Investigate ICT tools to support collaborative working Unit 2 AO2

PASS Candidates will describe briefly four communication methods that can be used for collaborative working, using examples. Candidates will describe briefly three of the methods that can be used to share information, using examples. MERIT Candidates will describe in detail five communication methods that can be used for collaborative working, using examples. Candidates will describe in detail four of the methods that can be used to share information, using examples. DISTINCTION Candidates will explain six communication methods that can be used for effective collaborative working, using examples. Candidates will explain five methods that can be used to share information effectively, using examples. Unit 2 AO2

To complete your project you will need to communicate directly with one another. Team members will also need to share information. You will need to use ICT tools which support collaborative working. To complete this AO you will have to explain how up to six communication methods, can be used for effective collaborative working. You must also explain up to five methods that can be used to share information effectively. Unit 2 AO2

COMMUNICATION METHODS Unit 2 AO2

Investigate and explain the following methods of sharing information, giving advantages and disadvantages for each one. Give specific examples for the ones you have chosen Unit 2 AO2 TASK 1 Intranet, extranet Instant Messaging (IM) Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) Teleconferencing Online whiteboard Forums Chatrooms VLEs

State how you will communicate within the team during this project Unit 2 AO2 TASK 3

E Mail Unit 2 AO2 Electronic mail, commonly known as or , is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern operates across the Internet or other computer networks. EXAMPLES Gmail Zoho Mail Windows Live Mail Yahoo Mail

Forums Unit 2 AO2 An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived. Also, depending on the access level of a user or the forum set-up, a posted message might need to be approved by a moderator before it becomes visible. Forums have a specific set of jargon associated with them; e.g. a single conversation is called a "thread". EXAMPLES The student room Adobe forums The Sims

Chatrooms Unit 2 AO2 The primary use of a chat room is to share information via text with a group of other users. Generally speaking, the ability to converse with multiple people in the same conversation differentiates chat rooms from instant messaging programs, which are more typically designed for one-to-one communication. The users in a particular chat room are generally connected via a shared interest or other similar connection, and chat rooms exist catering for a wide range of subjects. New technology has enabled the use of file sharing and webcams to be included in some programs. EXAMPLES Chat-buddy Justchat Chat-up

Online Whiteboard can be used to work collaboratively. It would be possible for two companies in two different locations to draw or sketch their ideas on line to show how each of them are trying to solve the problem. It would also be possible for any of the two companies to edit or add material to the on line whiteboard. It would be possible to add other users to the process so that more input could be had On Line Whiteboard Unit 2 AO2 Examples scriblink.com scribblar.com groupboard.com

Instant Messaging Unit 2 AO2 Instant messaging is a set of communication technologies used for text-based communication between two or more participants over the Internet or other types of networks. IM–chat happens in real-time. Of importance is that online chat and instant messaging differ from other technologies such as due to the perceived quasi-synchronicity of the communications by the users. Some systems permit messages to be sent to users not then 'logged on' (offline messages), thus removing some differences between IM and (often done by sending the message to the associated account). EXAMPLES Chat-buddy Justchat Chat-up

Virtual Learning Environments [VLE] Unit 2 AO2 EXAMPLES Fronter Moodle Frog Microsoft Share Point Smartschool A virtual learning environment (VLE) is an education system based on the Web that models conventional real- world education by integrating a set of equivalent virtual concepts for tests, homework, classes, classrooms, and the like, and perhaps even museums and other external academic resources.

Investigate and explain the following methods of sharing information, giving advantages and disadvantages for each one, give specific examples of the methods you have chosen. Collaborative Editing Sharing Diaries Wikis Blogs Content Management System (CMS) Unit 2 AO2 TASK 2

SHARING INFORMATION Unit 2 AO2

Collaborative Editing Unit 2 AO2 Collaborative editing tools allow a group of individuals to simultaneously edit a document, see who else is working on it, and watch in real time as others make changes. Newspaper Editors are in constant contact with their reporters, who continually send drafts of their reports. This scenario could get very complicated with draft after draft being sent back and forth. It would be much easier for the editor and reporter to work on the same document. Both would have access to the document and could see what changes have been made simultaneously.

Collabedit is an online code editor that lets people collaborate in real-time. Collaborative Editing Unit 2 AO2

Sharing Data Unit 2 AO2 Companies can create their documents on line and save their files on the internet. These files would be accessible from any computer because the files are saved in a secure site on line. Some users use facilities such as ‘Dropbox’ to save their work, access to Dropbox can be given to different users via passwords and user names. The files then can be opened edited and saved back to the dropbox. This ensures that there will not be different versions of the same file Examples of these are Google Docs.

Wikis Unit 2 AO2 A wiki is a Web site that allows users to add and update content on the site using their own Web browser. This is made possible by Wiki software that runs on the Web server. Wikis end up being created mainly by a collaborative effort of the site visitors. A great example of a large wiki is the Wikipedia, a free encyclopaedia in many languages that anyone can edit. The term "wiki" comes from the Hawaiian phrase, "wiki wiki," which means "super fast.“ EXAMPLES Wikipedia

Blogs Unit 2 AO2 A blog (short for weblog) is a personal online journal that is frequently updated and intended for general public viewing. Blogs are a series of entries posted to a single page in reverse-chronological order. Blogs generally represent the personality of the author or reflect the purpose of the Web site that hosts the blog. Topics sometimes include brief philosophical musings, commentary on Internet and other social issues, and links to other sites the author favours, especially those that support a point being made on a post. Bloggers can Post different solutions to problems or their personal views about the topic. EXAMPLES PS2 Games Ipad3 Politics

CMS Content Management Systems Unit 2 AO2 A Content Management System allows a number of users to edit, upload and manage data. Data can consist of text, movies, graphics, numerical data etc. Different users would be allowed different privileges as far as access and editing abilities. EXAMPLES Microsoft Sharepoint OpensourceCMS