Group work is a valuable part of any academic journey. It allows you to complete assignments as a team, discuss topics during revision, and maintain a healthy social-academic life. In the era of digital learning, collaboration tasks will increase, requiring you to use the latest technology, tools, and gadgets to create a seamless experience.
The choice of a collaboration tool will depend on the task at hand. With many tools performing the same task, you must pick the most appropriate and efficient for the task. The group can also get a homework helper for English online, reducing their workload and making learning easier at any level.
Before looking at the tools, it is necessary to review the features that make a collaborative tool good for a team. These tips will help you to get the best tool regardless of the task you are undertaking.
- Fit for purpose- collaboration tools require you to work on a singular project from remote locations. It should, therefore, allow video conferencing, multiple-document viewing, and admin management.
- Customizable- each assignment is unique. It may require sharing of materials or video calls. You also need to control the activities of team members. By customizing the app, you create a unique online class where everyone will feel comfortable. Customizing also allows you to get rid of features and activities that may distract the team. You can concentrate on the assignment at hand, reducing execution time in the process.
- Inclusivity- the tech-savviness of each student will differ. If the tool is to serve all students in the group, each must feel a part of it through simple features. Such features will reduce the learning curve, enabling the team to complete the task faster.
- Integration- assignments require you to use other tools and materials obtained from other sources. The ability to integrate with social media, MS Office, Sheets, and other apps allow you to share materials that enhance your work.
- Easy search function- groups share a lot of materials. Conversations and updates will also require constant reminders as well as reviews. The tool should allow members to easily search for past materials, conversations, and links. Each meeting or assignment flows seamlessly into the next.
- Cloud-based storage- each member will be accessing the group from a remote location. Today they might have their laptops and tomorrow a phone. Cloud storage will allow them to access all the materials shared in previous sessions from any gadget and location. It presents a seamless flow interaction that makes it easier to complete assignments.
New tools are released to the market with upgraded features. While you go for the most updated tools, you must consider compatibility to the gadgets each member is using. This will make it easy for all members of the team to join meetings and contribute to assignments.
Here are excellent tools students working on a collaborative project can use for different tasks.
Google Docs
Google Docs is a perfect text-generating tool for collaboration assignments. It presents all the features of a text-generating software, only this time they are available online. As such, every member can write a paragraph on the same document from their remote location.
Collaboration assignments require you to track the contribution of every member. Through the app, you can trace the paragraphs and sentences written by each invited member. The team avoids the struggle of requiring one member to compile the final document on behalf of the others.
The app also acts as a cloud-storage platform for all your documents. By sharing access, members of the team can access different files from the cloud. With admin features, you can control the activities of individual members.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a name in collaboration discourse. It has a special portal for the education sector that will provide a suitable environment to focus on the task at hand. The idea is to enhance your online learning experience without the distractions of the internet.
To begin with, it allows you to share, edit, and work on documents seamlessly. The documents could be spreadsheets, text, or images, among other files. Each student has the power to customize the appearance of his classroom. The admin may also manage a few of the general features to create his desired environment. Microsoft Teams can be used by students at different grades, making it easier for teachers and trainers.
Here are some of the best features to utilize in TEAMS
- Share documents like images, text-files, audio, spreadsheets, and others.
- Set up class sessions, meetings, and virtual engagements
- Provides insights on how to make better use of the platform to improve your collaboration assignments.
- Microsoft is available on desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone. This allows students to join the meetings from any location regardless of the gadget they have at the moment.
- Microsoft Teams will enhance social skills despite providing room for remote learning. The set up allows students to interact as though they are in a real class setting.
Microsoft Teams is free for students using active school emails. In case you need to buy additional features, the price is reasonable for a student. It is one of the best rated collaboration tools by experts, students, and education stakeholders.
Zoom
A group working on a collaboration project is still expected to meet virtually, share files, and manage their project. Zoom provides the perfect features to assist you to accomplish these goals. It is a video telephony app that allows you to hold meetings with up to 100 participants.
Zoom allows you to share files, screens, chat, and manage audio by participants. It integrates seamlessly with other apps, to allow you to edit images, text, and listen to audios concurrently. The app works on all devices and operating systems you can imagine. Since it is designed for meetings, you will easily learn the features, enabling the least tech-savvy student to contribute. This is a perfect place to start when working on collaborative projects.
The effectiveness of collaboration tools depends on the features each offers. Choose a tool that is easy to use for all participants and will allow you to share files, hold conversations, and manage your collaboration activities. Since you are using these tools through the internet, they should have a mechanism to protect you from distractions coming from internet activities.
