Wikis are live, working document directories that house information everyone can contribute to at the same time. Wiki projects can take the form of a course syllabus, study resources, project links, glossaries or a series of frequently asked questions. Participants develop a base of information, or a knowledge repository, to form a wiki. For example, teachers across a variety of core content areas such as math, science, social studies and language arts can each contribute to a common assignment within their own subject areas. Math can contribute mathematic assignments, social studies a historical perspective, language arts reading, and science can expand on math concepts. All become contributions in a wiki knowledge repository that houses all assignments and information for related activities.
There are free document sharing tools, such as Smartbook, Scribd, Youdu and Googledocs. All function within a live environment that enables participants to work on the same document at the same time or at different times. Once a document, a spreadsheet or a form is uploaded, it is housed on a common server that all can access to work on simultaneously. Several participants can view and work on the same document at the same time, with all viewing changes as they are made live.
Social networking sites such as Ning, Facebook and LinkedIn use forum platforms with which to communicate, collaborate and contribute. They each have their own live chat and instant messaging features to facilitate live interaction and discussion among members. A shared meeting place, or central management system, houses discussion for all to contribute to, without the need for a live presence. Anyone can initiate a discussion, an event, or nominate someone else to take the lead on an activity to be shared with other members. While slightly less organized than a formal document shared, social networking is a collaborative way to build discussion and reach consensus on proposed issues.
Webinars are live tools used to collaborate with, initiated by a host person and shared with up to hundreds of members. Presentation slides can be shared along with the host desktop, each serving as the catalyst to discussion and presentation. If the webinar host chooses, the desktops can be shared among members, with participants rotating the sharing of their own desktop to illustrate, make a point or share a document. Participants can have live discussions around a presentation viewable by all. Documents can be integrated and worked on by all members at the same time.