Conclusion

=Conclusion= The online tools addressed on this wiki each offer many great opportunities for student-student collaboration. While the objective is to guide teachers in the use of these applications, it is ultimately intended to be a starting point for your classroom use. Every teacher will find different benefits to each tool and should customize the uses to fit their own, academic needs. To assist you in selecting the ways in which your classes can utilize these tools, below is a chart describing the features of each one.

Comparison of features
 documents || yes || no || yes - can use Word and import, but not always recommended. || no || no || yes || yes || only || yes || on tool used to read tweets || yes || yes || simultaneously || seems to have some limits || no || no || allows simultaneous commenting || no || yes || not on same page ||
 * **Feature** || **Vyew** || **Ning** || **Blog** || **Voicethread** || **Twitter** || **Googledocs** || **Wiki** ||
 * Collaborative workspace || yes || yes || yes || yes || no || yes || yes ||
 * Drawing tools || yes || no || no || doodle only || no ||  || no ||
 * Import Microsoft Office
 * Share music, video, photos || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes || through doc
 * Always available || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes ||
 * All notes saved || yes || yes || yes || DNA ||  || yes || yes ||
 * Chat with text || yes || yes || with widgets || saved text || yes || yes || use discussion ||
 * Chat with voice || yes || no || no || recorded voice || no || no || no ||
 * Can use webcam || yes || no || no || yes || yes- w/ twiddeo || no || no ||
 * Time stamp on chats || yes || yes || yes || DNA || yes - depending
 * Easy to detect other users online || yes || no || no || no || no || no || no ||
 * Public or private space || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes ||
 * Invite using email or without || yes || yes || yes || no || yes || yes,with || yes ||
 * Communicate student to student || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes ||
 * Communicate teacher to student || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes ||
 * Communicate student to teacher || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes ||
 * Allows multiple users to edit
 * Free || yes || yes || yes || Educator version || yes || yes || yes ||
 * Asynchronous || yes ||  yes ||  yes || yes || yes || yes || yes ||
 * Secure || yes || yes || yes || with paid version || yes - w/ apps || yes || yes ||
 * Multiple levels of control || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes ||
 * Easy to find newest edits || no || yes || yes || no || yes || yes || yes ||

With the new influx of these and other 21st century applications, come opportunities mixed with some concerns and considerations about online learning. We have listed below some of the many advantages to Web 2.0 applications, as well as some concerns to keep in mind as you implement the tools. Possible solutions to many of these issues are addressed on the Considerations page.

Advantages

 * Differentiated Learning at work
 * Class collaboration out of the classroom
 * Collaboration with people around the world
 * Students using 21st century skills – important to their future
 * Every students’ “voice” is heard (including quiet & reserved)
 * Easy access to student portfolio
 * Student work can be shared/published with wide audience which creates pride in work and motivation for high-quality product
 * Cost- many high quality tools are available for free
 * online storage and sharing, less printing
 * Work is completed on the same "platform," no problems with differing versions of productivity software
 * All students would have access to this technology with internet access (level playing field)
 * Relatively safe- many sites can be made private or password protected
 * <span style="line-height: 24px; font-size: 16px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Engaging for the students - digital natives

Concerns

 * Prof. Development time is needed for teachers to learn tool
 * Students need email account to join most Web 2.0 applications (issue =access)
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Learning curve for students to learn tool – loss of class time <span style="font-size: 134.4%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">( issue = loss of productivity)
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tool can sometimes be distracting – students may get off-track (issue = loss of productivity)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9.6pt;">Dependent on network access (what if network goes down or students can’t access from home? ) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> - <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> (issue=student access)
 * <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dependent on independent website –sustainability is issue <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> - (issue=access)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Buy-in from parents and administration - (issue = grading, test scores, safety)
 * <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Collaborative work is difficult to grade <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">(issue = grading)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Students may be vulnerable on online sites (issue = safety)

Additional sites on classroom collaboration:
[] [] [] [|http://flatclassroomconferen ce.ning.com/] [|http://digiteen.ning.com]

[|**Free Technology for Teachers.**] A great place to find more free online technology

Future Growth
This wiki has been a collaborative effort to produce. The creation of it has validated for us the endless possibilities that web 2.0 tools offer as a tool for teachers in a peer to peer environment and more importatntly for a class, in a student to student environment. The future growth of this website will be in its use for professional development and as a resource for fellow educators. More collaboration tools may be included over time.

//"When I think about any conversation that I have in the blogosphere/Twitterverse, I think of it as collaborative. I assume that everyone I'm interacting with has good intentions and that we're all learning together. Operating from that assumption changes the way that I respond to anyonewhether it be in a Tweet or in a blog comment.// //And collaborative dialogue has an entirely different language than competitive dialogue does. There are more questions asked in collaborative dialogue. Challenges happen---but from the lens of "How can we learn more about this together so we can come up with a new understanding for both of us?" rather than "How can I show everyone that my ideas are right? What evidence can I use to support my thinking or to debunk my opponent?"...// //The change that I think we need to see in our classrooms and communities is a new emphasis on helping our studentsand our neighbors, colleagues and friends---to recognize the appropriate times for competitive and collaborative dialogueand then to teach the skills for engaging in both to everyone.// //Does this make any sense?// //Bill Ferriter"//
 * Food for thought**...from the [|Tempered Radical]