Collaboration is easier than ever before with technology. There are many Web2.0 sites and platforms which teachers and students can take advantage of to help with collaboration such as:
- Wikis – A online collaborative site, where anyone is able to edit the content on pages, creating new content, reworking existing ideas and remove outdated or incorrect information. The best example of a collaborative Wiki, is Wikipedia. Wikipedia has been made by thousands of people all around the world contributing, editing and reviewing information that people have posted. Whilst not suitable for academic referencing, it has allowed people all over the world to access information on just about any topic they can think of, for free and at the click of a button.
- Google Docs – A free online document editing application, that allows you to quickly and easily share your document with anyone else in the world. Many people can be editing the same Google Doc at the same time, leaving comments for suggested changes, adding new ideas and finishing each others sentences.
Google Docs could also be used for class notes, with students taking turns to take notes during the lesson, which can then be shared with other classmates, helping with revision and understanding what was taught. - Blogs – A blog is collaborative in the way you can post what you’re feeling or interested in and anyone can respond with their comments, ideas and suggestions. You as the author can then in turn respond to their comments, or re-edit your post to incorporate their new ideas, further refining your work.
Technology can also be used to collaborate with other schools in your local area, or on the other side of the world. This provides opportunities for students to engage with individuals from a variety of backgrounds, cultural and interest areas. A teacher may choose to encourage students to work on class tasks and assignments with students from other schools via online collaborative platforms and apps, such as Google Docs, video conferencing, wikis and blogs.
Using technology for collaboration also means just because a student may be away sick or on holidays, doesn’t mean they miss out on class work, as it can all be accessed online, helping to keep them in touch with classmates and ensuring they don’t fall behind in their course work.