Collaborative Applications

This was our last week to be introduced to new technologies. As the semester comes to a close we will be focusing more on developing our individual plans to integrate technology into our classrooms during our internship experience. Some of the different collaborative applications we discussed included Wikis, Google Docs, and Skype. Each application has strengths and weaknesses, so depending on what you are trying to accomplish will determine which is the best fit for your particular project.
Wikis are web pages that anyone can update or add to they are a useful resource in the classroom in order to keep everything organized, for example, we use a wiki in class to easily link to all of the assignments we have completed. Google Docs allow for presentations to become interactive and viewable by a variety of people regardless of the physical distance between them. Skype is an Internet phone service that allows people to easily communicate across the country or across continents.
Personally, I can see myself utilizing Google Docs the most out of all of the applications because it would allow immediate feedback and questions from my students while I was presenting a particular topic. It would also allow the students to comment on each others thoughts in a low pressure environment instead of raising their hand in front of the entire class.