The document discusses web-based collaboration platforms and tools. It defines collaboratories as combining collaboration and sharing of objects like documents through web portals. Web-based collaboration supports remote group work, online classes, and joint projects. There are three classes of collaboration capabilities: sharing participants through audio/video conferencing, basic communication tools like email and chat, and sharing resources like documents. Popular tools include communication tools like email, conferencing tools like video conferencing, and collaborative management tools like project management systems.

1. Web-Based Collaboration Platforms By Chang Hua Lin

2. Why Web-based Collaboration? We wish to build web-based support for people to interact with each other and with other resources: computers, documents and instruments. Definition of Collaboratories: The combination of concepts of collaboration or sharing objects with portals or web-based domain specific resources i.e. discovering, cataloging, invoking and rendering objects. (Sharing)

3. Collaborative technologies have emerged to offer a way to familiarize learners with these new expectations and experiences. While current collaboration tools include e-mail, computer networks, whiteboards, bulletin board systems, chat lines and online presentation tools.

4. Why collaborate online? web-based collaboration is in support of group work and learning; specific examples may include: project teams collaborating remotely, teachers holding review sessions online, skills trainers teaching online synchronous courses, and students working on joint projects without needing to reserve appropriate meeting spaces. Collaboration software environment that provides a "virtual building" where teams can communicate, collaborate, and share information, regardless of their geographic location

6. Audio-Video Conferencing The area most likely to lower the quality of the session. The essential problem is audio for this requires negligible bandwidth (a few kilobits per second) but high quality of service as the human ear is very sensitive to audio distortion. The current Internet does not support quality of service.

7. Audio/Video conferencing Continues In the case of video, there is less of a problem for although the bandwidth needed is higher than for audio. The quality of service is less critical for video. We transmit the curricula material separately from the multi-media and this will always be high quality.

8. Web Conferencing Tools Web conferencing tools are trying to create a virtual meeting environment similar to real world seminar rooms. In this case, attendees are at their desktops with an Internet connection during meetings, instead of being at the same room. The presenter can do a power point slide show, ask some questions through chat and get the answers from audience, annotate on the slides, write and draw pictures on a blackboard, and demo an application during a virtual meeting. Audience can either ask questions by talking when given the permission or through the chat. The voice is transmitted either through Internet or using teleconferencing. Some conferencing tools also provide video streaming

10. Electronic communication tools send messages, files, data, or documents between people and hence facilitate the sharing of information. Examples include: e-mail faxing voice mail web publishing

11. Electronic conferencing tools also facilitate the sharing of information, in a more interactive way. Examples include: Data conferencing – networked PCs share a common “whiteboard” that each user can modify Voice conferencing – telephones allow users to interact Video conferencing (and audio conferencing) – network PCs share video or audio signals Internet forums (also known as message boards or discussion boards) – a virtual discussion platform to facilitate and manage online text messages Chat rooms – a virtual discussion platform to facilitate and manage real-time text messages Electronic meeting systems (EMS) – a conferencing system built into a room.

12. Collaboration management tools facilitate and manage group activities. Examples include: Electronic calenders (also called time management software) – schedule events and automatically notify and remind group memebers Project management systems – schedule, track, and chart the steps in a project as it is being completed Workflow systems – collaborative management of task and documents within a knowledge-based business process Knowledge management systems – collect, organize, manage, share various forms of information

13. The Internet Collaborative Tools: e-learning Email Listservs Newsgroups BBSes Web-Conferencing Internet Relay Chat (IRC) Muds/Moos IPhone and Internet Radio Desktop Video Conferencing VRML Chat Systems WebRoad WebCT

14. References Bonk, Curtis J. “Collaborative Tools for e-Learning.” http:// www.clomedia.com/content/anmviewer.asp?a =41&print=yes Dec. 4, 2002. Forrester Introduces Collaboration Platforms TechRankings.” http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2004/mar/1026537.htm March 29, 2004. Fox, Geoffrey and Uyar, Ahmet. “Survey of Collaborative Tools and Systems.” http://aspen.ucs.indiana.edu/collabtools/CollabReviewfeb25- 01.html#_Toc509315294 March 15, 2001. Rhee, Injong. “Group Communication Support for Distributed Collaboration System.” http://www.mathcs.emory.edu/ccf/reports.html April 9, 2005 Sunderam, V. “CCF: Collaborative Computing Frameworks.” http:// www.mathcs.emory.edu/ccf/reports.html April 7, 2005 “ Collaborative Computer Frameworks for Natural Sciences Research.” Emory Univerity http:// www.mathcs.emory.edu/ccf/reports.html April 5, 2005