Collaboration Tools
Collaboration tools are technologies that let faculty and students exchange data, namely text and images. But these social tools can also be highly interactive and effective when they are aligned with instructional goals and projects. While a project can involve just one person, the solo blogger for example, typically collaborative projects involve small groups or even the entire class. Please click on the following tool to learn more about it:
Mailing lists
Wikis
Discussion forums
A discussion forum is an online communication site where members of the Skidmore community can interact with each other around diverse discussion topics. Discussion forums include a range of topics: General Discussion, Career Services, For Sale, Housing, and Ride Share. They also have instructional applications. Faculty can request a private forum for their students. Forums can be added at your request by contacting Ben Harwood. The discussion forums can be found at http://www.skidmore.edu/forums.
Blogs
Blogs are web sites that allow users, known as bloggers, to publish text and upload files such as images. One of the reasons bloggers are attracted to this technology is they can easily post messages and make comments on each other's posts. Blogs are considered a collaborative technology. At Skidmore we recently switched from MovableType to WordPress MU. WordPress MU has many exciting features and allows users to quickly customize their space. The WordPress MU login page can be found here. To learn more about classroom applications, please reference the ELI handout: The 7 things you should know about blogs.
WordPress MU user tutorials
How do I access my blog?
How do I make changes to my blog?
How do I create and edit a post?
How do I add an image?
How do I add files such as Word documents and PDF’s?
How do I create a page?
How do I create a hyperlink in a post?
How do I create and assign categories?
How do I make and manage comments?
How do I customize the look of my blog?
How are people at Skidmore using blogs?
Faculty, staff and students are using blogs to accomplish many different goals from course assignments to promoting events. Blogs can be highly individualized, ideal for reflection, and allow the author to be at the center of a public that can offer feedback and mentoring. While blogs are often personal, they can also be made up of multiple authors to encourage communication and collaboration. Typically, faculty request course blogs for their students before the start of the semester so there is adequate time for planning and set up. Blogs seem to offer something for everyone!
Wikis
What is a wiki?
A wiki is a website consisting of many pages that are generated by users who have permissions to create and edit content. Wikis are content authoring and community-building tools where it can be useful to keep track of any changes users make to pages. Wikis are especially suited to online resource development and semester-long class projects. One of the most popular wiki examples is Wikipedia. While many wikis are accessible to the public, most allow publishing and editing by members only. At Skidmore we use Mediawiki, the same wiki used to power Wikipedia. While it's powerful software, it is not as user friendly as we would like it to be.
How are people using wikis?
Please visit the Academic Technologies homepage for a list of wikis at Skidmore College. Faculty are using wikis to monitor on-going projects that go well beyond the school year. The North Woods wiki, started back in 2005, began as a class project and has grown to be an online resource with many contributors. An important takeaway about wikis is they are learning objects and as such can live on and be repurposed long after the semester is over. Faculty are drawn to wikis because it is very easy for students to work in groups, either face-to-face in class, or asynchronously. Typically, a wiki project begins at the very beginning of the semester. Once the wiki structure is defined, the faculty member will assign different parts of the wiki to groups of students. By the end of the semester, the wiki becomes an impressive compendium of multiple parts that represents the culmination of a semester-long class project.
How do I get started?
Please feel free to contact Ben Harwood with any questions or ideas about a wiki project. To learn more about wikis and pedagogical relevance, please reference the ELI handout: The 7 things you should know about wikis.
To find out more about collaborative technologies, please feel free to contact Ben Harwood in Academic Technologies. Ben will be happy to discuss your needs and provide feedback with respect to collaborative technologies.
For more information or technical questions about this page, please contact:
Ben Harwood
Instructional Technologist
bharwood@skidmore.edu
518-580-5934
Mailing lists
Wikis
Discussion forums
A discussion forum is an online communication site where members of the Skidmore community can interact with each other around diverse discussion topics. Discussion forums include a range of topics: General Discussion, Career Services, For Sale, Housing, and Ride Share. They also have instructional applications. Faculty can request a private forum for their students. Forums can be added at your request by contacting Ben Harwood. The discussion forums can be found at http://www.skidmore.edu/forums.
Blogs
Blogs are web sites that allow users, known as bloggers, to publish text and upload files such as images. One of the reasons bloggers are attracted to this technology is they can easily post messages and make comments on each other's posts. Blogs are considered a collaborative technology. At Skidmore we recently switched from MovableType to WordPress MU. WordPress MU has many exciting features and allows users to quickly customize their space. The WordPress MU login page can be found here. To learn more about classroom applications, please reference the ELI handout: The 7 things you should know about blogs.
WordPress MU user tutorials
How do I access my blog?
How do I make changes to my blog?
How do I create and edit a post?
How do I add an image?
How do I add files such as Word documents and PDF’s?
How do I create a page?
How do I create a hyperlink in a post?
How do I create and assign categories?
How do I make and manage comments?
How do I customize the look of my blog?
How are people at Skidmore using blogs?
Faculty, staff and students are using blogs to accomplish many different goals from course assignments to promoting events. Blogs can be highly individualized, ideal for reflection, and allow the author to be at the center of a public that can offer feedback and mentoring. While blogs are often personal, they can also be made up of multiple authors to encourage communication and collaboration. Typically, faculty request course blogs for their students before the start of the semester so there is adequate time for planning and set up. Blogs seem to offer something for everyone!
Wikis
What is a wiki?
A wiki is a website consisting of many pages that are generated by users who have permissions to create and edit content. Wikis are content authoring and community-building tools where it can be useful to keep track of any changes users make to pages. Wikis are especially suited to online resource development and semester-long class projects. One of the most popular wiki examples is Wikipedia. While many wikis are accessible to the public, most allow publishing and editing by members only. At Skidmore we use Mediawiki, the same wiki used to power Wikipedia. While it's powerful software, it is not as user friendly as we would like it to be.
How are people using wikis?
Please visit the Academic Technologies homepage for a list of wikis at Skidmore College. Faculty are using wikis to monitor on-going projects that go well beyond the school year. The North Woods wiki, started back in 2005, began as a class project and has grown to be an online resource with many contributors. An important takeaway about wikis is they are learning objects and as such can live on and be repurposed long after the semester is over. Faculty are drawn to wikis because it is very easy for students to work in groups, either face-to-face in class, or asynchronously. Typically, a wiki project begins at the very beginning of the semester. Once the wiki structure is defined, the faculty member will assign different parts of the wiki to groups of students. By the end of the semester, the wiki becomes an impressive compendium of multiple parts that represents the culmination of a semester-long class project.
How do I get started?
Please feel free to contact Ben Harwood with any questions or ideas about a wiki project. To learn more about wikis and pedagogical relevance, please reference the ELI handout: The 7 things you should know about wikis.
To find out more about collaborative technologies, please feel free to contact Ben Harwood in Academic Technologies. Ben will be happy to discuss your needs and provide feedback with respect to collaborative technologies.
For more information or technical questions about this page, please contact:
Ben Harwood
Instructional Technologist
bharwood@skidmore.edu
518-580-5934
