Getting social: experimenting with collaboration software

Ge#ng  socialized:  experimen4ng  with  collabora4on  so9ware  

OLA  Super  Conference  Toronto,  Ontario  January  29,  2015  

Helen  Kula  [email protected]  @helenkula    Andrew  Graham  [email protected]  @andrewjgraham    Ali  Abbas  Mehboob  Hirji  [email protected]  @abbaspeaks  

Agenda  

•  Li  Koon  Chun  Finance  Learning  Centre    – What  we  do  –  Challenges  

•  SoluHon  –  CollaboraHon  soIware  

•  03  &  ORION  •  ImplementaHon  •  The  story  so  far  •  The  future  for  03    •  Discussion  

Who  we  are  

Li  Koon  Chun  Finance  Learning  Centre    

Li  Koon  Chun  Finance  Learning  Centre    

•  What  we  do:  – Teaching    

•  In  FLC  and  in  classrooms  

– Reference  &  research  support  – Programming  

•  Speakers,  trading  compeHHons,  film  nights,  etc.  

– FLC  Student  Assistant  program  •  New  orientaHon  this  year…  

Li  Koon  Chun  Finance  Learning  Centre    

•  Challenges:  – FragmentaHon  

•  Content  spread  out  across  mulHple  ‘homes’  

– Email  in-­‐box  cluZer  –  no  vehicle  for  messaging  – Online  discussion  &  decisions  ‘  buried’  in  email  – Limited  engagement  with  FLC  student  assistants  as  a  team  

– No  pla]orm  to  encourage  group  learning  &  sharing  

Li  Koon  Chun  Finance  Learning  Centre    

•  Challenges  – New  team  member’s  previous  experience:  

Where’s my JIVE?    

Solu4on:  Collabora4on  so9ware  •  Defini4on:  

 “So%ware  that  allows  people  to  work  together  on  the  same  documents  and  projects  over  local  and  remote  networks….  “[G]roupware”  was  the  first  term  coined  to  describe  collaboraAve  so%ware.    Also  called  "social  so%ware,"  collaboraAve  so%ware  embraces  the  communicaAons  systems  as  well,  including  e-­‐mail,  videoconferencing,  instant  messaging  and  chat.”  

Source:  PC  Magazine’s  Encyclopedia  (accessed  online  at  hZp://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/39968/collaboraHve-­‐soIware)    

Solu4on:  Collabora4on  so9ware  

•  Typical  features:  – Messaging  –  Discussion  groups  or  forums,  with  access  controls  –  Document  sharing  &  group  ediHng/commenHng  on  same  –  Blogging  &  other  ‘social’  features,  e.g.  updates,  ‘likes’  +/or  upvoHng,  polling,  user  profiles  

–  Search  &  tagging  •  Examples:    – MicrosoI’s  Yammer  &  360,  JIVE,  Socialcast,  Oracle’s  Beehive,  IBM  Notes  &  Domino  (formerly  Lotus),  &  Igloo,  Facebook  at  Work,  Slant…  &  03  

Ontario  Research  &  Innova4on  Op4cal  Network  

                                 What  is    

•  A  cloud-­‐based  digital  lab/classroom  for  collaboraHon  that  can  be  

deployed  instantly    •  Enables  researchers  to  share  findings  through  mulHple  devices  within  

an  SSL  secured  space  

•  Empowers  students  to  overcome  classroom  shyness  and  develop  a  digital  voice  

 •  Engages  educators  to  create  private/public  interfaces  to  engage  with  

parents  and  other  educaHon  stakeholders  

•  Encourages  BYOD  uptake  with  mobile  apps,  email  enabled  capaciHes  and  responsive  design  

Ontario’s backbone of innovation

!

!!!!!!

Who’s using O3 powered by Igloo? !q  Students!q  Researchers!q  Educators!

!!

→ Over 4000 members in 80+ ! spaces & communities !

!! !

Research Collaborations

Ontario’s backbone of innovation

Ontario College Library Services

Over 150 library technicians from college libraries across Ontario share and evaluate resources on O3. Via AskON librarians also receive live support during work hours.

Research Intranets

Implementa4on    

•  March  2014  –  Implemented  with  2  users  

•  March  –  June  2014  – CustomizaHon  &  uploading  of  content  

•  Dec  2014  – Roll-­‐out  to  FLC  Student  Assistants  &  selected  UTM  Library  staff  

Implementa4on    

Implementa4on    

Implementa4on    

Implementa4on    

The  story  so  far    

•  What’s  working  –  Centralized  space  for  documents,  templates,  forms  – Use  of  wiki  to  capture  important  informaHon,  e.g.  passwords  

– Messaging  between  2  staff  –  Periodic  updates  provided  by  staff    – Use  of  poll  to  solicit  student  feedback  on  how  to  use  potenHal  cash  donaHon  

–  Security  and  privacy  concerns  addressed  –  Responsive  support  &  technical  help  

The  story  so  far  

•  What’s  not  working  – Email  sHll  dominates    

•  If  a  thread  begins  on  email,  tends  to  stay  there  –  Need  criHcal  mass  of  users  to  shiI  conversaHons  to  03  –  Very  liZle  use  of  forums  

– Students  using  03  as  a  central  document  repository  –  but  liZle  else  •  No  connecHon  to  exisHng  workflow?  •  CompeHHon  from  Facebook,  SnapChat  and  other  social  media?  –  Structural  incenHves  not  there  to  adopt  pla]orm  

The  story  so  far    

•  What’s  not  working  – No  real  task/project  management  capability  

•  Asana  ‘competes’  with  O3  

– Other  limitaHon  in  funcHonality  and  features  •  RestricHng  access  to  forum  discussions  or  documents  is  awkward  •  Limited  group-­‐ediHng  of  documents  

– Very  ‘funcHonal’  UI  –  Not  ‘preZy’  

The  future  for  03?  

For  FLC:    •  Use  03  to  support  annual  FLC  planning  –  Discussion  forum  –  Planning  document(s)  

•  More  integraHon  of  03  into  FLC  student  assistant  program    

•  Sharing  what  we  have  learned  with  UTM  Library  &  IMI  

•  Working  with  ORION  to  enhance  funcHonality    

What is Next For !

Ontario’s backbone of innovation

Project Nexus

Discussion  

•  What  tools  do  you  currently  use  –  or  are  you  considering?  

•  What  success  have  you  had  using  collaboraHon  soIware?  

•  What  challenges  have  you  experienced  using  collaboraHon  soIware  –  or  would  you  anHcipate  –  in  your  workplace?  

•  Can  one  tool  do  it  all?  

YOUR  TURN!