for collaborating with students, both in the classroom and online:

1. Digital Projectors – A LCD projector allows teachers to share digital content with students. The beauty of the digital projector is its versatility—it works with any digital source, whether it’s a PowerPoint presentation, streaming video or web content, for more versatility.

2. Document Cameras – A document camera essentially operates as a digital overhead projector, allowing teachers to project textbooks, newspapers, charts, diagrams or any printed content for interactive discussion.

3. Interactive Whiteboards – Also known as SMART boards, these large touchscreens allow teachers to display materials and illustrate points, and allow students to work together at the screen to draw, write or manipulate images.

4. Skype – Teachers can invite guest lecturers to make presentations via Skype and other videoconferencing systems.

5. Online Bulletin Boards – School websites and online bulletin boards are useful for posting homework assignments, notes, study aids, grades and attendance reports. Maintaining a secure online data repository not only promotes collaboration, but also makes it harder for students to lose assignments and gives teachers a history of students’ progress.

6. Social media – Teachers and school systems are using social media to communicate with students and parents. Some schools use Twitter to alert students of school closing and other events, and teachers share classroom information using Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

7. Online collaboration tools – A number of free online resources can be used to promote student collaboration. AirKlip, for example, is ideal for students sharing class schedules and keeping up-to date with changes in classroom. To schools, its serves as wise analytic tool to help read trends and predict graduation rates.

8. Blogs and websites – Some schools encourage students to collaborate by building their own blog or website as a group project. Websites can be used as a substitute for class presentations, allowing students to work together to show what they have learned about a specific subject.

At AirKlip we enable some of these collaboration strategies and more. Collaborative instruction requires various kinds of hardware, software and online access. The collaborative classroom also gives us an opportunity to review wireless data requirements throughout the campus, including high-speed data connections, data security and more. 

To support the collaborative classroom, we have adopted a holistic sales approach.Share with us your current technology needs and your plans for the future and we will help you develop a technology road-map, with associated costs, and show you how to reach your goals. We know schools are notoriously underfunded, but still educators are hungry to adopt the latest technology for collaboration in the classroom. That's why we can deliver solutions within their current budget and discuss possibilities for future updates. Send us an email today at info@airklip.com and let's kick start collaboration in your classroom.