Digital Competency: Collaborating via Digital Technology

The Digital Competency Framework identifies digital collaboration as one of the key dimensions for learning and professional development in the 21st century. It involves selecting appropriate digital tools for users’ needs and the context in which they will be applied. As set out in the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur’s 2019 framework, this dimension has five key elements: 

• Seizing opportunities for collaboration: Making the most of media and digital environments to collaborate and even co-create with others.  
• Selecting appropriate tools: Selecting and using digital collaboration tools that are appropriate for the specific needs and context of the collaboration.  
• Developing interpersonal skills: Effective collaboration requires strong interpersonal skills, including respect, clear communication, and awareness of your role within a group.  
• Serving the community: Putting your skills and abilities to work for the community.  

When teaching digital collaboration, teachers should consider scenarios where students can experiment and explore all the possibilities that digital tools have to offer. It’s not just about knowing how to use these tools, but also how to apply them strategically to solve complex problems, successfully complete collaborative projects, and take part in group initiatives. To effectively teach this dimension, you must help your students develop core interpersonal skills, such as active listening, respect, clear communication, and negotiation, all while teaching them how to leverage digital technology to enhance and streamline team work.

 

As a teacher, digital collaboration may involve the following:

• Participating in online communities of practice
  Using digital platforms like LinkedIn to exchange with other teachers and education professionals, develop your professional network, share teaching resources, discuss professional challenges, and collaborate on educational projects.
• Collaborating on the creation of digital teaching resources
  Using online tools to co-create digital content (lessons, activities, projects, etc.) with other teachers. Here are a few useful tools for this type of activity: Google Workspace (Docs, Slides, Sheets), Microsoft 365 (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), Etherpad (for real-time collaborative writing), H5P, Genially (for creating interactive presentations, quizzes, and activities) and Padlet (for collaborative walls) and Wakelet (for organizing and sharing resource collections).  
• Using digital tools to manage team projects
  Implementing project management tools (Jira, Trello, Asana, etc.) to organize teamwork with other teachers or school staff (event planning, training, interdisciplinary projects, etc.).
• Setting up online mentoring or tutoring activities
  Using digital technology (Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams) for live meetings and screen sharing to mentor new teachers or set up peer-to-peer tutoring activities. To take things a step further, you can also use e-learning platforms such as Moodle, Google Classroom, Canvas, and Blackboard for organizing resources, activities, progress tracking, etc.
• Collaborating with experts or external partners
  Use digital tools (Zoom, Google Workspace) to collaborate with experts, community stakeholders, and other schools on educational projects.
• Sign up for online training courses
  Do online training courses that encourage interaction and collaboration with the other participants.

Digital collaboration opportunities for your students may involve the following:

• Co-creation activities
  Plan projects where students get to create a digital product together (presentations, ads, videos, collaborative websites, etc.). This encourages them to use online collaboration tools, share tasks, and pool their skills.  
• Shared workspaces
  Use discussion forums and other platforms that allow students to share ideas, ask questions, and work together on tasks. It’s a great way to develop their interpersonal and effective communication skills.  
• Community collaboration
  Plan projects where students work with outside partners (other classes, community organizations, experts, etc.) using digital technology. This gives them a chance to put their skills to work for the community. The Alloprof Help Zone is a wonderful collaborative tool for students, as they can use it to provide explanations to other students online.  
• Digital collaboration tools
  Introduce students to collaborative tools and teach them how to use them appropriately and effectively. Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, Canva, brainstorming platforms like Miro, and project management platforms like Asana are all good options. Emphasize the importance of choosing tools that are adapted to their needs and the learning context.
• Socio-emotional skill development
  Plan group activities that foster respect, active listening, clear communication, and awareness of everyone’s role. Digital collaboration requires strong interpersonal skills.  
• Collaborative evaluation scenarios
  Implement evaluation criteria that take into account not only the final product, but also the collaborative process itself, such as participation and peer support.  

1. Collaborative writing with wikis

• Wikis like the ones available through Université TÉLUQ (in French) enable students to work together on documents such as stories, study guides, and glossaries. This approach fosters peer learning, co-construction of knowledge, and written communication skills. More specifically, students could work together to summarize the key points of a textbook chapter, for example, or to build a database of examples relating to concepts covered in class. While you’re at it, why not draw inspiration from our collection of concept sheets to create a customized review guide using wikis?

2. Use shared documents (Google Docs, etc.)

• Platforms like Google Docs, Google Slides, and Teams make it easy for multiple users to write documents simultaneously, enabling real-time collaboration. These tools are especially useful for group work, peer review, and collaborative projects. More specifically, try asking students to work in groups on a shared document to develop a project plan, write a lab report, or prepare an oral presentation. This article from Université Laval lists a host of other digital tools that facilitate online collaboration. In addition, a directory of turnkey digital collaboration activity sheets is available on the Open School platform. 
• The <ère/code> LES (in French) for Cycle 3 elementary students activates multidisciplinary skills that span programming, social studies, science, and STC (now adaptable to the CCQ program). To complete this activity, students must use collaborative tools like Google Docs and Google Slides.  
• The Des gestes qui ont des effets LES (in French) gives Grade 3 and 4 students an opportunity to discover actions that have an environmental impact through works of art. These actions can be shared in the form of a podcast created by the students.

 3. Online discussion forums

• Discussion forums allow students to share ideas, ask questions, and work together on solving problems. They encourage active participation, critical thinking, and the development of online communication skills. One activity idea is to create an online discussion forum dedicated to a class topic, then have students use it to share their thoughts, answer questions from other students, and help build an FAQ section and create subsections to structure the site and categorize discussion topics. This article looks at a wide range of digital tools for creating online forums. 

4. Digital whiteboards 

• These tools (e.g., Miro, Mural) enable real-time visual collaboration and make it easier to brainstorm, plan a project, and create a mind map. They promote creativity and engagement, and help students visualize ideas. To use digital whiteboards in your lessons, try asking your students to use one during a group brainstorming session, to create an interactive timeline, or to create a collaborative mind map on a course topic.