Collaborative Environments“Collaboration is one of the defining characteristics of the 21st century” (Cox, 2009, p. 11)

Stephanie A. Jones, Ph.D.Instructional TechnologyGeorgia Southern University

Collaboration isWorking jointly with others in some endeavor.

In the physical world…..

In the virtual world…

Collaborative Environments are “virtual workplaces where students and

teachers can communicate, share information, and work together” (p. 9).

Picture credit: Dion Hinchcliffe, http://blogs.zdnet.com/Hinchcliffe/?p=147

Key Attributes

•Communication•Multiple users•Ubiquitous access•An out-of-school appearance (authentic)•Ease of use (intuitive design and function)•Content sharing among users•Portability of creative products

Cox, E. J. (2009). Tools for 21st-century learning. Multimedia & Internet@Schools, 16(5), 10-14.

Benefits of Collaborative Tools

•Fosters teamwork•Facilitates critical thinking•Crosses geographic barriers thus

enabling global initiatives•Facilitates connections with experts•Facilitates review and assessment of

student work

Challenges to Implementation

•Questions about the security of information shared online

•Online safety; cyberbullying •Filtering- limiting the kinds of online

content and tools that students have access to while at school

•  Current teaching practices may not actively encourage team-based inquiry

Collaborative environments exist in a myriad of forms:

•Simple web-based tools for collaborative work

•Social networking platforms•Classroom management systems•Multiplayer gaming environments•Virtual worlds

Let’s look at some learning examples.

Voicethread•http://voicethread.com/#q.b307595.i1631

187

Wikispaces• http://nutmeg2009.sblc.wikispaces.net/MVP

Mindmeister

http://www.mindmeister.com/12213323/best-online-collaboration-tools-2009-robin-good-s-collaborative-map

Go Exploring

Courtesy of petaj at http://www.flickr.com/photos/54511827@N00/2157928982/sizes/o/

Who knows where you might go!

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