Wow... Another Google product and I haven't heard of it... I feel ashamed.
I was excited to come across this very useful web 2.0 tool courtesy of Google. Google wave is collaborative tool that merges the functionality of Google docs, instant messaging, and virtual whiteboards like Elluminate or Wimba. Each member of a wave can post comments, replies, documents, photos, links, and, you get the idea, pretty much anything. Each member can then interact with everything that has been shared. Even members who cannot be there in real time can log in and participate at their own pace. This is definitely a powerful tool that can easily be used in place of face to face meetings in many different contexts.
The main layout is well designed and easy to navigate. The left hand side panel contains the inbox and your contacts. The middle is simply the number of waves that are currently running, and the panel on the right is the active wave that is being edited.
My partner at work and I are going to start using this tool immediately. We each receive several emails a day from teachers who are experiencing some technological issue. Often, we both get the same request. We are going to use Google wave to keep better track of each other. By using this tool, we can alleviate the moments when we both respond to the same call which will make us more efficient. It will also help us remind each other of the essentials that must be addressed. With such a big campus, we often do not have an opportunity to see each other face to face. This tool will help keep us organized and on track.
The built in tools like task tracking will be useful for us at work. By making virtual punch lists that we can share, we can make sure that we are meeting all of our daily goals.
Although we plan on using this as a tech support tool to better serve our campus, the applications to education are limitless. Teachers could use Google wave for a wide variety of purposes form hosting virtual team meetings to assigning virtual collaborative groups in the classroom. I recommend you give it a try and let me know what you think. If you do use it, please leave a comment below describing your experience.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
BP2_Google Wave
6:55 PM
Matthew E. Park
2 comments:
Matt,
I tried Google Wave early on and couldn't keep up with the flood of information from my collection of oh-so-prolific collaborators. (Was receiving notifications to every Picasa image upload, Twitter post, etc. + email) Live and learn. Start with small steps.
If you can keep the Wave focused between your partner and yourself, I'll bet it'll be everything you're hoping for. Just don't open the faucet too wide or the flow of information may become overwhelming.
I really enjoyed your post Matthew. I too get similar duplicate requests during the day and I think this would be an excellent tool to utilize at my university. I had heard of this tool in passing, but I had never thought to research it more and try it. When you've used it for awhile I hope we can chat about your experiences with it. Maybe I can get your feedback on the system and see if I it's up to your standards. Then maybe I can pitch it to my group at work. Thanks for introducing me to this more in depth.
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