Module 2: Online Collaboration

Is digital collaboration the solution to our busy lives?

In 2019, we find that everyone is pulled in many directions juggling careers, families, school, community groups, etc.  Because of this, it is challenging to fit all that we need to do into each day.  Thus the need for tools that can help us be more efficient with our time yet allow us to work cooperatively and collaboratively with our colleagues.  Today I explored two platforms for online collaboration, Slack and Padlet.  Both platforms have powerful collaborative properties and I can see applications where each platform can enhance team performance.

Slack 

Slack was easy to set up.  Creating an account was simple as was crating channels that my team members and I will be able to use to better communicate on particular projects.  I really like that it is very intuitive, so the learning curve for my team mates should not be too steep.  We have so many projects going on at any given time, I can see that this platform could allow us to carry on conversations about those varied projects at the same time without having actual face-to-face meetings.  Additionally, “channels” can be set up for specific topics/ projects.  Individuals can then subscribe to the specific “channels” that are directly related to their work – cutting down on the extra “e-chatter”.

Padlet

I really liked Padlet.  It reminds me of Pinterest in some respects – it’s very visual.  Here is an example of the Padlet I created for our first year transition course that I coordinate, UNIV 179.

As you can see, this is a workspace that will allow me to collect all of my ideas (and those of my team) in one place like a giant virtual bulletin board.  I’ve already uploaded google docs, shared links to teaching resources, and added an instructional video for my UNIV instructors.  This platform is very easy to navigate.  Clearly, the functionality of this platform is very different from that of Slack.  Where I can see slack being very useful for team communication, Padlet seems more useful for brainstorming/ planning.  The Padlet above will be used for UNIV curriculum updates.  I can also see us using this platform for Edge Orientation planning.

Final Thoughts

We are extremely busy in my area.  Finding times when I can gather all of my group together for meetings is really challenging.  We really need to be adopting some of these tools for online collaboration.  Not only would this allow us to move forward with our projects in a more expeditious manner, but utilization of these tools will likely result in more focused contributions from ALL team members.

These are definitely tools we should introduce to our first-year students in UNIV as they will have to conduct group assignments in many of their classes… and as we all know, group assignments are about collaboration and project management.  Both of these tools could help facilitate collaborative online work for our college students.  Anything we can share with them that they can easily adopt and navigate gets a thumbs up from me.  Ultimately, I want them to have access to anything they need to be successful.

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