MODULE 5

(Lesson 1 & 2)

USING TECHNOLOGY TOOLS

TO COLLABORATE AND
SHARE RESOURCES AMONG
COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE
LESSON 1

ICT Tools for Collaboration

and Sharing Resources
 Online Collaboration Tools to
Facilitate a Professional Learning
Community
The following platforms were shared by
Julie Moore (2018) that supported the
Critical Friends Groups (CFG) works.
CFG is a professional learning community
that is founded on learning from authentic
works in the community.
 Online Collaboration Tools to
Facilitate a Professional Learning
Community
1. Text-Based
Chat
The use of text-based chat in an online math
or science community has been seen as an
advantage both for teachers and students when
they are able to collaborate their ideas and
thoughts regarding mathematics and science
topics which are abstract and difficult.
 Online Collaboration Tools to
Facilitate a Professional Learning
Community
2. Skype
CFG initially used the audio-conferencing
capabilities of Skype but they found the ability to
hear each other a nice change from the work
associated with typing in text chat. Later they
tried the video conferencing feature of Skype but
were put off with connection problems and the
delay between audio and video.
 Online Collaboration Tools to
Facilitate a Professional Learning
Community
3. Wimba Live Classroom
In Wimba, you can share audio, push
PowerPoint slides, push websites and share
your desktop. There is a video component to
Wimba, but it only allows for one video stream at
a time and follows whoever is speaking. There is
also a text chat feature.
 Online Collaboration Tools to
Facilitate a Professional Learning
Community
4. Google+ Hangouts
Google+ Hangouts allows for video of all of the
participants the ability to share documents via links
in the chat window or sharing directly through
Google Docs. With video, it is easy to tell when
someone had a question or comment. This allows
the discussion to flow freer and allowed the
facilitator to play less of a "traffic cop" role. Video
also aided turn-taking.
 Online Collaboration Tools to
Facilitate a Professional Learning
Community
5. Zoom.us

The latest technology tried by CFG is Zoom.us,

Zoom.us allows for highdefinition, multi-point video
and audio. It also has a chat feature and screen
sharing capabilities. While still new CFG finds
zoom.us a better platform. It offers the ability to
share a screen and collaboratively annotate it.
 Online Collaboration Tools to
Facilitate a Professional Learning
Community
6. Kahoot

Zucker and Fisch (2019) conducted a study that

shows that Kahoot application can be used as a
collaboration tool. KAHOOT! is a web-based
platform that allows users to easily create and play
interactive, multiple-choice-style games.
 Research Collaboration Tools

In a research that was conducted Staley and

McCallum (2010), they were able to share some
online tools that have emerged to be useful in the
conduct of collaborative activities with medical
practitioners.
 Research Collaboration Tools

1. SciLink
(http://www.scilink.com)
This is a free networking community that
focuses on science researchers. SciLink profiles
include resume and biographical information as
entered by users, as well as automated updates
from Web-based data and literature that create
network relationships, such as publications and
coauthors.
 Research Collaboration Tools
2. Epernicus
(http://www.epernicus.com)
Epernicus is a professional networking and
expertise locator for current and former research
scientists. User accounts are free but require
registration upon which one answers questions
about his or her research area and institution.
Detailed information within Epernicus profiles
creates automatic network connections formed by
shared expertise, methods, or institutional
relationships.
 Research Collaboration Tools
3. RefWorks-COS Research Support Suite
(http://www.cos.com/) and
(http://www.csa.com)
This subscription-based product is actually a
suite of tools designed to provide support
throughout the entire research process. Available
from ProQuest, the suite is made up of some very
familiar products from the former Community of
Science, including COS Expertise and COS
Funding Opportunities, as well as a few new
additions currently available on the CSA Illumina
 Research Collaboration Tools
4. Research Crossroads
(http://www.researchcrossroads.org)
This is designed to provide transparent access
to publicly funded research, Research Crossroads
aggregates funding, publication, clinical trial, and
grant data from government and private research
agencies. Profiles are based on publicly available
data, but researchers may also login to update
their own information with about 12,000 profiles
being updated this way to date.
 Research Collaboration Tools
5. SciVee (http://www.scivee.tv)

SciVee is a multimedia community that provides

social networking, collaboration and
communication applications for publishers,
societies and researchers-across K-12 to
professional levels. The core of SciVee's services
is a platform on which community members share
videos describing their work or publicizing articles,
posters, or presentations.
 Research Collaboration Tools
6. PLoS ONE (http://www.plosone.org)

PLOS ONE was launched in 2006 as an

international, peer- reviewed, open access
publication of the Public Library of Science
(PLOS), PLOS ONE publishes reports of original
research from many disciplines and is set up to
provide a channel for fast publication where
authors retain their own copyright.
 Research Collaboration Tools
7. Connotea (hup://www.connotea.org), CiteULike
(http://www. citeulike.org), and 2Collab
(http://www.2collab.com)
These tools also share a few common design features,
including:
(a) one-click browser buttons that allow users to instantly
add citations to hosted bookmark libraries,
(b) tagging with keywords to assist in organizing and
searching across other user libraries;
(c) user profiles that include bibliographies of published
material, areas of expertise, and ongoing research
activities; and
(d) group functions that allow users who have common
interests to share or discover references, as well as set
privacy settings for collaboration.
 Recommendations for Effectively
Employing Online Collaborations Tools
(OCTs) in Teaching

Hershock and LaVaque-Manty (2012) shared

the following recommendations for effectively
implementing collaboration tools in teaching which
were contributed by their respondents in their
research.
A. Carefully Select Specific Instructional
Technologies
According to Hershock and LaVaque-Manty
(2012), often, multiple Online Collaboration Tools
(OCTs) provide ways to achieve the same goal,
each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
Ultimately, any choice of instructional technology
should be closely aligned with and motivated by
one's teaching and learning goals. Nevertheless,
when selecting among options, the following
aspects are also important.
 A. Carefully Select Specific Instructional
Technologies
1. Start-up costs
Instructors should consider how difficult it is for
them as well as for their students to set up and
learn any given tool. In general, most of the current
OCTs are very easy to use, but it is always a good
idea to test drive a tool, especially from a student's
perspective, before making it a part of one's
instruction. For example, it takes merely minutes to
set up a blog or a Google Sites website, even for a
novice, but it may take longer to make one that is
easy to navigate.
 A. Carefully Select Specific Instructional
Technologies
2. IT support
There is a need to consider the technical support is
available to students and instructors. Before using an
OCT that is not supported by your institution of your IT
staff in your academic unit, instructors should carefully
consider their comfort level, willingness and availability to
serve the role of tech support and training. Similarly, it is
important to consider whether your classroom has the
appropriate infrastructure to support the desired
technology use (e.g., power outlets for students devices,
wireless internet with sufficient bandwidth)
 A. Carefully Select Specific Instructional
Technologies
3. Tool overload
Students can be overwhelmed by the diversity
of instructional technologies in several ways. First,
they may become frustrated if they have to learn
how to use many different tools to complete similar
tasks across courses. Using common, supported
tools may help keep the focus on learning course
content, rather than learning how to use a new
technology. Second, managing accounts and
passwords for different OCTs can be challenging.
 A. Carefully Select Specific Instructional
Technologies
4. Accessibility
Is the technology accessible to students with
disabilities? For example, Google Docs are accessible to
some users with disabilities, primarily via keyboard
shortcuts, but are not accessible to visually or dexterity-
impaired users who depend on screen reader or speech
input technologies. If instructors select technologies that
are not accessible, they should consider employing an
additional strategy. For instance, in addition to sharing a
Google Doc with students, instructors could upload a doc
version to Resources in Collaboration Tools, which is
accessible to visually impaired students.
B. Protect Students and Their Privacy
One of the virtues of OCTs is that sharing content is
easy. Instructors should, however, think about how widely
information from a course or a tool will be shared. A blog
or a course-generated website or wiki, for example, might
be a meaningful project for students exactly because it is
accessible to the public at large: students may feel
empowered as knowledge producers or be excited to
interact with the public, including experts external to their
institution, as part of the learning experience. Students
can be required to produce publicly available content, if
this activity is central to the learning goals of the course.
C. Resist the Myth of "The Tech-Savvy Student"

It nevertheless is a mistake to assume that all of our

students are extremely sophisticated users of
contemporary technologies. Most demonstrate facility with
technologies that may be unfamiliar to faculty. However,
these applications may be irrelevant to academic work, or
students may have only a surface-level familiarity with
them. As with academic background and preparation for
college, students also vary significantly in technological
proficiency. It is therefore not a good idea to expect one's
students to be familiar with any given OCT.
D. Develop Guidelines for Equitable and
Inclusive Participation
There is a need to look into providing equitable and
inclusive participation when employing online
collaboration tools. It was found out in the research that it
is helpful to develop guidelines for appropriate etiquette
just as they do for in-class discussions. For instance,
when online, students might make inappropriate or
unprofessional comments, especially from a position of
anonymity, that they would not say to someone face to
face. Faculty may invite students to help develop
guidelines, building consensus and student ownership
around acceptable practices.
 E. Actively Foster and Sustain Desired
Student Engagement
Getting students to use an OCT and then
keeping up with what gets produced can be a
challenge. Simply making a tool available for
students doesn't mean that it will get used;
students may need some incentive to use it. For
example, a purely voluntary blog is unlikely to get
contributions or readers. On the other hand, some
incentives may make it difficult for instructors to
keep up with student-produced content.
 When considering an OCT, asking yourself
the following questions can be helpful:
 How large is my class, and how many students will
use this tool?
 To what extent should I incentivize participation?
 Who will keep up with this tool, and how carefully?
 Whom should I credit?
 How will I optimally sequence activities to promote
engagement?
 What are the criteria for successful performance?
 Are there opportunities to integrate student-
generated OCT content into face-to-face
 The following are additional online
collaboration tools and applications for
teaching and learning shared by Chad
Hershock, Ph.D., from the Center for
Research on Learning and Teaching
(CRLT). University of Michigan, 2012.
Google Apps Selected Sample
Interesting Applications for
Features Teaching

Blogger • post text, images, • postings of course

audio, video notes, materials
• respond to posts • forum for student
• private or public writing and reflection/
analysis
• space for student
dialogue
Calendar • manage multiple • schedule GSI
calendars meetings, student
• subscribe to existing team meetings
calendars • students sign up for of
• "smart" scheduling by ce hour appointment
querying availability • students subscribe to
Google Apps Selected Sample
Interesting Applications for
Features Teaching

Docs • synchronous/asyn- • collaborative authoring

chronous collaborative by students/instructors
authoring/editing • interactive feedback
• commenting (threaded on student work via
discussion) comments in margins
• synchronous text chat • easy surveys,
while editing classroom
• document sharing assessments,
• version control scheduling of make-
• organized by up exams, etc
"collections" for easy • collaborative concept
search and retrieval mapping or image
(multiple identifying annotation
tags possible • collaborative collection
 Google Apps Selected Sample
Interesting Applications for
Features Teaching

Google+Hang- outs • video conferencing • remote collaboration

with multiple by student teams
participants • interaction with guest
• social networking lecturers/ panelists
• remote office hours
• workshopping student
writing
Moderator • create backchannels • collect, prioritize, & respond to
student questions during a
during lectures, lecture, in real time or during
seminars, and planned intervals, rather than
presentations calling on hands.
• vote on & prioritize ideas or
• audience may submit questions submitted by
and vote on questions students in response to
or ideas instructor prompts
Google Apps Selected Sample
Interesting Applications for
Features Teaching

Sites • collaborative website • creation of student

creation project websites
• private or public • documentation of
student work
• creation of
course/curricular
materials
Box • store, organize, and • students collaborate
share large files on video production
• tag and search less projects involving
• comment on files many iterations
• create editable task • instructors provide
lists at the level of files feedback and
mentorships on group
Google Apps Selected Sample
Interesting Applications for
Features Teaching

Plazza • wiki-style discussion • mechanism for

forum to ask and crowdsourcing Q&A
answer questions with students in large
• instructor can endorse courses and reducing
an answer course-related e-mail
• editor supports traffic
equations
• tag and search posts
• generate report of site
activity
LESSON 2

Engaging in a Community
of Learning (COL)
 Functions and Features of
Communities of Learning (COLs)
Based on the particular needs of its children
and youths. The Community of Learning works with
students, their parents, and communities to
achieve those challenges. By collaborating and
sharing expertise, students' learning pathways are
supported and their transition through the
education system improves as proven by research.
This approach also provides more opportunities for
parents, families and communities to be involved
with their children and young people's learning
(Ako, 2020).
IGI Global (2020) cited the following descriptions
and concepts of COLS taken
from various sources:

1. The collection of participants in a course who work

cooperatively and collaboratively in solving tasks that
lead to consensus and collective understanding of
ideas.

2. A community of learners "can be defined as a group of

people who share values and beliefs and who actively
engage in learning from one another-learners from teachers,
teachers from learners, and learners from learners.
IGI Global (2020) cited the following descriptions
and concepts of COLS taken
from various sources:
3. Defined as a group of people who share values and
beliefs and who are actively engaged in learning from
one another.

4. A group of people who: 1) share a joint enterprise

that is understood and continually negotiated by its
members, 2) have amutual engagement that binds
members together into a social entity, and 3) have
created a shared repertoire of communal responses
(ways of thinking, being, and doing) that members have
developed over time.
IGI Global (2020) cited the following descriptions
and concepts of COLS taken
from various sources:

5. Group of teachers who are actively engaged

in collectively constructing meaning.

6. A group of learners on the edge of new

learning and under continuous reflection, the
new community learning comes in various
shapes and sizes; it is not one size fits all
mentality.
IGI Global (2020) cited the following descriptions
and concepts of COLS taken
from various sources:

7. This term is an overarching understanding of

the group of students, also including the
instructional facilitator, who come together with
the intention to learn information while also
supporting the larger group's instructional
understandings and efforts. This term reflects a
philosophical understanding, that learning is not a
singular activity but, instead, is a socially
supported effort.
IGI Global (2020) cited the following descriptions
and concepts of COLS taken
from various sources:

8. A place were student learners are made to feel

that their prior knowledge, the knowledge that
they are acquiring, and the skills that they are
learning to acquire future knowledge are all tied
together.
Thank you!