Vygotsky Meets Technology: A
Reinvention of Collaboration in
the Early Childhood
Mathematics Classroom
Article by Megan Cicconi
From the Early Childhood Education
Journal
Jan2014 Vol. 42 Issue 1
“Collaboration is a powerful tool that aids
in deliberate decisions and forms
effective strategies. It is so powerful
that Vygotsky’s theory of learning
necessitates social activity”
Collaboration
through
Web 2.0
In the pre-twenty-first century classroom the
MKOs (more knowledgeable other) were
most often teachers or advanced classmates.
Benefits of
using virtual
worlds as
collaborative
learning
environments
The virtual world allows students
to complete tasks that would
otherwise be impossible due to
realistic constraints, including
money and time
The virtual world’s persistence and constant
accessibility which increases social
interactions and therefore provides more
opportunities for collaborative learning
The virtual worlds are new and adaptive.
There are many activities online that
demonstrate high cognitive functioning
including creating, analyzing, and
evaluating.
Three Major Barriers to
Integrating Technology:
(1) Inadequate resources
(2) Lack of institutional support
(3) Content area issues
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