Social+and+Collaboration+Platforms

Social and Collaboration Platforms

Social and Collaboration Platforms are all designed with one thing in mind, of course: collaboration! The idea is that through online social interactions, people can share ideas, thoughts, projects, anything they can imagine! These are great tools for communication with people who are out of town, across the country, overseas...literally, the possibilities are endless! According to Wikipedia, collaboration platforms were originally designed with businesses in mind. Their purpose was to provide businesses with improved communication abilities so that people could work in teams to achieve common business goals. However, we are now seeing social collaboration platforms emerge into new sectors, including education! The most common uses of collaboration platforms typically include: email, instant messaging, shared calendars and contacts, the ability to share files, ideas, notes and tasks, conferencing by text, voice, or video, application and desktop sharing, and more ([|Wikipedia])!

An article about a program called "edmodo," which is considered a social collaboration platform, is being used regularly in many K-12 schools. First of all, it is completely private and secure, so that as teachers and students utilize the platform, they are safe. Secondly, the platform allows teachers to communicate with students in new ways by posting quizzes, reminders, even opening space for students to ask questions. Additionally, teachers can use the platform to collaborate with, share information with, and learn from other teachers. Currently, this particular program is working with Apps developers to create Apps that work and enhance the classroom ([|techcrunch.com]). Furthermore, I am certain that we will see more programs like this entering the education world within the next few years. This is great for teachers and students because it allows them to stay connected, even over breaksor while students are sick at home. Additionally, platforms give students a way to interact using technology, which is not only an important skill for students to develop, but can also be fun and engaging!

But, what are some other platforms that are more commonly used? One of the most well-known is Google Apps (an upgraded business-targeting extension of Google Documents). Google Apps allows teams to share calendars, documents (including presentations and spreadsheets), sites, text/voice/video chat, shared storage drive, and still more! An overview of what Google Apps can do, as well as a free trial version, can be found on Google's Products page, or by clicking this link: [|Google Apps]. Even Wiki sites are considered social and collaborative platforms! Other popular platforms include Adobe Acrobat, Atlassian Confluence, Basecamp, Campfire, Colaab, Chatter, Huddle, Sharepoint, Socialtext, and Social Cast. For a complete list, as well as descriptions of the capabilities of these different platforms, see the article "15 social media collaboration platforms" ([|freshnetworks.com]).

The use of Social and Collaboration Platforms definitely holds promise for both businesses and schools. The more familiar we become with how they work, the more effectively we will be able to use them and enhance the learning experiences of our students!

--Jordan Fortenboher (Richardson)