POst 7

Tracking Collaboration, By Jared Mader and Ben Smith (Sept./Oct. 2009)

Mader and Smith comment on the ways on which technology has changed the ways in which students are able to communicate and collaborate. Gone are the days when one had no other option but to meet up at someone else's home or the library to work on a group project. Instead, we have things like Google Docs, wikis, and email, and chatting. Mader and Smith make the argument that given this change in collaboration, teacher are now able to assess what was once impossible, the ways and degree in which students are collaborating.

Mader and Smith also comment on the benefits of such collaboration and technology. As they explained, technology such as Google Docs allows students to work on the same document at school and at home with no need to retype or print. Furthermore, all students on the group have access to the same document, allowing them to work on it at their leisure, ultimately culminating on one student turning in a pdf file to the teacher.

Mader and Smith also comment on email, which they describe as helpful, if potentially a bit slow for use in projects which are time sensitive. They offer texting as a quicker tool, though which limits the amount of information which can be sent. Finally, they mention chatting as likely the best tool to use which allows for real time discussion with few limits on what can be sent. Of course the problem with chatting is that it requires all students be online together to be effective.

Finally, Mader and Smith comment on wiki pages, which are suggested to be the most effective tool for online collaberative work. The wiki page allows for word processing submitting of assignments from anywhere there is a computer after all. Furthermore, it keeps track of all submissions and edits for the teacher to see, including what student contributed what.

I find all of these technologies to already be of great use to me, and could greatly help my students in the future. In an age where we are continuing to develope out student's ability to work together effectively, it would thus be advisable to introduce these technologies into teh classroom to not only keep students up to date (as if most of them needed it), but also as an alternative to those with busy schedules.