Lateifa



Social Constructivism view of learning suggests that individuals make meaning and develop understanding of any given topic by participating in social context. Accordingly, Vygotsky (1978) claimed that, participation in any collaborative activities lays the foundation for the next step in individual development by creating the Zone of Proximal Development. Derived from this my experience as a member of this group reflect the fact that all knowledge and learning established and happened during the course were a final product of the interaction and sharing of ideas among the group members.

At the early stages, I worked with Aalya and Alya on our project of best practices of creating and implementing the E-bags in primary schools, which was a new experience for me case studying best practices. Each of us were actively involved in the activity of sharing ideas, learning from each other new skills and constructing knowledge about best practice of implementing E-bags. Working on this project gave me the opportunity to work more with my partners, find new ways and develop strategies to understand the concept of Activity based theory and establish a deeper social connection with the group members. The CSCL environment provided by the course was a dynamic way to bridge the distances amongst the three of us physically, and interpersonally.

During the whole semester I was able to communicate with all learners in the course, since we have common concerns and interests about our learning, we were able to launch a community of practice which encouraged professional thinking and progressive problem solving through the use of technology which had a great role in bridging the distance between us, some example of these technology tools are the wiki page, wiggio, and wimba these tools allowed more communication and negotiation among the group members easily and progressively. Working together as a community of practice enabled us to build trust and establish social grace among us through the online discussions and negotiations. During my experience as a member of this community I improved many ICT skills, developed a higher understanding of how technology is successfully integrated and being implemented in higher education, like Paris Sorborne University, HCT and HBMeU. I’ve also establish an understanding of the successful integration of English subject language and Math in Government schools. We as a CoP were able to develop new framework and better understanding of what is a best practice and how to case study these practices, the process of discussion helped me develop my own abstract thinking around certain areas. Although we faced different obstacles, as for me this was my first real experience of working online this way, one of the problem was been overloaded with information, and at some points we were lost and actually didn’t know how to move on with our projects. With some guidance from the instructor we were able to work on these obstacles and build a clear understanding of what is expected from us. According to Vygotsky (1978) learning includes a goal-directed learning environment, the use of meditational tools, and opportunities to interact with more knowledgeable persons in a “Zone of Proximal Development” (ZPD).

In conclusion, I have build a greater awareness of social learning theory, CSCL and communities of practices, but more importantly, I established more connections with my colleagues and we were very close, I was also fully engaged in the group activities, gained new knowledge and am looking forward to learn more.

VIVA Presentation

