Online Collaboration Course 1.0

Online Collaboration Course

Practical ways of working together online

"In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed."- Charles Darwin

Jason Reed


• Venue information• Introductions• Personal objectives

– What do you want to get out of the course?

• Course objectives– Develop understanding of online collaboration– Develop practical skills to collaborate

successfully – Create a personal plan for online collaboration


• During the course– Learning and using software tools as we create

our own personal plan for online collaboration– The tools we use work but there are lots more

out there

Course Outline

09-30 Introduction09-40 Collaboration Overview11-20 Break11-30 Working Collaboratively12-30 Lunch13-15 Being Collaborative14-15 Break14-30 Collaborative Meeting15-30 Next Steps

Collaboration OverviewTwo heads are better than one

“In any case, we are all off to Cyberspace whether we like it or not. The best we can to is to proceed with faith and try to enjoy the ride.”

John Perry Barlow 1991 “Leaving the physical world behind”

Collaboration Overview

• Why change the way we collaborate?– April 1st G20 Meltdown Story– The key drivers to change the way we work

• Business continuity– Offices closed how effectively could people work together from

home?

• Environmental impact of travel– Greener to only travel when needed

• The economic benefits– New markets– New employees– Less travel costs


• The changing nature of work

Knowledge worker (reality) by beardenb

Double digging the seed beds by

treesftf

Physical Work Knowledge Work

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beardenb/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/plant-trees/


• Everyone collaborates in these 3 areas• Some use technology more than others • Online collaboration is real work using technology • Is it safe?• To take advantage of new technology we probably need to change our habits

A Collaboration Model

Collaboration Overview:The way we work now

• Current collaborations and collaborators (Online and Offline, Physically and Virtually)

– Exercise: Introducing blogging• Group blog for reflections during course

– It helps to develop an online habit– It will be useful to reflect back on following the course– It is Public

• Step by step demonstration 1. Go to the blog page2. Sign In3. Create a post4. Type in your content5. Publish when ready

Collaboration Overview:The way we work now

• Current collaborations and collaborators (Online and Offline, Physically and Virtually)– Exercise 1 : Introducing blogging

• What kind of projects are you currently collaborating on?(e.g. proposals, annual reviews, correspondence, etc…)

• In what ways do you collaborate with your colleagues on these projects?(e.g. via the phone, shared desk, shared file, e-mail etc…)

• What are the roles of the people you collaborate with?(e.g. manager, assistant, graphic designer, etc..)


• Blog “the way we work now”– Discussion on exercise

• Observations about how we work currently• What did the blogging feel like?

• How is the way you work now different to online collaboration?


• Exercise 2: Brainstorm benefits & risks of online collaboration

– Step by Step demonstration1. Show created mind map2. Show invited collaborators3. Add nodes4. Refresh

– Brainstorming Real-Time and Different-Time • Think about the way you collaborate, what could be

better with technology?• Think about what you do now what are the challenges

with working with others? How will technology help/hinder?

• We will add to it during the day


• Benefits and risks– Discussion on exercise

• Observations on result• What did it feel like?

• Blog “Using an online mind mapping tool”– Describe the experience and you thoughts

about future use

• Break

Working CollaborativelyLennon and McCartney, Pratt & Whitney, Morecambe and Wise,

Churchill and Roosevelt, you and ?

Collaboration \Col*lab`o*ra"tion\, n. The act of working together; united labor. Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Working Collaboratively

• Workspaces– Who’s used them, where, and what can they

do?– Features of workspaces

• One central copy of work• The ability to comment and discuss at different

times• The ability to develop new revisions and work with

the latest revision• A history trail of work• File storage and retrieval• Working whenever the individual prefers



• Discussion: Where do we keep our knowledge work?

– Plans– Reports– Presentations– Proposals– Communication messages– Documents


• Exercise: Create your own workspace for online collaboration

– An overview of the tool used, what and why– Step by Step demonstration

1. Open Workspace2. Create Folder3. Create Document4. Edit and Save


• Exercise 3: Create your own workspace for online collaboration

– Private within this group– Create a document entitled “Personal Plan for

Online Collaboration”– Create a section heading called Working– Create a heading “potential collaborators” (You

might use your earlier Blog)• Who do you work with to create your knowledge work?• Who do you work with who is based in a different physical

location?• Who of your colleagues works from home?


• Exercise 3: Create your own workspace for online collaboration - Part 2

– Invite another delegate to collaborate– Collaborator make comments– Invite another delegate to collaborate– Collaborator make changes


• Create your own workspace for online collaboration

– Discussion on exercise• Observations on result• What did it feel like?

• Blog “Creating a Workspace”– Describe the experience and your thoughts about

future use

• Add to Benefits and Risk Mind Map– Any new thoughts

• Lunch

Being CollaborativeMoving from open plan

to open mind

“.....it continues to offer the promise that humans can quit spending so much of the world's treasure travelling to physical proximity to other humans when they can assemble instead their far more portable minds.”

John Perry Barlow circa 1991 cofounder of Electronic Frontiers Foundation

Being Collaborative

• Instant Messaging– Who’s used it, where, what can it do?– Features of Instant Messaging

• Chat/Rich Chat• Availability (Need to automatically sign-in) • File transfer (sometimes)• Easy to engage and disengage• Not “instant” – controversial ?

Being Collaborative

Being Collaborative

• Exercise 4: Chatting with colleagues– An overview of the tool used, what and why– Step by Step demonstration

1. Sign-in to Instant Messenger2. Invite colleagues3. Send message

Being Collaborative

• Exercise 4: Chatting with colleagues working in pairs

– Private within this group– Check partner is invited as collaborator to your

workspace, if not invite them– Ensure that you both have each others files open– Chat about your Personal Plan for Online

Collaboration • Give each other feedback• What you might do next to develop it• Develop it a bit• Chat

Being Collaborative

• Exercise 4: Chatting with colleagues– Discussion on exercise

• Observations on results – what are some ideas for development

• What did it feel like, What were the limitations?

• Blog “Chatting with colleagues”– Describe the experience and you thoughts about

future use

• Add to Benefits and Risk Mind Map• Update your Personal Plan with “Being”• Break

Collaborative MeetingGetting our heads together

“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.”

Carl Jung Psychologist

Collaborative Meeting

• Online Meeting/Web Conferencing– Who’s used it, where, what can it do?– Features of Online Meeting

• Voice• Video (sometimes)• Presenting on screen• Screen sharing

– Switching control

• Online editing• Chat/rich chat• File transfer (sometimes)• Works better with a facilitator/chair



• Exercise 5: Online Review Meeting– An overview of the tool used, what and why– Step by Step process

1. Create an agenda2. Schedule meeting (diary invite)3. Send links to participants

– Conference number (if your using one)– Web link

4. Screen share the agenda 5. Show other documents as necessary Remember to pause the screen Have some back up plans in case things go wrong


• Exercise 5: Online Review Meeting, working in pairs

– Private within this group– Plan an agenda to review your plan for

collaboration– Decide who will initiate meeting– Initiate web share– Chat about your Personal Plan for Online

Collaboration – Review Benefits and Risks Mind Map and

incorporate into plan in Real Time


• Exercise 5: Online Review Meeting– Discussion on exercise

• Observations on results – what are some ideas for development

• What did it feel like?• What were the challenges?

• Blog “Online Review Meeting”– Describe the experience and your thoughts about

future use

• Add to Benefits and Risk Mind Map• Update your Personal Plan - “Meeting”

Next StepsPutting the plan into action

“Theory is splendid but until put into practice, it is valueless.”“It is always the start that requires the greatest effort”

James Cash Penney - American Businessman

Next Steps

Next Steps

• What next?– How will you put your plan into action?

• Support– Your group course blog

http://onlinecollaborationcoursegroupX.blogspot.com/

– The course & online collaboration consultant bloghttp://onlinecollaborationcourse.blogspot.com/ http://onlinecollaborationconsultant.blogspot.com/

– Further Related Courses• Social Networking for Business Benefit

• Remote & Flexible Working

• Evaluation


Thank You

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 UK: England & Wales License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/uk/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco,

California, 94105, USA.

Technology

Online Collaboration Course 1.0