The document discusses collaborative environments and tools that allow students and teachers to communicate, share information, and work together virtually. Some key attributes of collaborative environments include communication between multiple users, ubiquitous access, an authentic appearance, intuitive design, content sharing, and portable creative products. Benefits include fostering teamwork, facilitating critical thinking, and enabling global initiatives. Challenges to implementation include questions around online safety and information security as well as integrating these tools into current teaching practices. The document provides examples of collaborative tools like Voicethread, Wikispaces, and Mindmeister.

1. Collaborative Environments “Collaboration is one of the defining characteristics of the 21st century” (Cox, 2009, p. 11) Stephanie A. Jones, Ph.D. Instructional Technology Georgia Southern University

2. Collaboration is Working jointly with others in some endeavor. In the physical world…..

3. In the virtual world…

4. Collaborative Environments are “virtual workplaces where students and teachers can communicate, share information, and work together” (p. 9). Picture credit: Dion Hinchcliffe, http://blogs.zdnet.com/Hinchcliffe/?p=147

5. Key Attributes Communication Multiple users Ubiquitous access An out-of-school appearance (authentic) Ease of use (intuitive design and function) Content sharing among users Portability of creative products Cox, E. J. (2009). Tools for 21st-century learning. Multimedia & Internet@Schools, 16(5), 10-14.

6. Benefits of Collaborative Tools Fosters teamwork Facilitates critical thinking Crosses geographic barriers thus enabling global initiatives Facilitates connections with experts Facilitates review and assessment of student work

7. Challenges to Implementation Questions about the security of information shared online Online safety; cyberbullying Filtering- limiting the kinds of online content and tools that students have access to while at school Current teaching practices may not actively encourage team-based inquiry

8. Collaborative environments exist in a myriad of forms: Simple web-based tools for collaborative work Social networking platforms Classroom management systems Multiplayer gaming environments Virtual worlds Let’s look at some learning examples.

9. Voicethread http://voicethread.com/#q.b307595.i1631187

10. Wikispaces http://nutmeg2009.sblc.wikispaces.net/MVP

11. Mindmeister http://www.mindmeister.com/12213323/best-online-collaboration-tools-2009-robin-good-s-collaborative-map

12. Go Exploring Courtesy of petaj at http://www.flickr.com/photos/54511827@N00/2157928982/sizes/o/

13. Who knows where you might go! http://www.flickr.com/photos/oceanflynn/315385916/sizes/o/#cc_license