Huddlemind Labs

Collaborative learning software is a major asset to a company or school if it is used properly.

We have been running a discussion on Huddlemind.net around the Software and its uses and usability and below is a short list of some of the programmes we have come across and briefly what they do:

• 37 Signals: (which incorporates)

Basecamp: Basecamp is one of the most widely used project management systems used and is very user friendly. Basecamp “provides tools tailored to improve the communication between people working together on a project”

Basecamp is used by over 1 million people worldwide and the Basecamp API allows you to build add-ons.

Highrise, (a Web-based Customer Relationship Manager and contact manager), Backpack, (an information organisation tool) and Campfire, (a web-based group chat tool that allows you to start up a password-based chat room in seconds), all fall under the umbrella of 37 signals.

• Moodle: Moodle is a free, open source course management system based on teaching principles that aims to help create effective online learning communities.

Being open source Moodle is constantly developing and is available in a wide range of download options. Currently Moodle has over 330’000 users worldwide.

• HotChalk: HotChalk is a learning environment for teachers, learners and parents that includes “a learning management system premium digital content like NBC News video, and professional development for teachers in a Web-based environment”

Hotchalk seems to be easy to use and has the potential to link educators with students and set up a sharing network. More than 100 000 schools are listed on the HotChalk database. HotChalk is also free software so it is more accessible to schools.

• Mynoteit: Mynoteit allows you to take, edit and share notes online. You have a to-do list as well as a calendar which allows you to manage tasks better

• Wiki’s: Wiki’s are the collaborative software that allows you to create and power community websites. Wiki’s are widely used on the web and have a very wide variety of uses.

• Google Apps is a Google service that has features that are the same as traditional office suites. It includes Gmail, Start Page, Control Panel, Google, Talk, Google Docs and Google Calendar.

Google Apps brings together services to help your organisation to help collaboration and communication

• Second Life: Second Life is being used in the field of Collaborative Learning Software in that they are providing platforms to people to enable them to create virtual environments. Many of these are now being used for learning.

• Turnitin: Turnitin consists of four aspects: namely,

Plagiarism Prevention, which identifies papers containing unoriginal material and acts as a powerful deterrent to stop student plagiarism before it starts.

Peer Review, a system that gives students the tools to review and respond to their classmates’ work online using questions that are customized or created by the instructor.
Grademark, a digital markup system that gives instructors the ability to edit and grade papers completely online.
Gradebook, which enables instructors to manage grades and assignments online

Turnitin is also now fully integrated with Moodle.

• Blackboard. Blackboard includes a course management aspect, it is closed source but it does have a customizable open architecture, and a scalable design that allows for integration with student information systems and authentication protocols. It is sometimes a bit too comprehensive and might lack simplicity but has lots of applications.

• Ning: Ning, the social networking platform, is being used for more and more applications. The ability to program your own Ning site and being able to build your own platform is what’s made Ning so user-friendly and adaptable for uses other than social-networking. Possibly the only drawback of Ning is that you need knowledge of web-programming to get it up and running.

• Another interesting site pointed out by Dave Everitt is The De Montfort Creativity Assistant, a project by IOCT it is “a tool designed to help develop creative ideas in a transdisciplinary multimedia context, based upon the thesis that creativity is an emergent property”

It comprises two main components, the Creativity Assistant and the Creative Environment.
The Creative Environment integrates the Collaborative Editor, Instant Messaging, Collaborative Whiteboard and a Reminder Functionality and it provides several tools in one environment.

As with everything these programs are dependent on how you and your company use and adapt to use them. Implementation is the all-important aspect here, if all your staff aren’t willing to use these applications then the benefit will be apparent, but not as apparent as if it is embraced by all your users.

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