I often forget that people actually write collaboratively all the time. Business writing of manuals, proposals, and contracts is rarely done by only one person. My only experience outside of class is in my personal songwriting. I tried to collaborate many times with others and was not particularly successful. If I got stuck in a song, I would ask for help and sometimes that would lead to the changing of my original ideas.
Our personal construction of sentences is unique and writing in English allows for a lot of flexibility. We pick out the correct word from a number of possible correct words and put those words in order to convey the message we want. When writing becomes collaborative, we must consider the melding of different styles and the necessity to let go of a personal, unique style. Those with stronger well-constructed ideas or notions may be uncomfortable with the experience.
Not only can collaboration produce a more well-thought out, peer-reviewed idea, it can also encourage us to develop as individuals. The age of the isolated scholar is near its finish. The internet and mobile communication has changed that. If we take Facebook, collaborative writing/thinking is happening all the time. Person 1 posts. Person 2 comments. Person 1 adds more information or changes his/her idea slightly. Person 3 chimes in and the process continues and repeats.
Considering Facebook and similar social media venues, we must address writing as something very public. I actually don't feel that many under 30 have a huge concern about this. People are desperate for connection. They want to be known. Writing publicly helps them with that or at least helps them feel the goal is being accomplished. In an academic setting, there may be two main concerns: stealing of work and losing face. When we post something publicly, anyone can read and get "inspiration" from our idea. That “inspiration" could become outright copying and the potential for individual accolades decreases. Face-saving is also an issue. Many people, in the academic world or not, do not like to appear sloppy or stupid. Public collaborative work is often in the "in progress" stage. It has mistakes. It has inconsistencies. In its working stages in may portray an image that not all members approve of and it can affect the reputation of those involved.
In the end, I would like to encourage and participate in more of it. I'm not quite sure how to do it successfully myself, but I predict it will occur increasingly in the future so I'm ready to give it a go. Any takers?
Regarding your remark that "[t]he age of the isolated scholar is near its finish": At the meta-literacy-related conference that I attended in March, the point that "education no longer occurs in a vaccuum" was repeated again and again. The facilitators of every workshop I attended kept on emphasizing the multi-tasking ability exhibited by undergraduates today: they're writing a paper with a few Facebook chat windows up, the text messages are flowing out of their smartphones like water, their headphones are blasting Rihanna, and they're probably sitting amidst a group of chit-chatting friends, too. When undergraduate students work, the work is collaborative from the get-go, because they aren't sitting in a cubicle somewhere, processing it all on their own. Every single point made is run by other parties first. Perhaps skeptical people like me would do well to keep this in mind!
ReplyDeleteI gotta admit that I really love the idea of collaboration, of this big, beautiful, messy world we are living in right now, with all it's screens and noise. I wonder when people will start doing collaborative dissertations?
ReplyDeletePeople do not like change. This is true in every aspect of life and the same is definitely true in academia. I, myself, have been taught the "old School" method where one works hard and earns his/her own grades. One also works alone, except for class discussion. So, even though I know change is upon us and our students, I still find myself revolting against the idea of letting students work together to earn a grade. I know this is the eternal scholar in me, but I alo realize that change is inevitable. Therefore, I guess I must jump on the bandwagon and change my pedagocial style before I am left behind.
ReplyDeleteJanelle,
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of writing collaboratively. However, I cannot escape from the idea that it might the solitude that some of our learners might need when they write. Having said that, I think that teachers should not force students to write collaboratively and online, especially for EFL/ESL learners who mostly learn on their own and with a pencil and paper. Most of my ESL students prefer to focus on their own learning rather than peer reviewing. Because they see the teacher as the source of knowledge, not their peers. So the feedback they receive from their peers do not count in their minds.