google wave + education

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Google Wave Use Cases: Education

Written by Richard MacManus / October 29, 2009 4:43 AM

Google Wave is a much hyped new Internet-based communications and collaboration platform. It was announced at the end of May, released as a ‘Preview’ product shortly after and 100,000 more invites were made available at the end of September.

Early users reported mixed feelings. But one month after Google Wave was opened to tens of thousands of people, how are people using it now? What use cases are being discovered? Let’s start with the education sector. We’ll explore other use cases in upcoming posts.

What is Google Wave Again?

A quick reminder of what Google Wave is. In a nutshell, Google Wave is a new form of real-time communications. Google describes it as “equal parts conversation and document.” In our first ‘hands-on’ post at the beginning of June, we described it as “real-time email with a big dose of IM built-in” – although we noted that “this only describes a small part of what Wave can do.”

In a recent CNN profile, Wave creators Lars and Jens Rasmussen described it as making email “collaborative and instant.”

Wave in Class

After searching some public ‘waves,’ we came across an educational wave. Entitled ‘Wave in Class,’ this wave was started by Loren Baum (a self-described “collaborative learning enthusiast” and graduate student at Ben Gurion University) and Sam Boland (a Politics student and “Tech Enthusiast” at Occidental College, Los Angeles).

The wave was started to explore concepts like “Collaborative Note Taking” and “Wave as a Debate Host.” Nearly 100 people are included in the wave, ranging from teachers to PhD students to IT professionals to high school students.

This particular wave was framed at the start as being “a set of collaborative documents, supported by a chat.”

As a note-taking tool, Samuel Boland wrote that “there appears to be a concensus that this [Google Wave] will work as a note-taking tool, the only disagreement is over how to implement it.” Options for note-taking include voluntary extra-curricular groups, rotating in-class groups and small in-class groups.

A few users enthused later in the wave that “Google Wave combines a lot of the best features from different applications” – but with a real-time twist. It was noted that while Google Docs can be used to share notes and collaborate on assignments, with Google Wave students can collaborate in real-time. This could be important in education for things like notetaking, asking questions (a.k.a. a backchannel) and collaborative projects.

Another feature of Wave that would be useful for education purposes, according to this 100-person wave, is the play-back ability – “so instructors can see exactly who did what, and see the progression of ideas.”

Will Wave Make Students Lazy?

One concern that seemed to pop up several times in the wave was that Google Wave could make it too easy for lazy students to get by. As Justin Neitzey succinctly put it: “I don’t think kids should be allowed piggy back of the work of others.”

This is a similar concern that some in the education system had with Wolfram Alpha, another innovative Web tool that is set to change the way education is delivered.

Manny Guendulay responded that “reading those notes and participating in the collaboration of those notes hold totally different of levels of thinking.” He argued that “the person simply reading the notes (passively learning) has no chance to perform at the same level as someone who helped collaborate (active learning) on those notes, or even watched and read along while they were being created.”

In other words, engaging with Google Wave – and the Web in general in fact – will lead to smarter, better performing students. That sounds reasonable to us, but time will tell for both Google Wave and Wolfram Alpha on that score.

Conclusion

Overall, it is clear that Google Wave has potential to be very useful in the education system, particularly as a real-time collaborative note-taking tool. Three students experimented with just that in a lecture; the resulting notes were said to be “more complete” than if Wave hadn’t been used.

If you’re interested in exploring other education waves, check these out:

Posted in

and tagged with

Click here to find out more!

0 TrackBacks

TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.readwriteweb.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/13375

Comments

Subscribe to comments for this post OR Subscribe to comments for all ReadWriteWeb posts

  1. hi. Posted by: 内海秀紀 Author Profile Page | October 29, 2009 5:40 AM

  2. “I don’t think kids should be able to piggy back on the work of others.” ??? First of all, piggy backing on the work of others is how just about every great innovation evolves. Second, I guarantee that response has its genesis in a culture that has “taught” students to “do their own work” because that is what we currently think we know how to assess.I think the question we have to start asking right now is “does every student need to take notes in class?” Seriously. Wave offers some pretty interesting potentials (and challenges) when it comes to collaborative capture and reflection. But with all of the collaborative tools out there right now, synchronous or not, why aren’t we thinking differently more often about the work we ask students to do?

    Posted by: Will Richardson | October 29, 2009 6:00 AM

  3. What excites me about google wave is the fact that it is an integrated and open ended tool for collaboration. Another tool we use to organize our behavior in groups is currency. I think google wave will prove a powerful context in which to devise innovative ways of “keeping score” that help groups better organize their activities.Posted by: creatin | October 29, 2009 6:09 AM

  4. I usually work with web-based applications like http://www.showdocument.com
    I use it for sharing my designs and documents with partners and clients,
    but i guess it can used for other purposes too. If you’re looking for a free solution you should check it out.
    - Laura W.

    Posted by: Laura wilson | October 29, 2009 6:56 AM

  5. I’m excited to see how people are using Wave. I’ve been looking for artists to Wave with, as I think artistic collaboration has some possibilities. I’d love it if you guys posted something along those lines.Posted by: Cory Huff | October 29, 2009 8:16 AM

  6. how is this different from a wiki?Posted by: Karl Hille | October 29, 2009 10:19 AM

  7. Karl is right: the use explained here is not very different from a wiki (if substantially different at all). I suppose the selling point is that Wave incorporates numerous other features that amplify the collaborative authoring feature.But I want to step back. This example hinges on the premise that collaborative note-taking is beneficial for learning, an assumption that is neither argued nor justified here. As Will noted above, not all students need to take notes–indeed, I believe there is research that shows that some students learn more when paying full attention to listening rather than splitting attention between listening and the act of writing. Further, I suspect that collaborative note-taking might be less effective than individual note-taking following by note-sharing. The note-sharing, on a blog, for instance, motivates students to take good notes (knowing they will be seen), and allows students to benefit from others’ differently-complete notes.

    OK, now I’m curious enough that I’ll probably spend some time looking for some research, and maybe blog it up later!

    Posted by: Jared Stein | October 29, 2009 10:42 AM

  8. Well, I’ve been trying to get an invite since they were released I so desperately want to try it out.Posted by: Ian McRury | October 29, 2009 11:04 AM


  9. What a great article, Thanks! We have been working with Wave for months ( see http://www.dynamicalsoftware.com/news/?p=51 ) and I can totally see how Wave would be great for semester long group projects.

    Posted by: Avery Otto | October 29, 2009 11:52 AM

  10. Thank you for posting an update on Google Wave.I am especially interested in the use of GW for the business community and allowing business people to connect in regular “internet mastermind” initiatives. Meaning: take collective and collaborative thought on a daily basis, while being miles apart, with perhaps 10-12 others who provide synergistic input for decision makers.

    Posted by: Rick Coltman | October 29, 2009 12:12 PM

Leave a comment

Optional: Sign in with Connect Facebook Sign in with Twitter Twitter Sign in with OpenID OpenID |  other services

The ReadWrite Real-Time Web Summit

RWW SPONSORS

hakia CONTEXA

Aplus.net

Crowd Science

Domain.ME

Codero

Groupsite.com

FOLLOW @RWW ON TWITTER

follow @rww on Twitter

ReadWriteWeb on Facebook

Click here to find out more!


Google Wave Use Cases: Education

Written by Richard MacManus / October 29, 2009 4:43 AM / 10 Comments
Google Wave is a much hyped new Internet-based communications and collaboration platform. It was announced at the end of May, released as a ‘Preview’ product shortly after and 100,000 more invites were made available at the end of September.

Early users reported mixed feelings. But one month after Google Wave was opened to tens of thousands of people, how are people using it now? What use cases are being discovered? Let’s start with the education sector. We’ll explore other use cases in upcoming posts.

What is Google Wave Again?

A quick reminder of what Google Wave is. In a nutshell, Google Wave is a new form of real-time communications. Google describes it as “equal parts conversation and document.” In our first ‘hands-on’ post at the beginning of June, we described it as “real-time email with a big dose of IM built-in” – although we noted that “this only describes a small part of what Wave can do.”

In a recent CNN profile, Wave creators Lars and Jens Rasmussen described it as making email “collaborative and instant.”

Wave in Class

After searching some public ‘waves,’ we came across an educational wave. Entitled ‘Wave in Class,’ this wave was started by Loren Baum (a self-described “collaborative learning enthusiast” and graduate student at Ben Gurion University) and Sam Boland (a Politics student and “Tech Enthusiast” at Occidental College, Los Angeles).

The wave was started to explore concepts like “Collaborative Note Taking” and “Wave as a Debate Host.” Nearly 100 people are included in the wave, ranging from teachers to PhD students to IT professionals to high school students.

This particular wave was framed at the start as being “a set of collaborative documents, supported by a chat.”

As a note-taking tool, Samuel Boland wrote that “there appears to be a concensus that this [Google Wave] will work as a note-taking tool, the only disagreement is over how to implement it.” Options for note-taking include voluntary extra-curricular groups, rotating in-class groups and small in-class groups.

A few users enthused later in the wave that “Google Wave combines a lot of the best features from different applications” – but with a real-time twist. It was noted that while Google Docs can be used to share notes and collaborate on assignments, with Google Wave students can collaborate in real-time. This could be important in education for things like notetaking, asking questions (a.k.a. a backchannel) and collaborative projects.

Another feature of Wave that would be useful for education purposes, according to this 100-person wave, is the play-back ability – “so instructors can see exactly who did what, and see the progression of ideas.”

Will Wave Make Students Lazy?

One concern that seemed to pop up several times in the wave was that Google Wave could make it too easy for lazy students to get by. As Justin Neitzey succinctly put it: “I don’t think kids should be allowed piggy back of the work of others.”

This is a similar concern that some in the education system had with Wolfram Alpha, another innovative Web tool that is set to change the way education is delivered.

Manny Guendulay responded that “reading those notes and participating in the collaboration of those notes hold totally different of levels of thinking.” He argued that “the person simply reading the notes (passively learning) has no chance to perform at the same level as someone who helped collaborate (active learning) on those notes, or even watched and read along while they were being created.”

In other words, engaging with Google Wave – and the Web in general in fact – will lead to smarter, better performing students. That sounds reasonable to us, but time will tell for both Google Wave and Wolfram Alpha on that score.

Conclusion

Overall, it is clear that Google Wave has potential to be very useful in the education system, particularly as a real-time collaborative note-taking tool. Three students experimented with just that in a lecture; the resulting notes were said to be “more complete” than if Wave hadn’t been used.

If you’re interested in exploring other education waves, check these out:

Posted in

and tagged with

Click here to find out more!

0 TrackBacks

TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.readwriteweb.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/13375

Comments

Subscribe to comments for this post OR Subscribe to comments for all ReadWriteWeb posts

  1. hi. Posted by: 内海秀紀 Author Profile Page | October 29, 2009 5:40 AM

  2. “I don’t think kids should be able to piggy back on the work of others.” ??? First of all, piggy backing on the work of others is how just about every great innovation evolves. Second, I guarantee that response has its genesis in a culture that has “taught” students to “do their own work” because that is what we currently think we know how to assess.I think the question we have to start asking right now is “does every student need to take notes in class?” Seriously. Wave offers some pretty interesting potentials (and challenges) when it comes to collaborative capture and reflection. But with all of the collaborative tools out there right now, synchronous or not, why aren’t we thinking differently more often about the work we ask students to do?

    Posted by: Will Richardson | October 29, 2009 6:00 AM

  3. What excites me about google wave is the fact that it is an integrated and open ended tool for collaboration. Another tool we use to organize our behavior in groups is currency. I think google wave will prove a powerful context in which to devise innovative ways of “keeping score” that help groups better organize their activities.Posted by: creatin | October 29, 2009 6:09 AM

  4. I usually work with web-based applications like http://www.showdocument.com
    I use it for sharing my designs and documents with partners and clients,
    but i guess it can used for other purposes too. If you’re looking for a free solution you should check it out.
    - Laura W.

    Posted by: Laura wilson | October 29, 2009 6:56 AM

  5. I’m excited to see how people are using Wave. I’ve been looking for artists to Wave with, as I think artistic collaboration has some possibilities. I’d love it if you guys posted something along those lines.Posted by: Cory Huff | October 29, 2009 8:16 AM

  6. how is this different from a wiki?Posted by: Karl Hille | October 29, 2009 10:19 AM

  7. Karl is right: the use explained here is not very different from a wiki (if substantially different at all). I suppose the selling point is that Wave incorporates numerous other features that amplify the collaborative authoring feature.But I want to step back. This example hinges on the premise that collaborative note-taking is beneficial for learning, an assumption that is neither argued nor justified here. As Will noted above, not all students need to take notes–indeed, I believe there is research that shows that some students learn more when paying full attention to listening rather than splitting attention between listening and the act of writing. Further, I suspect that collaborative note-taking might be less effective than individual note-taking following by note-sharing. The note-sharing, on a blog, for instance, motivates students to take good notes (knowing they will be seen), and allows students to benefit from others’ differently-complete notes.

    OK, now I’m curious enough that I’ll probably spend some time looking for some research, and maybe blog it up later!

    Posted by: Jared Stein | October 29, 2009 10:42 AM

  8. Well, I’ve been trying to get an invite since they were released I so desperately want to try it out.Posted by: Ian McRury | October 29, 2009 11:04 AM


  9. What a great article, Thanks! We have been working with Wave for months ( see http://www.dynamicalsoftware.com/news/?p=51 ) and I can totally see how Wave would be great for semester long group projects.

    Posted by: Avery Otto | October 29, 2009 11:52 AM

  10. Thank you for posting an update on Google Wave.I am especially interested in the use of GW for the business community and allowing business people to connect in regular “internet mastermind” initiatives. Meaning: take collective and collaborative thought on a daily basis, while being miles apart, with perhaps 10-12 others who provide synergistic input for decision makers.

    Posted by: Rick Coltman | October 29, 2009 12:12 PM

Leave a comment

Optional: Sign in with Connect Facebook Sign in with Twitter Twitter Sign in with OpenID OpenID |  other services

The ReadWrite Real-Time Web Summit

RWW SPONSORS

hakia CONTEXA

Aplus.net

Crowd Science

Domain.ME

Codero

Groupsite.com

FOLLOW @RWW ON TWITTER

follow @rww on Twitter

ReadWriteWeb on Facebook

Click here to find out more!