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Collaborative Tools for Remote Work Efficiency

Explore free collaborative tools from wikis to tablet PCs for efficient remote work. Learn about Skype, Wikis, Tablet PCs, and Shared Calendars for seamless communication and organization. Discover ways to work with people far away cost-effectively.

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Collaborative Tools for Remote Work Efficiency

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  1. Fast, Cheap & Out of Control: a collection of (mostly) free collaborative tools ranging from wikis to tablet PCs Hugh Chipman Acadia University HPC workshop July 12, 2007

  2. A grab bag • What tools (gadgets?) can I get to help me work with people far away? • …And what’s it going to cost me? • “Cost” should include my time as well as money.

  3. My background • Supervising 2 PhDs at UWaterloo (& others) • I’m at a small, somewhat isolated department. • Bi-weekly “reading group” with participants at Acadia, Dal, UW, Calgary. • Warning: I’ve been assimilated by(mail, word, spreadsheet, scholar, maps, talk, calendar, photos, …)

  4. What are my goals? • Weekly “meetings” with distant students (one-on-one & 3-way communication, share files and information) • Regular group meetings to discuss a common document. • Provide detailed feedback on student works (eg thesis drafts). • As a side effect, try to organize some of the stuff I do.

  5. Organization of this talk • I’ll organize it by tools, rather than by tasks. • Talk: Skype, Google Talk, MSN, Yahoo! Messenger • Share: Wikis • Annotate: Tablet PCs • Schedule: Shared calendars (wiki, google)

  6. GOAL 1: Talk • Skype: • Free peer-to-peer communication • “Conference calls” easy • Quality can be an issue • Network traffic/latency • Firewalls • Time of day • A cheap headset is a good investment

  7. Talk: Skype • Have used for > 1 year now, pretty decent. • Used in various contexts: 1-on-1, 3-way, larger reading group (DMRG; SAMSI) • Do you need video? Not usually. Hearing someone and being able to see text/pictures is more important. • Can use slides & other material.

  8. Talk: Other programs • Have tried Google Talk and Yahoo! Messenger a bit • Some differences, but I don’t see a clear winner.

  9. GOAL 2: Share • Skype and others let you send files; email can do this also • But these are transient – files are gone unless you’re organized enough to save them. • Alternative: Wikis

  10. Share: Wikis • “A wiki enables documents to be written collaboratively, in a simple markup language using a web browser.” – from www.wikipedia.org • Share • Organize • Easy to edit • Broad access

  11. Wikis • Here’s an example of a student I’m working with (Wanhua Su). • Co-supervision with a facultymember at UW (Mu Zhu). • Wiki an important component of weekly meetings (also use skype). • (Go to web page)

  12. Wiki example, continued • What’s useful is the ability to edit a shared document, and do it from anywhere. • Record main ideas/directions • Add comments/interpretations/discussion • Talking on skype/phone/etc much easier if you have material to talk about.

  13. A few other Wiki examples • Wiki as a collector of links • Wiki for organizing a reading group: “Data mining reading group” • Distribute content (papers) and links • Keep history of meetings • Schedule meeting times (example) • Public wikis can be hacked.

  14. Wikis for free? • The wiki I just showed you is hosted at ACMMaC. • Do you have to host your own wiki? • Not really. There are “free” online wikis.www.wikispaces.com

  15. Free Wiki example… • We’ll look at the anatomy of a wiki using a wikispaces page as an example. • Wiki page for one of yesterday’s labs.

  16. Wiki features See http://www.wikispaces.com/Features • WYSIWYG editor (optional) • Collaborators can edit your page • Include files of arbitrary type • Revision control • External linking • Search • Space backups • Math equations • Code • Embed images • … and “free” ads you have to pay to remove (oh well)

  17. Other “share” examples: • “Docs” (word processing) and Spreadsheet. • Multiple people can view/edit a document • Again, sharing a file in a common location a big advantage • Registration spreadsheet for this workshop was shared this way.

  18. GOAL 3: Annotate • Wikis are one tool enabling you to add comments. • Tablet PCs are another. • Mark up documentsusing a pen and thescreen.

  19. Tablet PCs • IBM Thinkpad X60 (~$2500;$2100 base) • 2GB RAM (1GB standard) • 8 cell battery (4 cell standard) • Intel Centrino dual core CPU, 1.66Mhz • Lightweight, no CD drive • Windows XP/Tablet • Windows Journal, Office/tablet, PDF Annotator.

  20. Uses for tablets • Annotate a PDF • Keep your copy • Send/share with others • Also useful for rehearsing talks • Write on a shared space, e.g. enVision, VNC

  21. GOAL 4:Schedule • Shared schedule on Google Calendar • Others can access my schedule, add or change appointments. • Group event scheduling – Wikis can be effective for groups of 4-12 (just set up a public page and everyone indicates when not free).

  22. Conclusions • The “value added” in many cases is the fact that many people can work together from a distance: • Skype: multiway conference • Wiki: multiple editors • Tablet: share annotated documents • Calendar: share scheduling info

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