Collaboration Using Technology

The previous posting discussed collaboration and what it may look like in education – people working together face-to-face.  This week, I take a different approach, collaborating using technology.  I watched a well-done YouTube video on how to implement “Google Docs.”  The video mentioned that rather than sending out hundreds of emails with updated versions of the same document, think of “Google Docs” as multiple emails going to one document that is always current.   “Wikis” may also be thought of in this light.  What an extremely useful idea for the educational world!

Polling “Google Docs” and “Wikis”

Curious, I decided to poll people to see if they actually used features such as “Google Docs” or “Wikis” in their work place. It was very insightful conversing with others and I found very few people who actually used these features.  Everyone had heard of them.  However, after listening to explanations on the videos (for both processes), all I could think of was greater efficiency, sustainability (less trees being cut down), and less meetings. 

A Short Side Note

During my career, I have been fortunate to attend many professional development sessions and frequently engage in current research reading.  However, these sessions or readings may truly be pertinent, if action follows.  Research shows that time-wise, the closer the implementation is to the actual learning, the more likely an individual will turn that skill or knowledge into practice.

 

Wondering:  Which Is Better, “Google Docs” or “Wikis”

I loved the idea of “Wiki.”  Perhaps it is the cute name.  Thus, I decided to try a fun project collaborating with a colleague for a book study we are leading next month.  Since it is so difficult to find time to meet, a sketch of the meetings with activities, book quotes, and reflections were written in the “Wiki” for easier tweaking of the upcoming meetings.  Although my colleague is not a “techie,” she is willing to humor me with the idea.  This then reminded me of working with students.  Students (young and older) learn and remember a new skill or strategy better when they engage in the new skill or strategy and teach it to someone else.  

Then, I took the big leap, entering a very large document into the system using “Google Docs,” with faith from my “invitation receivers.”  We will see how this goes since this is due next week and again, I am sharing this idea of collaboration using technology with others. If all goes well, I already have another, mini project in mind.  Again, less emails and less meetings.   

 

Finally

I will end by leaving you with a question, what educational applications have you utilized using “Google Docs” or “Wikis?”