As I begin my reflection on topic 3, at the beginning we engaged within the topic of collaboration we all had an idea that it meant we should be working together but we had questions did collaboration motivate? how did it bring us together? How did it work in the ONL course? Did it foster relationships? What types of skills did one need to collaborate? There were many questions asked by the group and as we began to unpack the scenario the course introduced us to the concept of personal learning networks. Personal learning networks according to Kay Oddone (2019) is how we learn and what we learn? It is about creating connections within a virtual space, these connections can be professional networks such as the ONL space or a research group. I found this to be true in a sense that we were given a topic to discuss in our small group, we connected through this discussion we learned from each other we brought in our different understanding about the topic and we realised that through this sharing , networking and collaborating that diversity begins to thrive in a virtual space when we are creating these connections. When we connect the pedagogy that begins to come through is connectivism which according to Brindley, Blaschke, & Walti (2009), develops networking and understanding within the collaborative space. The paradigm provides structure for groups to connect and network in order to make learning a rich and meaningful experience. I also learned within this space that everyone gets a chance to speak we should respect opinions and support our peers as they grapple with understanding of the new knowledge, communication is key within the virtual space because everyone knows what is expected of them in order to complete tasks and learn from each other. The topic made me realise that even though on the course we were from different backgrounds and parts of the world the online space gave us opportunity to network, collaborate, communicate and learn from each other.
PLN – Collaborate, Share, Motivate and Learn together online