Technology Solutions

Best Tools for Launching a Global Collaborative Project

It's never been easier to run a collaborative project in your classroom. The resources available to you are abundant, and the rate of technological innovation seems to be increasing exponentially. Best all, most of these tools require little more than a free account membership. Once you're signed up, your class is ready to start connecting with other classrooms around the world.

Feed Readers

Time constraints are perhaps the biggest challenge of running a global collaborative project. There is just so much information on the Internet to sift through. That's why your students should sign up for a feed reader first. It saves surfing time by letting you know when the blogs, news headlines, podcasts, and other content you subscribe to have posted new content on the Web.

Some free, simple feed readers include:

• iGoogle
• Google Reader
• Bloglines
• Netvibes
• NewsGator

Social Networking Sites

They're not just for college kids anymore. Social networking sites keep you in touch with friends, family, and colleagues, but they can also be great tools for getting up-to-date information from experts and organizations relevant to your topic of study.

You've likely heard of or are a member of Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. But there's also TeachAde.com, "the first social networking website designed specifically for educators."

Ning.com

Don't like the social networking offerings out there? Create your own. Approximately 40 million people actively use Ning.com, and it's especially popular with educators. It allows you to create your own network based on a common interest. Invite members, host discussions, share multimedia files, and write a blog all in one spot. Your collaborative efforts could also greatly benefit from some existing Ning networks:

• Classroom 2.0
• Flat Classroom Project
• The Global Education Collaborative

Other Resources

• Having difficulty setting up meeting times because the classroom you're working with is in a different time zone? Try TimeBridge.
• Share documents with Google Docs or Dropbox.
• Found a Web site you want all of your students to know about? Sign up for an account with Diigo.com or Delicious.com.
• Thanks to new tools such as Elluminate and Skype, video conferencing has never been easier.

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