The Once Over
I have people mention write boards here and there over the past few months. I was very confused because I had no idea what they were talking about. So my last assignment for ETC gives me the opportunity to research it a bit more. I journeyed over to www.writeboard.com and read a brief overview of what it is supposed to do. From what I gathered, its purpose is similar to that of Google docs. One can write by themselves or collaborate with a group. The doc cannot be lost using this system and you can compare older versions with the newer version of a particular document. It says that one can organize their documents using backpack integration. I don't know what that is yet, but I am guessing this may be where Google docs and write board come to a fork in the road. (I could be wrong, but something has to be different!) There is a registration process one must go through to create a write board, but it is free.
The Tour
The design of a doc looks totally different from that of a Google doc. The tour began with point out the fact that there is a URL for each doc created, so that one can access it easily. One thing I particularly found cute has to do with comparing versions of the document. Each time a change is made, the a new document is saved in the sidebar. One can see the time is was saved, the number of versions, etc. Nothing out of the ordinary. However, one other feature includes a dot beside different versions of the document. One can look at the size of the dot and see what kind of changes were made. A small dot represents little change, while a big dot represents a larger amount of changes have taken place. I like that. Furthermore, if one elects to compare two versions of the doc, the add changes are highlighted green, while words that are no longer there are struck through in grey. This saves on time, because one can easily detect the changes instead of having to skim through the entire document. When sharing the document with collaborators, they will receive a link and a password that will allow them access to the write board. The thing I like most about this, is no one can make changes to the actual text. A new version is simply saved. This is ideal for group projects because some changes need to be discussed first in my honest opinion. This is where I think write boards is better than Google docs. My last group project, a member and I were writing on the same line and it was completely messing up the information. So far, this tool is a winner...
Ideally Useful For...
Who would benefit most from using this? Well for starters, since I am a teacher, I will say teachers and students. Teachers for collaborating with other teachers on lesson plan, program ideas, field trip permission slips (especially if you are team teaching), and the weekly newsletter. Students for obvious project collaboration. Any project would help real team work. (Again, I am thrilled that one can only save a similar version with their changes, and not edit the original) There is a third aspect in which this would be helpful on a school level. My action research project is on Parent Involvement. Write boards can be a tool that extends the hand of teamwork and friendship to parents. Some parents really want to be apart of their student's learning process. They want to assist in making the school schedule, arranging transportation, selecting field trips, etc. They just want to be apart. For some teachers, it would be ridiculous to offer parents this kind of power. However, to me if you have that parent that just wants to do something, and you do not want them in your classroom all the time and in your face, I would use write boards to get their opinion. I would type up a little memo and say "Here parents, this is what I was thinking. What do you think?" This way the communication lines are wide open, and they can easily offer their input, and most of all they feel important. It's online customer service in a way. I also see it as lightening my load. As teachers, we are used to doing a lot, and some measure their self-image, self-value, and expertise on how much they can juggle. (How much they can do on their own!) It doesn't have to be this way. I am willing to say, if you want to help, then okay, I will find something for you to do. (Notice they haven't come into the classroom yet!! By the way, I have no problem with parents VISITING. Staying is the issue. Sorry parents, but you're a distraction) When I first thought about researching this tool, I never thought that it could tie into my action research project. I am glad that it does though. I am going to try it out and see how it goes.
If You Don't Teach or Learn under a Teacher On A Regular Basis, lol!
Here is a list of other things that one can do with white boards. No matter who you are, you can do something with it! Just click on the picture.
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