Group collaboration in an online course can often times turn out to be an unpleasant experience for students. It can be challenging to communicate and collaborate across the states or even across the globe in some cases only using email. Let's turn this around and make it a better experience! There are a variety of Web 2.0 solutions that will make it easy for students to collaborate on group projects.
Let's explore the suite of tools that Zoho offers at http://zoho.com There are many advantages of using these free tools. First, for tools like Zoho Wiki, Docs, Sheets, or Show, they are all web-based. This eliminates the need to email back and forth multiple versions of files to each other and wondering which one is the most current. With Zoho, there will be one file that multiple people can share at the site. If person A makes a change to the file, person B will see that immediately. One of the nice things about using Zoho Show (which is similar to PowerPoint) you can publish it right to the site and Zoho will host it for free. Then you can send the URL to whomever you want to share it with. Zoho has a chat tool available as well, in the event that students would like to talk synchronously.
In addition to using Zoho for a group project, I also would like to recommend a non-Web 2.0 solution to support the group collaboration. In ANGEL, set up a private team discussion forum for each of the teams. This will be a good method for students to communicate and plan the project. At the start of the group project advise the groups to choose a group leader who will set up the initial shared file (document, show, spreadsheet etc.). Students are going to have to register at Zoho in order to use the tools. I recommend that students use there Regis email address.
Here are some resources to help you better understand some of these types of tools:
- Short video: “Google Docs in Plain English” (presented by the CommonCraft Show)
- Short video: “Wiki’s in Plain English” (presented by the CommonCraft Show)
- 7 Things you should know about Wiki’s (Educause)
- Nicole's collection of websites on the topic of "collaboration"
Nicole Marcisz
