Unit 9.2 / Activity 2 / presentation2a Collaborative Working

Sharing Files We live in a world where people often have to work together even though they may be a long way apart. Computers have made it easier for people to do this: Homeworking - people work from home using computers linked to the company’s computer system Video Conferencing - no need to catch a plane to America when you can sit at your desk and have a meeting with people from Japan, America and Germany all at the same time There are many ways that files and messages can be shared or transferred to allow people to work together

The traditional has become a part of everyday life Advantages: Very quick You can attach files or programs Cheap You can automatically keep a record Can be collected anywhere in the world at anytime Disadvantages: Not secure Easily passed on to others Virus risk

It is very useful for collaborative working because: You can attach and send files that you have saved (although you may need to watch file size as some mail inboxes have limits) You can copy and paste straight into an saving time typing You can create folders to keep useful s in You can send it to more than one person at a time using cc/bcc You can create mailing lists which automatically send you s to the correct people when needed You can easily forward useful information to others

Shared Areas These are areas on the network where users can save work and allow other people to have simultaneous access to it (more than one at a time). It may be an area on a school network or a Group on the Internet (Yahoo) You can create folders to keep files organised There may be a password for the users allowed in You can save photos, documents or other files and others can look at them at the same time You can save databases/spreadsheets where your information is stored and can be added to by other members of the group

Video Conferencing With a £30 web cam, a microphone, NetMeeting and an Internet connection (preferably ISDN or better) you can talk to and see somebody on the other side of the world You can hold live meetings You can transfer files/documents You can use chat to communicate via a text screen You can share software You can work together on a document You can use the Whiteboard to explain ideas visually to the other person Chat Whiteboard

Forums An online discussion group. This is not a live facility - you type in your question or message and then return later to see if anybody has commented on your message. Messages follow the same topic called a thread and if you want to ask a question about a new topic you create a new thread. They are used a lot by professionals looking for help: Teachers wanting to know what resources are available for science Doctors looking for the symptoms of an unusual disease Technicians looking for help to cure a computer problem

Chat There are programs like MSN Messenger that allow you to chat live online with any number of people You can specify who you do and do not want to be included in your chat by listing their addresses When you log on you can see if any of your contacts are also online ready to chat

Recording the resources Once you have found the resources you need to have some way of recording the details so that the other members of the group know what is available: Record Sheet – paper-based details that lest the data, the filename, the filename, where it has been saved and the source details

Recording the resources Database – electronic storage and organisation of the data This example database records: Data Country Data Type Filename Where saved Other Details Clicking a flag opens a folder where the resources for that country are stored

Recording the resources Spreadsheet – electronic storage of data This example spreadsheet records: Data Country Data Type Filename Where saved Other Details Hyperlinks are used to link directly with the file

Recording the resources Whichever method you use: Keep it up to date List all the details Make sure you save resources in the correct place Use sensible filenames Write short, relevant details