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More information ...

Collaboration and culture
The use of ICT in teaching and learning (and other) practices changes 

• what is done and or
• the way things are done 
• who does what

If the changed practices are adopted as 'normal' practices the result will be some cultural shift. Cultural shifts to new forms of practice can only be achieved together
 

Collaboration and standards

Collaboration in professional learning is likely to leads to more sustained and consistent  practices and thus supports the development and achievement of (professional) standards.

Collaboration and the key success factors

Collaboration in professional learning in relation to the use of ICT is based on shared purposes. These purposes are pursued through the incorporation of available matching technology into the practices chosen.

In the classroom (or similar) collaboration increased the working knowledge available to enable the operation of the technology and troubleshooting of problems that arise thus increasing the likelihood of the practices being successful.

Finally situations where the above are in place there are likely to be 

• significant successes, i.e., purposes are achieved (value gained)
• the ease of using ICT are increased (reduced effort)
• better arrangements, operation and management including troubleshooting (reduced losses)
• further in collaborative professional learning situations the achievement of success is not the end of endeavour. The knowledge, experiences and products that result can be made available to support colleagues in their endeavours. (additional value)

Even when practices are not successful collaboration with others increased the chances of gaining some insight into the cause and how to reduce the likelihood of repetition of the 'failure' and to improve practices 

all of which lead can lead to genuine cost-effectiveness.
 

Collaboration and ICT
But what is the connection between collaboration and ICT? After all ICTs can be used in collaboration.  This leads to two questions:

• What is the connection between the collaboration  and the use of ICT? 
• When (under what conditions)?

From inschool observations

On the basis of our inschool observations of 29 classrooms for two or more days each in 17 different schools we are quite certain that 

• Where there is an interest in the use of ICT, a culture that includes high levels of collaboration is likely to be much more success in the use of ICT.
• The use of ICT appears to have little impact on the level of collaboration per se,
• However the novelty of attempting to incorporate the use of ICT into teaching and learning practices may promote the development of higher levels of collaboration, especially where the technology is well managed and its application is clear, that is there is sound governance
• See also... more on collaboration and ICT

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