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Digital Literacy Project
Collective Intelligence
Students will be able to ...
• learn about the concept of collective intelligence, and how it works both online and offline.
• consider when collective intelligence may be valuable or not.
• explore the benefits and drawbacks of working as a team to create new information or products.
Ask Yourself these questions:
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Are you familiar with the source? Is it legitimate? Has it been reliable in the past?
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Is the headline outrageous? Always read past the headline.
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Who is the author/expert/source of the information?
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Is it satire or news?
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What other information or stories are on the site?
Even "experts" in a field can perpetuate false claims that can try to de-legitimize history and the experiences of real people around the world. It is the responsibility of everyone to critically evaluate information and reports; to fight against injustice and those that try to perpetuate false claims. It is our responsibility to speak up for those that can't speak for themselves and we must value the truth of their experiences.
Lesson Plan from Common Sense Media: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/lesson/collective-intelligence-9-12
Learning Objectives
Critically Evaluate
Why it matters?
Warm-Up
Define: synergy - two or more things working together to produce something that each could not achieve separately
Consider: Statement by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
Discussion Questions:
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What does this phrase mean?
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How does this apply to teamwork & collaboration?
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What are some examples of this phrase being true?
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What are some examples where this phrase is untrue?
Reflection Question: Enter your response in the Padlet below!
What are some of the pros and cons of creating a website like this with a large group of ordinary people?
Learning Activity #1
Define: collective intelligence - knowledge collected
from many people towards a common goal
Explain: There are growing opportunities for people to collaborate online through collective intelligence. On the Internet, people can collaborate without being in the same place, and even without knowing each other.
Invite: Consider types of collective intelligence:
(1) wikis that allow anyone to create
and edit public Web entries,
(2) public contests to answer problems or create products, and
(3) websites that
allow you to see reviews from other users. Tell students that they will consider the benefits and drawbacks of collective intelligence.
Read: Read the article below about collective intelligence
Define: wiki - a website created by a group that allows all users in a group to add or edit content
Brainstorm: Can you think of examples of these type of websites that allow multiple people or the public contribute to the websites information?
Group Activity: What if we allowed the Holy Child website to be that way? Let's practice...
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You will be put into groups of three
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Your task is to create your own mock wiki about Holy Child using your experience and knowledge that you want to share with the world.
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Students can work on a poster board or they can collaborate on a OneNote page.
Learning Activity #2
Reflection Question to be discussed as a class:
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What were some of the similarities and differences between what the groups created to represent the school?
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What do you think these similarities and differences tell you?
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How might this assignment have been different if the Head, Board, parent, faculty, or outsider developed the website?
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In what way did this assignment relate to the idea of collective intelligence?
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What are examples of when collective intelligence can be beneficial? When might it be a drawback?
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In what ways can we safeguard against inaccurate information?
Why students created their own Holy Child website and discussed this collective intelligence?
As an independent school our external reputation and marketing is key to the success of the school and enrollment. It is vital that our online presence is consistent with who we are and our mission. Based on students experience their representation of our school might be different. It will be interesting to see how similar or different student groups portray Holy Child and how that reflects on who we are as a school.
Rationale
Why is collective intelligence and critically evaluating info connected to each other and important?
Collective intelligence whether in a digital form or not has it's pros and cons. The digital world has provided expanded possibilities for collective intelligence in online platforms like Wikipedia and Yelp! where all people can contribute their expertise, reviews, and experience. This can be a powerful tool for curating information to inform others and solve problems. It can also be a platform for false information and inaccurate opinions to be shared and perpetuated.
For these reasons our students must be able to critically evaluate information that they encounter online. With the increase in the spread of fake news online and collective intelligence everyone should look critically at information. Readers should consider, who, what, when, where, and why of the source (Kathy Shrock's 5W).
"And most importantly, truth and fact are under assault. The job ahead of us, the task ahead of us, the challenge ahead of us is great. The time to fight is short. We must act now. Later will be too late." - Deborah Lipstadt
Website Investigation
Explore the sites or list of sites below and use the criteria on the left to evaluate them. What are the benefits and drawbacks to Collective Intelligence?
What are the shortcoming of this lesson? How could it be improved to prepare students more?
The shortcoming of this lesson is the very small hint of study of fake news. Because the focus of the lesson was collective intelligence there was only a small focus on spotting fake news and identifying inaccurate information. There should be further lessons and study with students in the 9th grade regarding identifying and evaluating bias in fact news. Also, the lesson could be improved if in the context of another class students worked to create their own class wiki. This would be a good example into the benefits of collective intelligence and an opportunity to practice curating good, valid, and accurate information and resources.
What resources were utilized and why?
The intent of this lesson is to be integrated into the 9th grade advisory program or the 9th grade technology curriculum, which is integrating into 9th grade classes to support the 1-1 program. The resources that were used were Common Sense Media "Collective Intelligence" lesson and other multimedia resources. Also, Kathy Shrocks 5W's is a great framework for evaluating online resources. The websites chosen for students to investigate are all examples of collective intelligence so students could explore the benefits and drawbacks of this type of collaboration.
Online Reviews
Wikis
Collective Intelligence
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