The Utopia of Mass Collaboration

The potential utopia of the future of mass collaboration seems to have layers of benefits I can only imagine. What if right now the leading scientists of the world all decided to ban together to end swine flu, cancer, or juvenile diabetes? The power of many voices with one common cause is fascinating to say the least.

I have recently worked on an amazing new project called the Connected World with three colleagues. We have never worked better together, and when you combine the skill set of the four of us, you have one powerhouse of a teacher. Together we have created a curriculum that is so engaging to teach. I love going to work and learning as much as my students every day. I could teach this curriculum for the next 10 years and continue to learn. Isn't that what we all strive for as educators? I love it and enjoy every facet of the process with my colleagues.

But in the past, at the end of the day with mass collaboration, ego always seems to come into play. As a teacher, I have trouble understanding other people's agendas. And no matter where I work and what I do, I find that so many people have agendas I don't understand. Some want to hoard everything for themselves with the hopes that they will be seen as the best. Some never wish to share with the hopes that they will someday be published. And some are so insecure that they hurt those they most could use in their life because they are afraid to let anyone in. The utopia of mass collaboration may work incredibly well on the surface, but I find it almost impossible that individual egos and agendas will not eventually get in the way. Although I tend to be an optimist, I am not so sure how this one will pan out.

For mass collaboration to really succeed, the end result has to be incredibly important for all of those involved. In the case of searching for a cure for a deadly disease, the end result is astronomical. In education, the success of our students is paramount to what we do on a daily basis. I may not be able to cure cancer, but the joy I receive when I see a light bulb moment in a student's face is an end result I will always be willing to strive for as an educator. I have high hopes for the future of mass collaboration, but the future remains to be seen.