ITM501 – MOD 4 SLP

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This paper is a review of the uses, advantages and limitations of Writerboard for writers such as my classmate and myself. We undertook an assignment together and we thought of doing it with the help of the features of the Writerboard. This paper, therefore, will write a short summary of what the advantages or strengths of the Writerboard. The paper will also indicate some limitations of the cloud technology; show its value when compared to other kinds of collaboration. Generally, the paper will discuss the benefits of collaborative tools based on cloud technologies and compare them with other applications based on the computer like word, Email and other tools such as the mail, telephone and other forms of interaction.

We found that cloud based technology has numerous advantages when compared to other forms of interaction such as telephone, email and word. One of these numerous advantages is that one can make use of this technology to write and come up with numerous things from business proposals to marketing brochures to weblog posts to poems to songs to books to school assignments, and much more. However, unlike computer based technologies such as the word that is usually stored in one or two computers at home or in the office, one can get to their Writerboard accounts from any other computer in the world so long as there is an Internet connection.

Another excellent advantage of using Writerboard for collaboration is that it makes it easier to share or collaborate with partners. It makes it possible for individuals to help each other edit their works and it is an excellent way to work with colleagues on assignments and other works. In addition, it gives other interested students to add to someone else’s paper, and it makes it easier for professors to collaborate with their students as the assignments progress. Sharing contents on the Writerboard is also easy. One only has to enter an email address of someone else, and he or she will get an invitation to edit and view the work.

In addition to this, it is easy and safe when using Writerboard to edit and revise. This is because every time one saves an edited version, a new version is created and linked on the side bar. This makes it possible for partners to write and revise their work without the fear of overwriting something or deleting something, or losing a better version of their work. This is unlike the other forms of collaboration like the word, which increases the chances of losing saved work, or deleting something. Another advantage of Writerboard is that it allows individuals to compare their work. They are able to know what changed between two or more versions of their work. There is a compare option that individuals can use to compare such Writerboards. Everything that was changed is usually highlighted in grey and everything else in green. This is usually extremely beneficial when there is more than one person collaborating on an assignment. The cloud technology also offers individuals the option of organizing their accounts with Backpack.

Through experience, I found that cloud technologies are much better in collaborating on assignments than when using word or other forms of interaction. There were few and insignificant limitations seen in Writerboard and one of them is that the application allows ideas from so many people such that original ideas can be watered down. Another limitation is that it requires Internet connection and availability of computers for all partners. Other than that, the cloud technology proved to be highly useful in collaborating in assignments and other forms of writing assignments.

Reference

Write, share, revise, compare. Writerboard. Retrieved from http://writeboard.com/