Google Wave
I just got an invite to use Google Wave today. For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, Wave is Google’s newest endeavor.
It’s basically an online collaboration center. It’s currently in preview mode which means that not everyone with a Google account can sign up just yet. They’re opening it up slowly in order to get the bugs worked out. As it nears it’s time for general release however it may be a good idea to study up on the finer points of how it works. As I said, I just received my invite this morning and it looks somewhat intimidating at first. I’ve started to watch the tutorials though and it’s starting to make more sense. Here is a video which gives an overview of the different things that Wave can do.
I really think that this will be a great tool for students working on group projects. Especially when some of your team members are commuters and it’s hard to meet up in person. It allows you to chat in real time which means that while I’m typing, other group members may also be typing at the same time. It allows you to embed videos, pictures, and other items in the conversation so you can view it all in the same place.
In my opinion one of the most frustrating parts of collaboration is organizing all the things you’re working on together. Locating various emails, drafts of documents, etc. can be a real pain. This looks like a great way to keep yourself (and your group) organized. It also looks like a great way to plan a party!
Are you on Wave yet? If so let us know what you think and what you’ve used it for so far.
Submitted by Emily