Day 3: Effects on Collaboration

Learning Objectives

• IOC-1.C: Explain how computing innovations have changed society.

Essential Questions

• How has computing changed the way people collaborate?
• What tools and platforms enable digital collaboration?
• How has collaboration evolved in various fields due to computing?

Materials Needed

• Presentation slides on collaborative computing
• Access to collaborative platforms for demonstration
• Collaborative activity worksheets
• Field-specific collaboration examples
• Exit ticket templates

Vocabulary

• Collaboration
• Crowdsourcing
• Distributed teams
• Version control
• Real-time collaboration
• Cloud computing
• Collaborative filtering
• Wikis
• Open source
• Virtual teams

Procedure (50 minutes)

Opening (8 minutes)

1. Review and Connection (3 minutes)

   • Review effects on communication from previous lesson
   • Connect to today's focus on collaboration
   • Explain the difference between communication and collaboration

2. Warm-up Activity (5 minutes)

   • Ask students: "What's the most complex thing you've collaborated on with others?"
   • Have students share examples of collaboration experiences
   • Discuss challenges they faced during collaboration
   • Introduce the idea that computing has transformed collaborative possibilities

Main Activities (32 minutes)

3. Exploration: Collaborative Computing Tools (12 minutes)

   • Define collaborative computing as tools that enable multiple people to work together on shared tasks
   • Categorize major types of collaborative tools:
     • Document collaboration (Google Docs, Office 365)
     • Project management (Trello, Asana, Jira)
     • Version control systems (Git, GitHub)
     • Communication platforms (Slack, Microsoft Teams)
     • Wikis and knowledge bases
     • Virtual whiteboards and design tools
     • Collaborative media creation
   • Demonstrate key features of collaborative platforms:
     • Real-time editing and visibility
     • Version history and tracking changes
     • Commenting and feedback
     • Access control and permissions
     • Synchronous and asynchronous collaboration
   • Discuss how these tools enable new forms of collaboration:
     • Distributed teams across geography
     • Asynchronous contributions across time zones
     • Massively collaborative projects (Wikipedia, open source)
     • Crowdsourcing (citizen science, crowdfunding)

4. Hands-on Experience: Collaborative Platforms (10 minutes)

   • Guide students through using a collaborative platform
   • Have students work in small groups on a shared document or project
   • Assign specific collaborative tasks:
     • Simultaneously editing different sections
     • Providing comments and feedback
     • Resolving conflicting changes
     • Using version history
     • Setting permissions and sharing
   • Discuss the experience and how it differs from non-digital collaboration

5. Discussion: Changes in Collaboration Across Fields (10 minutes)

   • Divide class into groups, each assigned a different field:
     • Scientific research
     • Software development
     • Creative arts and media
     • Business and entrepreneurship
     • Education
     • Civic engagement and activism
   • Groups research and discuss how collaboration has changed in their assigned field due to computing
   • Groups identify specific tools and platforms used in that field
   • Groups present key findings to the class
   • Create a cross-field comparison of collaboration changes

Closing (10 minutes)

6. Group Activity: Collaborative Tool Use (7 minutes)

   • Students work in groups to complete a collaborative task using digital tools
   • Options include:
     • Creating a shared knowledge base on a topic
     • Collaboratively designing a solution to a problem
     • Planning an event with distributed responsibilities
     • Creating a collaborative story or presentation
   • Groups reflect on the process and how the tools shaped their collaboration
   • Discuss advantages and limitations of the collaborative experience

7. Exit Ticket and Preview (3 minutes)

   • Students complete a reflection on their collaborative experience
   • Students identify one way computing has positively changed collaboration and one challenge it has introduced
   • Preview that next class will focus on effects on cognition

Assessment

• Formative: Quality of participation in collaborative activities
• Exit Ticket: Depth of reflection on collaborative computing experience

Differentiation

For Advanced Students

• Ask them to analyze more complex collaborative systems like Git
• Have them compare different collaborative platforms and their design philosophies
• Challenge them to design a collaborative workflow for a complex project

For Struggling Students

• Focus on more intuitive collaborative tools
• Provide step-by-step guides for collaborative activities
• Assign specific roles in collaborative tasks to ensure participation

Homework/Extension

• Research and write about a major collaborative computing project (Wikipedia, Linux, etc.)
• Interview someone who collaborates professionally about how technology has changed their work
• Participate in an online collaborative project and document the experience

Teacher Notes

• Ensure all students have access to the collaborative platforms being used
• Be prepared to troubleshoot technical issues with collaborative tools
• Consider privacy implications when selecting collaborative platforms
• Make connections to how collaboration skills are valued in the workplace
• Emphasize that effective collaboration requires both technical and interpersonal skills