We can now use collective intelligence from around the globe to create “the wisdom of crowds” (Surowiecki, 2004). Surowiecki's opinion is that the collective is more intelligent than the smartest person in the group, and "when our imperfect judgments are aggregated in the right way, our collective intelligence is often excellent". (Olynick, 2015, Para. 7)
Within the learning environment, participants would contribute towards and/or direct their own learning experiences with both virtual and non-virtual interactions. I believe this would develop the skills necessary to become leaders and self-directed learners, and it would develop a bank of necessary skills for the 21st century, such as those identified in the chart below.
As Horn & Staker (2014) state, an online learning component is important to integrate into learning environments to allow for the “any time, any place, any path, any pace” approach to learning (a fundamental component of any blended model, thus shifting control of learning from the teacher to the student). Furthermore, I believe online and connected, networked learning allows students to use what they’ve learned, so they can take their learning to a broader audience for more in-depth analysis and a deeper level of thinking, questioning, and refining of ideas and understandings. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) we can’t go back in time. Instead, we are preparing students for a future difficult to imagine, so we need to ask: are we providing our students with the right tools and skills?
Horn, M. B., & Staker, H. (2014). Blended: Using disruptive innovation to improve schools. John
Wiley & Sons.
Olynick, F. (2015) ALONE ON THE WEB TOGETHER: Filtering and curating on a web of one? [Blog
post] Retrieved October 31, 2015, from http://fenellalearnsonline.weebly.com/blog-openness-and-oers/alone-on-the-web-together-filtering-and-curating-on-a-web-of-one
Taylor, A. (2011). Social media as a tool for inclusion. Homelessness Resource Center Website.
Retrieved from
http://homelesshub.ca/sites/default/files/Taylor_Social%20Media_feb2011%20(1)_1_2.pdf
Warschauer, M., & Matuchniak, T. (2010). New technology and digital worlds: Analyzing evidence of
equity in access, use, and outcomes. Review of Research in Education, 34(1), 179-225. Retrieved from http://www.education.uci.edu/Department%20of%20Education/Department%20of%20Education_oldweb2007-2014/gse_web_site_prod/person/warschauer_m/docs/equity.pdf