±«Óătv

What is collaboration?

Collaboration means working together as a team to create something.

The best way to collaborate is to use the strengths of everyone involved.

Collaboration is an important skill, both in school and in the workplace. Having someone else's ideas and opinions can help make a project even better.

Musicians often collaborate with each other to make exciting songs that combine different styles of music.

Back to top

What different ways can you collaborate?

Collaboration can be synchronous or asynchronous.

  • Synchronous collaboration means that everyone works together in real-time.

  • This type of collaboration works really well if people are available at the same time.

  • Video conferencing is an example of synchronous collaboration.

  • Asynchronous collaboration means everyone works at their own pace and responds when they can.

  • This type of collaboration works well when people are in different places around the world and unable to meet at the same time.

  • Email is an example of asynchronous collaboration.

There are lots of different ways you can communicate using technology, for example:

  • email
  • instant messaging
  • comments and reviews

Many of these can be used for digital collaboration.

Back to top

Video conference

Video conferencing is a type of synchronous collaboration where people share ideas on a video call.

Often, video conferencing can involve using a collaborative document such as a digital whiteboard.

Video conferencing can be really useful if people aren't in the same location. It can also mean people don't have to spend as much time travelling as they used to.

Back to top

Collaborative documents

Collaborative documents allow people to work on the same document at the same time, from different locations.

Collaborative documents can be used both synchronously or asynchronously.

If you are using a document asynchronously, you can leave comments, or suggest changes to help someone edit their work later.

You might use a collaborative document with a classmate on a project about dinosaurs.

Or, you might collaborate on a set of algorithms for a computer game you and your friends want to make.

Working on the same document at the same time can be confusing, so it's important to set up rules to make sure that no one accidentally deletes important information.

Back to top

Cloud-based collaboration

Until recently, many people would save their files on their computer to keep them safe.

Many modern tools are .

This means that all their files are stored online. By storing files online, people can access them from anywhere in the world.

This makes it easy for people to work on the same project no matter where they are. Whether they are creating digital art, a piece of music, an animation or writing a story.

Back to top

Collaboration can be fun

Collaborations can be a lot of fun. Have you ever worked with a friend to create or build something exciting together?

Some of the incredible songs we know and love use technology to aid collaboration between musicians and vocalists.

A song’s composer and producer could be in a studio in one country, while musicians and vocalists are in different studios in other parts of the world!

They can talk about their ideas, record their performances and send them to each other over the internet. The producer can then assemble them into the finished song!

Back to top

What sort of jobs involve collaborating using technology?

Digital media

Many companies advertise using digital media. Teams of artists and designers create content for digital media advertising campaigns before being published.

Often, documents will be sent to all of the people involved via email, or shared during a video conference, allowing ideas to develop through discussion.

Social media

Many social media influencers collaborate with other influencers to create posts and stories together.

Sometimes they will meet up to make their content together, but often they will record their pieces separately and then put them together using digital technology.

Some people collaborate on songs and dances using platforms like TikTok or Instagram.

Computer games

Computer games are created by lots of different people. Different teams will have responsibility for character design, animation, audio and programming how the game works.

Collaboration tools mean that all these different people can work and share their individual parts to create the game. They can work from either their home, a studio or an office. They all don't need to be in the same room or even the same country!

Education

While teaching often works best in real life, collaboration technology has made some areas of teaching easier.

Teachers can collaborate more effectively, to develop interesting and exciting content. They can also learn about new tools and new ways to deliver lessons and content.

Back to top

What might the future look like for the workplace?

Collaboration has changed the way many people work and there are new ideas and ways to collaborate being developed every day.

Online collaboration tools have given some people the option to work from home, instead of an office.

Being able to talk to people on the other side of the world, makes it easier for people to work together. This makes it easier to have input from a more diverse range of people.

Collaboration tools can also help a workplace be more inclusive. They can help people who might otherwise struggle in certain environments, join in projects and become involved more easily.

Back to top

Activities

Back to top

Computing - Dance Mat Typing. game

Build and test your computing skills with different levels of touch type challenges

Computing - Dance Mat Typing
Back to top

More on Digital literacy

Find out more by working through a topic