Collaboration

This is a program that allows user to do may things. You can create your own 3D world or edit a premade one for you. Students create avatars and can all log onto computers and interact in this 3D world. Students can communicate through a headset and physically, through their avatar, walk up to other students and interact. Students can add any images from their own computer to this world and once together they can speak through the headsets to discuss the images and how to create a group presentation together. This application is free, always a plus, but it is still under development, which no doubt means there will be many bugs that will arise. However, the possibilities for this in a class are exponential. It can be used in graphic design classes and architecture classes as a way for students to make 3D buildings or projects together or on their own. It can be used as a way for students separated by entire continents to create presentations together. A downside of this is that all students get is avatars, but that impersonal way of viewing one another will be counteracted by the ability to hear others’ voices. Students can simultaneously edit each others’ work and come to group decisions about whatever project is being created. An added bonus is that this appears to be the same, or very similar to, the Playstation 3’s virtual world where people can interact with one another via their avatars. As such, many students will be familiar with this sort of platform anyway and will be more excited to create their own. Here is the link: []
 * Open Wonderland **

This program allows users to edit and comment on each other’s work. The most obvious application for this in a school setting is to have students from other schools and even countries edit each other’s papers for classes like English and history. It is not limited to Word documents, but also allows PDF files and Power Point presentations to be edited. This is also a way kids can collaborate with one another to create a presentation that can be shared with Skype or through some other platform to their classes even though they may be separated by many miles. Naturally, this sort of collaboration is what we need to teach kids anyway in such a global society as this before they enter the workforce. It’s a basic tool and does do the same thing as turnitin.com, however, turnitin.com is pricey while this is free, which is a boon to many schools who have recently had to cancel their turnitin account. Here is the link: http://crocodoc.com/
 * Crocodoc **

NotePub is an online note taking source. It is similar to Evernote, but has the expanded ability to view/search notes on other people’s NotePub accounts. It does lack a few features, such a RSS feeds, and though it has a free account option, to get to cool possibilities you have to upgrade to a paid account. However, you can share your notes to Twitter and Facebook with one simple click and it would make multi-class collaboration projects far easier since students in seventh block could view the work/notes students in fifth block made and build off that in their own hour. I did find the site in general to be so simple that it was actually not user friendly. There is no FAQ link, no intro info, just the option to create an account right off the bat and start playing with it. Here is the link: http://notepub.com/
 * NotePub **