Collective writing

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Definition

It is an example of collective intelligence or social computing, because you are collaborating with others in order to have a better performance. Group projects have always existed but the new technologies have made them easier to organize and develop (for example eliminating the problem of people unable to meet at the same moment, of single students doing the work of the whole group, etc.).

(For a deeper insight on writing as a cognitive tool see Writing-to-learn )

Tools and Software

There are many writing tools that can be used for collective writing. They allow people working on the same project to contribute from anywhere and at any time.

Standard wordprocessors offer collective writing features.
Writely.com A Google project which lets you save and work online on documents and spreadsheets so that you, and whoever you choose, can always keep them updated.
Writeboardis another website which lets you save documents online and gives the possibility of updating them from wherever you want, comparing changes and having different people working on the same project.
Wikis, in particular systems like mediawiki that are currently developping models to prepare printed books (e.g. Wiki readers)
Blogs as well can be used for group projects and are very useful for online discussions.

As pointed out by the Washington University, these applications are transforming the Internet from a means of uploading and gathering information to a means of collaboration.

Advantages

Collective writing can be very useful at two levels:

at a group level, because the possibility of adding new ideas and editing each others’ work leads to a better developped topic;
at a personal level, because contributors are stimulated to use precise language, express their ideas concisely but clearly; this involvement, often leading to a greater interest in the topic, may in the end result in a better learning.

Disadvantages

In order to take part in a collective writing project you need to know at least some basic technical skills, first of all typing (writing in italics and bold for example) and all the essential features of a word processor; you can then go on and increase your knowledge to use more difficult applications (for example you need to know a little bit of HTML language to be able to edit wiki pages). People who are not very good with computers might feel a bit under pressure and they risk to concentrate more on “how-to-write” than on “what-to-write”.

Links

References

Carol L. Winkelmann, Electronic literacy, critical pedagogy, and collaboration: A case for cyborg writing (1995), Computers and the Humanities, Volume 29, Number 6, 431 - 448.