COLLABORATION

In order to facilitate an authentic collaborative learning experience and to promote deeper teacher/learner engagement with content skills and concepts, the groups will consist of 2-3 collaborators (CAST, 2010). The idea of universal design for learning (UDL), which provides for opportunity for all teacher/learners to learn and allows for maximum flexibility within the framework of the learning experience (Duffield, 2005). In their assigned groups, the learners will take up a premise - that inmates will benefit from and need health education, and investigate how best to meet their needs. They will work as individuals on some aspects of data gathering, bring their individual data to their assigned group for collation, and collaborate with other learner groups in creating a data pool for shared use. From this pool of data each group will design a project on a topic of their choosing. Along with Janzen, Perry, & Edwards, (2011) I support the following 5 assumptions:
 * 1) Learning is multidimensional;
 * 2) Learning occurs in various planes simultaneously;
 * 3) Learning consists of potentialities which exist infinitely;
 * 4) Learning is holistic/holographic and is patterned within holographic realities;
 * 5) Learning environments are living systems.

Support for learners’ efforts to identify solutions to the problem are addressed by providing links to pre-selected useful technologies, as well as providing online resources for pre-learning on an individual needs basis (Stansbury, 2009). Prior learning refresher material on health promotion will be given ahead of beginning of this learning sequence in written, and multimedia formats. Review of restrictions and limitations will be given that address the needs of the facility and security concerns (Schoenly, 2013). Online resources will facilitate asynchronous access which is important for the students needs and incorporates a high degree of flexibility (Blumberg, 2009).

One of the more interesting elements of any class that requires learners to be part of a group is how to best foster positive group work experiences. I feel that we humans have a basic instinct to interact and work as a group, WHEN the group identity and that of the self is similar (Rheingold, 2008). However, we do not do so if either our self or the group identity can be seen as ‘other’. Somehow the degree of ‘otherness’ has impact on how well we interact and can work with the group (Thomas, 2007). If survival is threatened then we humans tend to group...in a polarized fashion. That being said, membership is relative, similar to the concept of yin/yang. Depending on what you compare – one is a better fit to the group than the other. Also taken into account as adult learners is the influence of our earliest group interactions. This has an effect on how comfortable we are as individuals in a group (Thompson, 2003). A sense of balance helps to minimize dynamic instability so some care will go into the selection of partners (Landeen et al, 2013). Shifts worked, skills, prior education and amount of work experience are all considerations. Groups of 2-3 learners are optimum (Conway & Elwin, 2007).

When the use of technology eases the discomfort that some learners have with interacting and working with a group than it can be successful (Cenamo, 2013). One thing it can do is minimize the impact of the ‘otherness’, in part because some of the ‘otherness can be masked in its use. Working collectively online, the choice of avatars, of selecting the type of technology to use, allow learners to present themselves in a way that shapes our interactions and maximize our talents without the ‘other’ stuff getting in the way. We are able to focus on the tasks at hand and must concentrate on the tasks and the tools rather than our own self-interests (Yorks, 2001). We are able to build skills, knowledge and interact with less friction, distraction, and issues that face-to-face interaction can have. Pre-selection of the technology tools minimizes becoming overwhelmed by the choices and avoids certain compatibility issues at the facility. It also makes manageable the pre-learning and tutorial requirements needed to effectively use the technology.

Selected preferred technologies: > http://www.wikispaces.com/content/frontpage
 * MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook Publisher, PowerPoint) are all available and supported at the facility and provide document, spreadsheet, email and presentation capability.
 * Ivona (easy, free, text to speech) []
 * Camtasia Studio 8 (well supported, easy to learn and use screen recording and video editing software) []
 * Scrivener (outline, edit, story board & write with one of the best interactive tutorial ever!) []
 * EDraw Max 7 (create charts and diagrams) []
 * WordPress (blog page) preset-up for use by all learners called 'Corrections Nursing Resources' []
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Wikispaces.com (collaboration space - simple to use for sharing work and ideas, pictures and links, videos and media)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Voki (create an avatar that can speak short duration statements, in a variety of languages, that can also be embedded.

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">The assessment of learner participation in both collectively in collaborative groupings and as individuals will be determined by the use of rubrics and guidelines which will clearly state the criteria which needs to be met (Billings, et al., 2012). Self reflection and constructive feedback from the other participants will also be required.