Collaboration+Sites


 * __Articles On Collaboration__

Imagine it: Big Ideas For 21st Century Skills And Collaboration** The people at __Imagine It__ have the awesome mission to inspire people to imagine the world a better place and then get involved to solve global challenges. I see it as a wonderful tool for teachers to help develop twenty-first century skills and implement project based learning in the classroom. //Imagine It// also holds a lot of potentional for inspirational professional development for educators! //Imagine It// makes such opportunities possible by providing production of multi-platform media content, including __documentary series__, __film shorts__ and __video clips__ to help teachers and students //Imagine It//! Such titles as __Global Challenges Need to be Solved__, __The Need for Innovation is Now__ , __There’s Power in Big Ideas in Action__ , and __To Remind You that One Person (that would be //you//) Can Make a Difference__ are thought provoking and motivational. I was inspired by the numerous video clips in both of the __Post It Challenges__. Titles such as Creativity, Change Makers, Connectivity, and Collaboration are perfect for opening up conversations that encourage Twenty-First Century learning. (Read the rest from 21centeryedtech .)

Once in a while a truly unique site is created that promotes genuine 21st Century Skills using technology. A site that provides tools that assist students in reflecting, questioning, collaborating, thinking globally, gathering facts, analyzing, and seeking solutions is currently available for free! **Your Take**demonstrates the true power found in a group working together. Students must learn thos process if they are to successfully compete in the global world of the 21st Century. **Your Take**, an effort made possible by the __Tregoe Education Forum__, can be found at __www.yourtake.org__. The site emphasizes that a real key to success inside and outside the classroom is the ability to think critically and __[|go beyond grades]__. ( Read the rest from 21centuryedtech )
 * Time For Your Take: And Interactive Tool That Promotes The Wisdom Of The Crowd**

**Collaboration A 21st Century Skill: Three Free Sites To Help Students Understand Collaboration This first paragraph contains reflections on the definition of collaboration, if you wish to go to links that help students understand collaboration. If not, go on to the second paragraph. Collaboration is a Twenty-First Century Skill. It is also a process and that all students need to experience it in order to fully comprehend its potential. Wikipedia __defines collaboration__ as “a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together in an intersection of common goals — for example, an intellectual endeavor that is creative in nature —by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus”. In the definition, the word recursive is found. The definition of recursive involves the idea of an “infinite statement using finite components” Looking at collaboration in this sense sure makes collaboration sound a lot more powerful! The definition ends with the idea of sharing knowledge, learning, and building consensus. Most teachers have the sharing portion down pretty well, and is inspiring to note the learning component. What is most impressive, but possibly underused, is the last concept of building consensus! (Read The rest from 21centuredtech in order to discover the three free sites)

__Web 2.0: Collaboration Sites__** **__- Remember when using collaborative sites that one should not put out personal info. Others still may see!__**

Wallwisher Internet board that allows collaboration. It does not require a user account but will ask for creator's email in order to send out the wall address. People who use the wall will not need to furnish email. When using the notes appear as small stickies that are limited to 160 characters, perfect for those using text off of a cell phone. Take a look at this demo wall created by the people at Wallwisher. The creator of the wall can also moderate by setting up the wall creating an approval process before the post is put on the wall. A great feature for classroom use. There is a vast amount of ideas Wallwisher can be used for such as personal note taking, to-do lists, brainstorming, feedback collection, thoughts for special occassions, compare and contrast, feedback from twitter, in fact anything that might need input from a lot of people, You can set a wall to be private and only you can see or add notes to the wall. Check out my 21centuryedtech Post for more information

CoSketch’s An amazing multi-user online whiteboard tool designed to give you the ability to quickly visualize and share your ideas as images. Anything you paint will show up for all other users in real time. Invite collaborators to join you in your artistic effort! Need to archive the collaborative effort? Just click once to save a sketch as an image for embedding on forums, blogs, or other digital files. Best of all, there is no registration needed. Like the name implies, users can collaborate using different draw and shape tools. The originator can pick from several backgrounds, upload a picture as a background, or use maps found in Google Maps as the background. In fact, the integration with a live Google Map may just be one of CoSketch’s most inovative features. Imagine the teaching possibilities as backgrounds can be integrated with text and drawinmgs. This clever collaborative tool also includes a chat window so all users can chat as they sketch, type, and use various shapes and stamps! Check out my 21centuryedtech Post for more information.

TitanPad Its collaboration the easy way. All that is needed is a visit the site and a press of a button called **Create Public Pad**. After this quick process, a new public pad is created for the user. The user then shares the URL for the pad with others. What ever is typed from where ever, is displayed on the page in real time. There is even a chat window! This is a great tool for those that need to bring up a quick collaboration tool on the fly. It is useful in the classroom for students to communicate point of need help in Project Based Learning, collaborate as a group, keep teacher aware of group progress, communicate beyond walls, and interview authors and experts. It allows teachers to collaborate on text documents, keep meeting notes, and draft plans. Check out my 21centuryedtech Post.