Tools for Collaborating Online: March 1-19, 2010

Practicalities of using Collaborative Tools.

Practicalities of using Collaborative Tools.

by Emma Duke-Williams -
Number of replies: 13

I thought I'd start a new thread moving towards the ideas for next week; looking at some of the practicalities of using wave, or, indeed, introducing any collaborative tools to students.

We've already got some good thoughts coming out about the pedagogies of their use, but I'm thinking more of the practical issues

In reply to Emma Duke-Williams

Google Wave: Some practicalities.

by Emma Duke-Williams -
  • Getting students to join!
  • need to have account/ to be invited / have to get them into a Google group.
  • Ensuring all students can find the waves.
  • Accessibility issues??
  • Could dyslexic students get confused?
  • Does it work with studnets who need screen readers?
  • Can text be enlarged for students who have limited vision
  • How about students with aspergers - too chaotic??
  • Students who don't have access issues ... but just don't like it!
  • Usability on handheld devices??

Getting students to join! need to have account/ to be invited / have to get them into a Google group.Ensuring all students can find the waves.Accessibility issues??Could dyslexic students get confused?Does it work with studnets who need screen readers?Can text be enlarged for students who have limited visionHow about students with aspergers - too chaotic??Students who don't have access issues ... but just don't like it! Usability on handheld devices??" class="__wave_paste">

In reply to Emma Duke-Williams

Re: Google Wave: Some practicalities

by Sylvia Currie -
It takes time for individuals to find the best ways to manage their own participation. I'm still working on that with Google Wave! And even though I'm not too keen on filling up my email inbox with more messages I've found the wave notifications (sample attached) to be quite useful.

It seems a mighty important first step in using Google Wave in teaching would be to implement an activity that gives students an opportunity to try out various strategies for managing their participation. It's part of the "Getting students to join!" practicality that Emma mentions.
Attachment wave_notifications.png
In reply to Emma Duke-Williams

Re: Practicalities of using Collaborative Tools.

by Deirdre Bonnycastle -

Today at 6PM PST "Global Collaborative Student Projects: How to Create an Effective Collaborative Project to Interact Online with Schools Worldwide."
http://www.learncentral.org/event/60851

In reply to Deirdre Bonnycastle

Re: Practicalities of using Collaborative Tools.

by Emma Duke-Williams -
Thanks, Deirdre - that looks really interesting, though the time's a bit awkward for me! (2am in the UK)

I've done the conversion (I hope!) through Time and Date guessing that "PST" is Vancouver time. Hopefully, if I've got the time right, that gives the comparison in the rest of the world, not just the UK.

(I've also copied the URL to wave for those that tend to just use wave)
In reply to Emma Duke-Williams

Re: Practicalities of using Collaborative Tools.

by Deirdre Bonnycastle -
Very weird that it distorted the date for you but looks normal to me, but yes it is 6PM Vancouver time. Sorry for the late notice but it only arrived in my email today.
In reply to Deirdre Bonnycastle

Re: Practicalities of using Collaborative Tools.

by Jo Ann Hammond-Meiers -
Dear Bonnie,

Thank you for this site -- I enjoyed it along with people from a range of countries. Seeing the children in the school projects, getting some urls, and hearing the enthusiasm was inspirational. There were many student driven projects that were quite innovative. Jo Ann
In reply to Emma Duke-Williams

Re: Practicalities of using Collaborative Tools.

by Colby Stuart -
Aren't using examples and case studies one of the most useful ways for helping others learn or collaborate? Seeing what's going on is integral to "getting it" sometimes.

Here is a link to 35 Great Social Media Infographics http://www.pamorama.net/2010/03/03/35-great-social-media-infographics

What I have experienced is that the most important collaborative tool that each of us has is our imagination. Without that, we are simply robots regurgitating information. Many of those blessed with a vivid imagination are poo-pooed by those who expound on information knowledgeably.

Just a suggestion: Help others to take the time once in awhile to let that imagination loose to follow the trails that others reveal that capture the attention or imagination. This is truly the greatest collaboration tool - because you will then ask so many questions and learn so many new things.

For instance, what are the things you have learned here by simply asking questions? Isn't asking great questions is a great collaboration tool? Couldn't that be one of the primary behaviours for high level engagement? Isn't listening with resonance another great collaborative tool?

Who helps people learn how to ask great questions to frame what you truly want to learn? Who helps people learn how to use their imagination as a collaborative tool? Who helps people learn how to listen with resonance?
In reply to Colby Stuart

Re: Practicalities of using Collaborative Tools.

by Emma Duke-Williams -

Colby Stuart wrote,

What I have experienced is that the most important collaborative tool that each of us has is our imagination.

Colby - I love the picture you're painting! I've used this quote in another thread - where it also fitted in: http://scope.bccampus.ca/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=11901


In reply to Emma Duke-Williams

Re: Practicalities of using Collaborative Tools.

by Deirdre Bonnycastle -
I just came across a new tool called Type with Me which is supposed to be for collaborative writing. Interesting concept!
In reply to Deirdre Bonnycastle

Re: Practicalities of using Collaborative Tools.

by Jim Julius -
Actually, looks like this was someone's way to keep EtherPad alive after Google bought it (in order to incorporate the technology into Wave).

It is a wonderfully simple way to allow simultaneous editing much more robustly than wikis, Google Docs, or other similar collaborative document generation tools.

I was sad for the loss of EtherPad but hadn't heard about this - thanks for the link, Deirdre!
In reply to Jim Julius

Re: Practicalities of using Collaborative Tools.

by Emma Duke-Williams -
Yes, I'd also heard that Etherpad had been taken over by Google, but had then somewhat lost track of what was happening to it.
In reply to Emma Duke-Williams

Re: Practicalities of using Collaborative Tools.

by Jo Ann Hammond-Meiers -

Dear Emma and others
Here is a collaborative tool that some of you might be interested in checking out.
Thanks for the interesting webinar on SCoPE and all the ideas. Jo Ann

http://openwonderland.org/

Open Wonderland to build your virtual world! Create dynamic learning environments, collaborative business applications, or interactive, multi-user simulations. Start with a blank slate, or modify an existing world. While some types of worlds can be created by end-users or 3D artists, this toolkit is designed primarily for developers familiar with the Java programming language. As a developer, you can extend any part of the system and add functionality by creating modules, the Wonderland version of plugins.