I have used the following collaborative technologies:

1. EDC at the L3D


2. Swiki developed at the L3D


3. Dynasites developed at the L3D


4. MSN Netmeeting.

5. Chatrooms like icq, instant messenger and icq etc. Another system similar to these, developed at the L3D is Prof. Skip Ellis' system where people from different parts of the world can participate in a meeting.



2. What collaborative technologies have I used?

Among the technologies mentioned about I have used the Swiki, chatrooms and MSN netmeeting the most.


3. What are the strenghts and weaknesses of these technologies?

The strength of the Swiki system is that it allows the students to participate and interact with the each other better. It moves beyond what is known as the "giftwrapping" approach to incoporating technology in education. As a student taking the course I have noticed that the feature of Swiki that allows you to post your own homework and also where everyone in the class can see it has a twofold advantage: students collaborate better (share ideas more easily) and are also motivated to do better since their work is going to be seen by their peers. I think this motivational factor is the gratest strength of the Swiki. I also think that we have not exploited this system to its fullest yet. The Swiki can also be used to include links to course related material that any of the students find interesting. I donot know of any weaknesses of Swiki per se.


4. Can you think of any theories, conceptual frameworks, specifications which would guide you in developing "collaborative technology"?

One theory that is used in the development of "collaborative technologies" is the Activity theory. Activity Theory was developed by the Russian psychologists Vygotsky, Rubinshtein, Leont'ev and others. It emphasizes that human activity is mediated by tools. During the creation of tools knowledge is trapped in their development history. This theory therefore provides a conceptual framework for the development of "collaborative technologies". It has a basic set of steps that are followed for this development.


5. Have you read any books on collaboration?

I havent read any books on collaboration.


6. Discuss the following statement: "collaborative technology will have little success in non-collaborative environments"

I think that if a collaborative technology (e.g. Swiki) is applied to a non-collaborative environment (e.g. used for a class that is not interactive in nature, hence the website is used only for providing e-copies of the notes etc.) it will work but will not be exploited to its fullest. In such a scenario the users will only be able to make use of the technology for conventional applications and the system will be "wasted".