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Archive for the ‘Collaborative Writing and Reviewing’ Category

Flexibility In Information Exchange With Document Sharing

You probably already use the Internet for various means of data exchange and communication. Email, blogs, instant messaging services and even video conferencing has made information exchange a lot more convenient and efficient and the ability to send graphic elements such as pictures and diagrams really enhance the learning/instruction process.

As exciting as document sharing is, what is even more significant is that these very same methods allow for a more interactive approach to learning with collaborative writing. Collaborative writing isn’t exactly new; in fact it has been used to remarkable effective means in websites such as Wikipedia, which allows users to contribute, edit, and otherwise revise content pertaining to a specific topic. What results is a vast storehouse of information that is the sum total of many people’s combined experience and knowledge. It is a democratization of the information process that is exciting for the fact that it is not a one-ended information source at work and virtually everyone who has something to say of note about the topic is free to share.

Of course one of the dangers of collaborative writing is that the freedom to contribute information may result in errors, inaccuracies and disagreements. To make such a model work, it is important to implement some kind of screening or approval procedure, in which only qualified people may contribute information. This is easy enough to implement and most collaborative writing platforms will have such systems in place.

When the results come together as intended they are nothing short of astounding. For any given topic, there are probably hundreds if not thousands of people that are qualified to provide expert opinion and relevant information, and we can all take advantage of a bigger pool of knowledge to draw from. No longer are we limited to a single source of information from a specific individual or a group; the whole world of collective knowledge is virtually opened up for us to benefit from. This type of collaborative approach to instruction and learning is likely to become more and more commonplace in the future and we can only benefit from it as a whole.

How To Teach Online Using Collaborative Writing And Reviewing

You may have realized by now that the Internet has made possible numerous opportunities for information exchange that transcends geographical boundaries and physical limitations. In terms of education alone, the Internet has opened up vast avenues for exploration and communication that were simply non-existent only a few short years ago. Now collaborative writing aims to take online coaching to the next level by giving users the opportunity to join in on collaborative educational efforts.

There are numerous websites that offer such collaborative writing and reviewing opportunities on the Internet and Wiziq is only one of them. Wiziq allows users to hold live online classes with a Virtual Classroom feature that allows instructors and students from anywhere in the world to meet online. The service is available free of charge and offers both audio/video as well as audio only functionality. With the desktop and screen sharing features, you can display the contents of your computer screen and have your students view it from their own computer monitors. YouTube videos can also be shared and even resized adding more opportunities for video instruction.

Another interesting feature is online whiteboarding, which allows you to provide visual data much like a real whiteboard, but with the added benefit of multiple tabs. Users also have the ability to cut, resize and even erase certain elements on this whiteboard. And for maximum flexibility, Wiziq allows the uploading and sharing of various file types including pdf, doc, xls, ppt and flash files.

To make it easier for you and your students to go back to previous lessons, all classes are automatically recorded, saving you lots of time in follow up inquiries and reviews. But what is perhaps more significant is that services such as Wiziq allow for a more collaborative and free flowing learning environment, which goes far beyond the traditional classroom teaching paradigm. Wiziq also uses the Paypal system, giving you a fast, safe and convenient way to collect payment from your students, no matter where they are. You even have the option to send invoices either before or after the classes.