SharePoint and Collaboration
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used to share resources through calendars”. The Riverside Librarian stated “CTLA (Coq. Teacher Librarians) use SharePoint site to communicate & share material, although many members still do this through their own websites or e-mail. As more and more Professional Development about SharePoint takes place, more use will occur”. The majority of the positive responses for SharePoint collaboration from the staff indicates the use of the following: document libraries for lessons and assignments, discussion boards for assessment, tips for effective teaching practices, calendar, wiki’s for ESL vocabulary, weekly bulletins, and a simple/safe place for people to share ideas. Interestingly, many teachers were as interested in collaboration with and among students as they were with their colleagues. A Science teacher stated that “I am excited about the opportunities that SharePoint gives me to in terms of student collaboration. Having a website that allows students to contribute to the course and help themselves completely changes the way I teach. I am no longer in charge of the information”. The undecided group was unanimous in their wanting more training in order to increase their comfort level/knowledge base with the software. Statements such as: “I really do not know. I find the process very cumbersome and time consuming, partly because I am still very unfamiliar with access and use. It is not something I would think of first. The little bit of SharePoint stuff I have created has been in a workshop setting and then forgotten about as it just seemed such a hassle. If I want to communicate my first reaction would be e-mail” and “I need to be taught more on how to use it. We should be instructed to use it more, that way we can try it more and we would learn more” were common with this group.
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