Tools for Online Collaboration

Adapted from: Blogs and Wikis: Environments for On-line Collaboration. Robert Godwin-JonesEducational Wikis: features and selection criteria. Linda Schwartz, Sharon Clark, Mary Cossarin, and Jim Rudolph

Our “old” friends

(First Generation Web) Email

Online Forums

Chats

Email / Chats / Instant Messaging / Webcams

Still viable

Promote tandem learning.

Favour classroom exchanges.

Discussion Forums (online) Preferred by many instructors Facilitates written exchanges among class

members. Facilitate group exchanges, compared

with email. Messages are stored hierarchically. Students’ contributions are thought to be

more careful, considered (semi-public display) than in writing e-mail.

Equalizing tool: encourage universal participation in discussion vs. face to face.

Discussion Forums (online)

Encouragement of peer-to-peer networking and buddy learning.

Constructivist learning approach. Students at many different levels benefit from

the extra writing done in discussion forums Helps communicate meaningfully in real

contexts.

Second Generation Web

Blogs / Weblogs

Inform

Connect to what others have written

Foster communication

Blogs in education

On-line personal journals for students

Language learners could use a personal blog, linked to a course, as an electronic portfolio, showing development over time.

By publishing the blog on the Internet, the student has the possibility of writing for readers beyond classmates.

Blogs in education

Readers in turn can comment on what they've read, although blogs can be placed in secured environments as well.

Self-publishing encourages ownership and responsibility on the part of students, who may be more thoughtful if they know they are writing for a real audience.

WIKIS Hawaiian word for quick Alleged acronym for What I Know Is According to Leuf and Cunningham (2001), creators

of the original wiki concept, “a wiki is a freely expandable collection of interlinked webpages, a hypertext system for storing and modifying information – a database, where each page is easily edited by any user with a forms-capable Web browser client” (p. 14). Content can be directly linked to that found in other wikis (interwiki) and in Web documents.

“A wiki can be a blog, but a blog does not have to be a wiki.”

Mattison (2003)

Blogs and Wikis They can serve as environments for project-based

learning Wenger (2001) considers fundamental to the creation of

successful communities of practice: a virtual presence a variety of interactions easy participation valuable content connections to a broader subject field, personal and

community identity and interaction democratic participation evolution over time A core group or individual responsible for directing it. forum for learners to discuss and obtain information.

WIKIS Wiki sites only work with users serious about

collaborating and willing to follow the group conventions and practices.

Can be secured with password protection or other means; page changes are logged, page deletions must be seconded to take effect...

Goal: to provide knowledge base growing over time.

Wiki content is expected to have some degree of seriousness and permanence

WIKIS

Wiki sites can be created for specific projects with a set group of allowable users and provide an excellent collaborative environment, since changes are logged along with identification of the author. In fact, a wiki-type site could be ideal for a "community of practice“.

Wikis a collaborative Writing Project from The Internet TESL

Journal Introduce students to wikis Initial Guided Writing (etiquette) Successive drafts Proofreading Publishing

Any text type can be used for a writing task with wikis. The grouping for a wiki writing activity can be very flexible.

Organising Students for Collaborative Writing

There are many possible ways of grouping students for collaborative writing projects: The class as one big group; anyone can write The class divided into sub-groups; students

write within their sub-group. work can be read by anyone

Joint writing projects involving different classes / schools

“Community writing projects”, eg, a wiki for all students in a school or in a school district

Writing projects involving schools from different school districts or countries.

Approach to programmes creating WIKIS

There are many online tools to create wikis.

But any space can serve as a wiki as long as it allows cooperation and ideas exchange.

Introduction of the Wikispaces tool for creating a collaborative space.

1. create a user 2. create a group 3. set up a collaborative space in the group 4. organise the setting 5. invite students to the group

Summarising

ESL learners can easily produce written tasks that look appealing and professional.

With a little bit of imagination, teachers will be able to design wiki writing projects that effectively promote ESL students’ interest in writing, develop their writing competence, and enhance their collaboration skills.

Suggested experimentation for teaching reading Book report wikis Brainstorming wikis Poetry /Short stories: students

collaboratively write and develop their work.

Class wikis: students use the wiki as the class website

School history wiki: students collaboratively write a history of the school

Exercise wikis: students create exercises for each other

Project wikis: students use a wiki to plan a project and present their work

Class blogs: students use a wiki as a class blog

Planning a party/barbecue: students use a wiki to plan and divide duties for a class or school activity.

The graduating class wiki: to keep in touch with each other after they graduate

Quizzes: students construct quizzes for each other to respond to

Letters to the editor: students write letters to the ‘editor’ on a current issue assigned by the teacher

Agony Aunt: one student writes a letter to Agony Aunt on his/her problems; other students play Agony Aunt and give the student advice on his/her problems

How to implement activities by means of Google groups / sites / WIKIS?

WIKISPACES

Google groups

Google sites