Digital Literacy – Online collaboration

Oh, where is it?

I'm sure I saved a copy here…

Oh, hey. I’m just searching for

a file I need for a project

I'm working on with some other students.

I'm sure I saved a copy onto my phone

but I can't find it,

and the other project members need to

work on it.

Oh, and that's what we are going

to be talking about today:

collaborating with others.

Now where is that file?!

Unfortunately, I didn't have a copy

of that important document on my phone,

so now I’m

in trouble with the other project members!

I should have saved a copy of the document

in the cloud.

Of course, that doesn't mean a real cloud.

When we talk about the cloud

digitally, we mean a remote server

where we can save and access documents

by connecting to the internet.

That's a really useful tool

for working collaboratively with other students.

Think about it.

If you are working on a project with

other people in different locations,

it makes sense to have

one place where you keep

all your documents and files so that

you can all access them

whenever you need to.

That way, you can all make changes

and work on your assigned tasks

at a time that works for you.

It's great for distance learners!

So, how could that work?

Well, let's imagine you

and some fellow students are working on

a presentation.

If your work is on the cloud

then all of you can access it, and review

your work and make edits.

If you are using word-processing software,

you can track changes

too, so you can see what changes

other collaborators have made.

There are lots of cloud-based tools

for working together. You can use platforms

such as Google Drive

to store your work.

And you can keep these areas

password protected so only the

right people have access.

Other cloud resources

such as DropBox or WeTransfer let you store,

share and send each other large files.

And if you have large

and complex projects to work on,

you can even use cloud-based project

management software.

Some of these platforms will let you do things like:

Leave each other

messages on a message board;

assign tasks to project members;

create a to-do list, so

that everybody knows what tasks

are not yet completed;

create a project schedule with

delivery dates;

store and share large files

that everyone needs access to.

Useful, huh?

Of course some of

these project management platforms

you need to pay to use, but others

have some free functionality.

And of course, many academic institutions

have an online learning platforms

for their students that

will allow you to work

collaboratively with other distance learners.

Oh!

Ah. That's my project leader now.

I'm in so much trouble!

Let’s hope he's in a good mood.

Paul, hi!

I was just thinking about you.

The document?

Yes, ah, well, there's

a funny story about that…

I'll see you later… got to deal with this…

bye.

Paul, it's fine! It's just, well – it's gone.