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Hugh Chipman Acadia University HPC workshop July 12, 2007

Fast, Cheap & Out of Control: a collection of (mostly) free collaborative tools ranging from wikis to tablet PCs. Hugh Chipman Acadia University HPC workshop July 12, 2007. A grab bag . What tools (gadgets?) can I get to help me work with people far away? …And what’s it going to cost me?

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Hugh Chipman Acadia University HPC workshop July 12, 2007

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  1. Fast, Cheap & Out of Control: a collection of (mostly) free collaborative tools ranging from wikis to tablet PCs Hugh Chipman Acadia University HPC workshop July 12, 2007

  2. A grab bag • What tools (gadgets?) can I get to help me work with people far away? • …And what’s it going to cost me? • “Cost” should include my time as well as money.

  3. My background • Supervising 2 PhDs at UWaterloo (& others) • I’m at a small, somewhat isolated department. • Bi-weekly “reading group” with participants at Acadia, Dal, UW, Calgary. • Warning: I’ve been assimilated by(mail, word, spreadsheet, scholar, maps, talk, calendar, photos, …)

  4. What are my goals? • Weekly “meetings” with distant students (one-on-one & 3-way communication, share files and information) • Regular group meetings to discuss a common document. • Provide detailed feedback on student works (eg thesis drafts). • As a side effect, try to organize some of the stuff I do.

  5. Organization of this talk • I’ll organize it by tools, rather than by tasks. • Talk: Skype, Google Talk, MSN, Yahoo! Messenger • Share: Wikis • Annotate: Tablet PCs • Schedule: Shared calendars (wiki, google)

  6. GOAL 1: Talk • Skype: • Free peer-to-peer communication • “Conference calls” easy • Quality can be an issue • Network traffic/latency • Firewalls • Time of day • A cheap headset is a good investment

  7. Talk: Skype • Have used for > 1 year now, pretty decent. • Used in various contexts: 1-on-1, 3-way, larger reading group (DMRG; SAMSI) • Do you need video? Not usually. Hearing someone and being able to see text/pictures is more important. • Can use slides & other material.

  8. Talk: Other programs • Have tried Google Talk and Yahoo! Messenger a bit • Some differences, but I don’t see a clear winner.

  9. GOAL 2: Share • Skype and others let you send files; email can do this also • But these are transient – files are gone unless you’re organized enough to save them. • Alternative: Wikis

  10. Share: Wikis • “A wiki enables documents to be written collaboratively, in a simple markup language using a web browser.” – from www.wikipedia.org • Share • Organize • Easy to edit • Broad access

  11. Wikis • Here’s an example of a student I’m working with (Wanhua Su). • Co-supervision with a facultymember at UW (Mu Zhu). • Wiki an important component of weekly meetings (also use skype). • (Go to web page)

  12. Wiki example, continued • What’s useful is the ability to edit a shared document, and do it from anywhere. • Record main ideas/directions • Add comments/interpretations/discussion • Talking on skype/phone/etc much easier if you have material to talk about.

  13. A few other Wiki examples • Wiki as a collector of links • Wiki for organizing a reading group: “Data mining reading group” • Distribute content (papers) and links • Keep history of meetings • Schedule meeting times (example) • Public wikis can be hacked.

  14. Wikis for free? • The wiki I just showed you is hosted at ACMMaC. • Do you have to host your own wiki? • Not really. There are “free” online wikis.www.wikispaces.com

  15. Free Wiki example… • We’ll look at the anatomy of a wiki using a wikispaces page as an example. • Wiki page for one of yesterday’s labs.

  16. Wiki features See http://www.wikispaces.com/Features • WYSIWYG editor (optional) • Collaborators can edit your page • Include files of arbitrary type • Revision control • External linking • Search • Space backups • Math equations • Code • Embed images • … and “free” ads you have to pay to remove (oh well)

  17. Other “share” examples: • “Docs” (word processing) and Spreadsheet. • Multiple people can view/edit a document • Again, sharing a file in a common location a big advantage • Registration spreadsheet for this workshop was shared this way.

  18. GOAL 3: Annotate • Wikis are one tool enabling you to add comments. • Tablet PCs are another. • Mark up documentsusing a pen and thescreen.

  19. Tablet PCs • IBM Thinkpad X60 (~$2500;$2100 base) • 2GB RAM (1GB standard) • 8 cell battery (4 cell standard) • Intel Centrino dual core CPU, 1.66Mhz • Lightweight, no CD drive • Windows XP/Tablet • Windows Journal, Office/tablet, PDF Annotator.

  20. Uses for tablets • Annotate a PDF • Keep your copy • Send/share with others • Also useful for rehearsing talks • Write on a shared space, e.g. enVision, VNC

  21. GOAL 4:Schedule • Shared schedule on Google Calendar • Others can access my schedule, add or change appointments. • Group event scheduling – Wikis can be effective for groups of 4-12 (just set up a public page and everyone indicates when not free).

  22. Conclusions • The “value added” in many cases is the fact that many people can work together from a distance: • Skype: multiway conference • Wiki: multiple editors • Tablet: share annotated documents • Calendar: share scheduling info

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