Chapter+8

===Chapter 8: Collaborate or Die! (Opener #7: Electronic Collaboration and Interaction) ===

**uest Experts on Demand (Opener #7):** Need a guest or expert speaker for your class? Today, all it takes is a simple email request and a $20 Webcam and you can bring that person in within minutes. Experts can also arrive using text chat, online discussion forums, interactive videoconferencing, [|Skype], [|Google Talk] , or virtual worlds. And they can be archived for later use. Similarly, an instructor can select any region of the world for his or her students to collaborate with using freely available technology or services.

**Collaborate or Die (Opener #7):** The tools for online collaboration have exploded during the past decade. Microsoft offers [|SharePoint] and [|Groove] while Google has [|Google Groups] and [|Google Docs]. Online communities like [|Ning] foster collaboration for more than 1 million groups including the popular Ning in Education, GrownUpDigital, Classroom 2.0, LearningTown!, and the Open Source University Meetup groups.

Watch this short video regarding the power of Think as a collaborative effort, for "Ideas take life when they are shared." media type="youtube" key="qiP79vYsfbo?fs=1" height="385" width="480"


 * 1** - **What is the role of school leadership to move teachers/classrooms into online collaboration and interaction?**


 * 2 - Are any teachers using collaborative tools with which students in your school/district are creating/sharing knowledge with students from other schools/systems/states/countries?**


 * 3 - If #2 is not happening in your school/district, what are the barriers?**


 * 4 - What support is provided to encourage teachers to pursue online collaboration?**

 Dr. Bonk points that this opener is different from others in the book:

To Dr. Bonk it is clear life and work is increasingly dependent upon collaboration.
 * 1) Collaboration/Interaction can be costly.
 * 2) This opener is not just social, but vital learning principle.
 * 3) It is difficult to define online collaboration; there are so many forms.
 * 4) Every other opener in this book relies upon this opener; collaboration.


 * 5 - What evidence do you have in your professional/personal life that the factory model of education is no longer successful?**


 * 6 - Do you agree or disagree with Dr. Bonk that collaboration is an empowering engine that is the underpinning of our economic future? Give supporting facts to your answer.**

1001 Flat World Tales (blog of award winning stories): __http://1001flatworldtales. edublogs.org/__ 1001 Flat World Tales (wiki): __http://ms1001tales.wikispaces. com/__ 1kg: __http://www.1kg.org/__ Alpha Plus Center: __http://distance.alphaplus.ca__ Ask Dr. Math: __http://mathforum.org/dr.math/__ Ask a Scientist: __http://www.madsci.org/submit. html__ Club Penguin: __http://www.clubpenguin.com/__ Collanos: __http://www.collanos.com/__ Contact North: __http://www.cnorth.edu.on.ca/__ Digiteens: __http://digiteen.wikispaces. com/__ Dimdim: __http://www.dimdim.com/__ Edutopia: __http://www.edutopia.org/__ E-Learning Journeys (Julie Lindsay's Weblog for the Flat Classroom Project): __http://123elearning.blogspot. com/__ Elluminate: __http://www.elluminate.com/__ ePals: __http://www.epals.com/__ Evoca: __http://www.evoca.com/__ Exploratorium: __http://www.exploratorium.edu/__ Flat Classroom Project (in Wikispaces): __http://flatclassroomproject. wikispaces.com/__ Flat Classroom Project (in Ning): __http://flatclassroomproject. ning.com/__ GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Planet) Project: __http://www.globe.gov/r?lang= en&nav=1__ Google Groups: __http://groups.google.com__ Google Docs and Spreadsheets: __http://docs.google.com/#__ GoogleTalk: __http://www.google.com/talk/__ Horizon Project 2008: __http://horizonproject2008. wikispaces.com/__ Ice Stories: __http://icestories. exploratorium.edu/dispatches/ index.php__ Ice Stories (Cassandra Brooks' weblog): __http://icestories. exploratorium.edu/dispatches/? author=6__ iEARN: __http://www.iearn.org/__ In2Books: __http://www.in2books.com/__ InnoCentive: __http://www.innocentive.com/__ International Children's Digital Library: __http://www.childrenslibrary. org/index.shtml__ The Journey North: __http://www.learner.org/jnorth/__ Kids as Global Scientists: __http://www-personal.umich.edu/ ~mlhartma/kgs.html__ Knowledge Builder: __https://www.kb2020.com/ contact_us/__ Knowledge Forum: __http://www.knowledgeforum.com/__ Learning Microsoft to Change the World (book by John Wood of Room to Read): __http://www. leavingmicrosoftbook.com/__ Microsoft Live Office: __http://workspace.officelive. com/__ Microsoft Office Groove: __http://office.microsoft.com/ en-us/groove/FX100487641033. aspx__ Microsoft Office Sharepoint Server: __http://www.microsoft.com/ sharepoint/default.mspx__ MSN Groups: __http://msnusers.com__ MyEnglish: __https://www.kb2020.com/ products_and_services/__ MyFreeEnglish: __www.myfreeenglish.com__ Ning: __http://www.ning.com/__ Odeo: __http://odeo.com/inbox__ The Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network: __http://www.orion.on.ca/__ Planview: __http://www.planview.com/__ Podomatic: __http://www.podomatic.com/__ Room to Read: __http://www.roomtoread.org/ index.html__ Skype: __http://www.skype.com/__ SurveyMonkey: __http://www.surveymonkey.com/ Default.aspx__ SurveyShare: __http://www.surveyshare.com/__ Teleportac: __http://www.teleportec.com/__ Twinbooks: __http://www.twinbooks.cn/__ Wikinomics: __http://www.wikinomics.com/ index.php__ Wikinomics Playbook: __http://www.socialtext.net/ wikinomics/index.cgi? wikinomics__ Yahoo! Groups: __http://groups.yahoo.com__ Zoomerang: __http://www.zoomerang.com/__