collaborative learning

Collaborating with Digital Technologies

In developing the LEGO Spike Prime collaborative task, it was imperative that the overall project distinguishes collaboration from group work. Smith and MacGregor (1992) argue that collaboration requires engagement with one another’s ideas and is characterised by dialogue, not recitation. This informed the use of Mural, where students co-construct algorithms and refine coding solutions collectively, rather than dividing responsibilities into isolated tasks.

Henderson, Snyder, and Beale (2013) caution that digital tools alone do not guarantee collaboration (p. 4), emphasising the need for pedagogical strategies that make visible the processes of knowledge building. This principle shaped the decision to embed Mural’s sticky notes, flowcharts, and reflection cycles, which externalise student reasoning and allow critique and negotiation. Bower & von Mengersen (2025) reinforces the role of reflection in continuous improvement, emphasising that digital platforms can bring to surface the often hidden processes of iteration, dialogue, and decision-making (p. 25), and that design thinking fosters collaboration by requiring teams to externalise ideas, critique each other’s contributions, and refine solutions (p. 45).

The Digital Technologies Hub (n.d.) further highlights the role of design thinking and iterative project management in building collaborative capacity. The Mural task reflects these principles by embedding cycles of brainstorming, testing, and refinement within both Mural and the Spike Prime robotics challenge.

References

Bower, M., & von Mengersen, B. (2025). Creative technologies education: Students as digital designers. Routledge.

Digital Technologies Hub. (n.d.). Scope and sequence (F–10): Years 9–10. Education Services Australia. Retrieved August 14, 2025, from https://www.digitaltechnologieshub.edu.au/plan-and-prepare/scope-and-sequence-f-10/years-9-10/?topic=c2-2

Henderson, M., Snyder, I., & Beale, D. (2013). Social media for collaborative learning: A review of school literature. Australian Educational Computing, 28(2).

Smith, B. L., & MacGregor, J. T. (1992). What is collaborative learning?.