big+Shift

**Big Shift #4: The Collaborative Internet** It is obvious that the way in which business is conducted and education is provided is far from the way it was in the past. With all of the advances in technology and Internet resources, it seems that many aspects of life will follow the trend of becoming more Internet-based. This creates what teacher and author Will Richardson calls the "Big Shifts" (Richardson 2009). These shifts represent the huge changes that the Internet has brought about that completely change the way we think about business and education. One such shift is the knowledge created by collaborative work online. The ability for individuals to work together online has created opportunities that were previously only imagined.

Businesses are now able to use Internet tools to complete tasks online that once required people to physically come together. Group projects can now be completed by people on opposite sides of the planet without either one leaving their office. For example, [|Basecamp] is a convenient tool that allows users to upload files, set deadlines, and assign tasks in order to complete a project. Different members of a group can sign into their account at any time to work on the project and other members of the group will be able to see the progression and make revisions of their own. Likewise, [|Num Sum] is a collaborative tool that allows user to share spreadsheets. This way, co-workers can view important information just by signing into this website, as opposed to the faxing or e-mailing methods that prevailed in earlier times. These tools allow people to work on material anytime and anywhere they have access to a computer. No longer do the ideas need to be discussed only at a specific time and location, and with tools like [|Vyew] the same can be said for creating presentations. Furthermore, people that were previously bound by physical location can begin to work together in new ways. One can only imagine the possibilities of expansion with tools like these. Businesses can work with others from different areas of the world without worrying about the time and financial commitments necessary for travel. These assets can now be put into creating or improving aspects needed to help the business prosper.

The collaborative web has also shifted the way that education is offered and received. Many of the tools that are used by businesses can also be applied to education to allow students and teachers to work together in the online environment. Furthermore, the collaborative Internet can be used to share information with all parties involved. For example, a wiki can be created that allows teachers from all over the world to share their lesson plans, resources and thoughts on different ways to pass on knowledge. Because of this, teachers can now get ideas for a classroom assignment from things that another teacher has posted on a collaborative site. This would also allow the teachers to post comments about what worked for them and what changes could be made to improve assignments and lesson plans. It seems that the problem for teachers is no longer finding an assignment or project, but choosing which one to use. Also, the students can add comments to the wiki to let the teachers know what helps them learn. This shift has allowed many resources from many people to be found in one place.

Along with teachers, students now have endless resources as well, thanks to the collaborative web. Tools like [|delicious] make it easy for students to find these resources. This tool allows people to bookmark pages that everyone can look at. In this way students can find many useful webpages about a subject in one place. This decreases the time that it takes to search through dozens of pages looking for the information on that topic. This exemplifies one of the main effects of this shift: the speed with which many things can now be done. Another main impact is the ability for students to work on projects despite physical separation. Students now can work with each other and complete an assignment completely online, if desired. This means that students can work from places where they feel comfortable at the time they feel most productive, something that was previously impossible. No longer can students use the excuse that they could not get together to complete a project because now they can discuss, edit, and present their work online. This also means that the members of the group do not need to be limited to students in the class, or even the same country; it is now possible to collaborate with students from around the world. Imagine rather than doing a project on a country, doing it with someone from that country. Students can learn about subjects from people who have first-hand experience. This creates an environment that will engage students more in their studies because it is real life information, rather than countless facts from a book. Furthermore, because many of these pages can be update by anyone at anytime, people are able to receive up- to-date information. These advances expand the walls of the classroom and have changed the way of learning from test-taking learning to collaborative learning that allows students to learn together.

The shift that the collaborative web has created has impacted my life and will continue to change the way that I complete my work. I have already seen some way in which my education can be enhanced by the advancements in the collaborative web. A lot of the group activities that once took everyone meeting at the same time and place can be done online, which eliminate the need for planning these meetings. When working with a group I always felt that one of the biggest problems was finding a meeting time and place that everyone could commit to. The collaborative tools allow the same type of communication without the time commitment; so I find it much easier to work with groups. The tradeoff for using online collaboration use to be that the same type of information (i.e. visual aids) could not be shared as it could with the physical meetings; but now that different type of documents, visuals, and videos can be uploaded, the types of collaboration are very similar.

The possibilities that I have to study with a group online have also changed. Like the group projects, it was always hard for me to organize a group study session because of other commitments. However, because of the collaborative web, I feel that time and place are not an issue for these sessions. I can now have online discussions about course material at anytime and get all of the benefits of a face-to-face session. As I mentioned earlier, the disadvantage use to be that you could only receive text, and not visuals, online. This was always a huge problem for me since most of my classes were dependent on visual aids or equation (i.e. math, organic chemistry, biology). This problem has been solved with the creation of tools like [|Virtual Whiteboard] that allow me to draw pictures as well as add text. Other tools allow me to upload picture and write on them, just as I would in a study session. I feel that with tools such as this, there is nothing that I can do in person with a group that I cannot do online. The shift toward the collaborative web has caused me to use online tools a lot more than I use to.

As my education progresses, I believe that the way that information is presented to me will change because of the shift towards the collaborative web. Currently, most of my classes consist of one-way lectures and a couple of test a quarter. This type of learning focused on the individual studying and memorizing concepts and equations. With the web advances, I think that the courses will begin to focus more on collaborative learning. This type of learning will most likely focus on group research that focuses on discussions of material and presentations of the information. This is an interesting teaching style that will be unfamiliar with me, but one that I think will enhance my education. Learning from collaboration, rather than from lectures only, will allow me to gain knowledge from my classmates as well as my instructors. I have always thought that collaborative work is very effective because I get to listen to the material from multiple people, each of who explain it a little differently. The problem with this type of learning has always been the ability to organize everyone and the other problems I mentioned earlier, but the advances in the collaborative web make this learning not only possible, but also favorable. Because of this, the way that I learn will soon be different than anything that I have experienced thus far.

Probably the biggest impact that the collaborative web has had on me up to this point has been the ease with which I can now do research and receive up-to-date information. As a biology major, I am often doing research that depends on accurate information. Because new research is constantly providing new information and disproving other information, it is imperative that I have access to the most recent research. The collaborative websites that allow new research to be posted immediately insure that I am researching accurate information. I often use websites like [|pubmed] that post research article as soon as they are published. Websites like this allow me to search endless articles on just about any topic in one place, which is extremely convenient. Another great example of the possibilities with the collaborative web is the [|National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)] website. This website allows molecular biologist to submit information about what genetic sequences, genes, proteins, and any biotechnology-related information. This lets user find what genetic sequence codes for what proteins in which organisms. This has made it extremely easy and convenient to find what a strand of DNA is responsible for. Having access to these tools has made my research much easier and efficient.

As we continue to move through this new era in technology, we are beginning to see new ways to conduct business and provide education that are making the oldways obsolete. We are finding ways to connect with people from all over the world in ways that were once only imagined. With such huge shift toward interactive web tools, the Internet is become more of a way of life than a resource. It makes one contemplate how far this shift will take us and what is possible. Right now it seems that the sky is the limit.