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Collaborative learning tools are digital platforms designed to enhance group-based learning and problem-solving. By facilitating interaction, communication, and resource sharing, these platforms are perfect for both educational and professional environments, supporting diverse content formats and both real-time and asynchronous collaboration.
The article explores the benefits of collaborative learning, such as improved teamwork, faster problem-solving, and skill development. It also highlights the top 16 collaborative learning tools, including Miro for whiteboard collaboration, Teachfloor for cohort-based learning, Notion for task management, Zoom for video conferencing, and more.
Each platform offers unique features to enhance the learning experience, making it crucial to choose based on your organization's needs. Whether for companies or educational institutions, the right collaborative learning platform can lead to exceptional achievements through effective teamwork and innovation.
How to choose the best collaborative learning tool?
To choose the best collaborative learning platform for your needs, start by defining your collaborative learning goals, such as boosting teamwork or enhancing communication.
The platform should offer features that align with these objectives, including real-time collaboration, multimedia support, and interactive tools.
Ensure the platform integrates seamlessly with your current tech stack and can scale to meet future demands without compromising on performance.
User-friendliness is crucial; opt for a platform that is intuitive for all users to encourage active engagement.
Security and privacy are paramount; choose a platform with robust protections for sensitive data. Also, consider the quality of customer support and the presence of an active user community for ongoing assistance and insights.
By focusing on these key considerations, you can select a collaborative learning platform that effectively supports your educational or organizational goals, fostering an interactive and inclusive learning environment.
12 Best Collaborative Learning Tools for Your Organization
Best LMSs for collaborative learning
Selecting the right LMS for collaborative learning is crucial for enhancing educational experiences. A suitable LMS offers robust course management features, interactive learning activities, and efficient communication channels between instructors and learners.
When evaluating LMSs, consider their ease of use, customization capabilities, and how well they integrate with other educational tools. These LMSs are recognized for their ability to create an engaging and productive online learning environment, supporting collaborative efforts across various settings.
Teachfloor
‍Teachfloor is the ideal LMS for applying collaborative learning, thanks to its comprehensive suite of features tailored to promote interaction and teamwork among learners. Here's why Teachfloor excels in facilitating collaborative learning:
Intuitive Interface: Teachfloor offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface, allowing learners to easily navigate through course materials, engage with peers, and participate in collaborative activities.
Group Collaboration Tools: Teachfloor provides a range of collaboration tools, including discussion forums, group projects, and real-time messaging, enabling learners to communicate effectively and work together towards common goals.
Peer Review and Feedback: With Teachfloor, learners can engage in peer review and feedback activities, where they can assess and provide constructive feedback on each other's work. This promotes a culture of collaboration and encourages continuous improvement.
Cohort-Based Functionality: Teachfloor supports cohort-based learning, allowing learners to progress through courses as part of a group. This facilitates peer interaction, teamwork, and knowledge sharing among cohort members, enhancing the collaborative learning experience.
Teachfloor offers a 30-day trial period, after which you get to choose between the business and the pro tier. The pro tier (up to 50 students) costs $89 per month, whereas you get a custom quote for the business tier.
360 Learning
360 Learning is a collaborative learning platform designed to unleash the potential of high-growth businesses and startups. It is a platform that combines LMS with online collaborative tools to access collective expertise.
360 Learning is most efficient when it comes to training new employees, training customer-oriented teams, and enhancing skills from a single place.
More than 1,500 organizations are using the 360 Learning platform, thanks to all that. 360 Learning has three tiers: Team, Business, and Enterprise. The first tier, Team, is designed for teams of up to 100 people and costs $8 per user monthly. They offer custom quotes for the other tiers.
Eduflow
Eduflow is a dynamic LMS aimed at enhancing learning through interactivity and engagement. It focuses on peer feedback and collaborative learning, making it suitable for both educational settings and corporate training.
Eduflow's features include discussion forums, peer reviews, and exercises that promote participation and reflection. Its user-friendly interface and compatibility with various educational tools facilitate diverse instructional approaches.
Designed to shift from passive to active learning, Eduflow offers a community-centered educational experience.
Collaborative Learning tools for visual collaboration
Visual collaboration tools play a significant role in facilitating idea sharing, brainstorming, and project collaboration in a visually stimulating way.
Such tools accommodate different learning styles and foster a creative, innovative atmosphere by enabling users to visualize concepts together.
Features to look for include interactive whiteboards, drawing tools, and compatibility with other learning technologies. The following visual collaboration tools are highlighted for their excellence in promoting interactive and imaginative learning experiences.
Miro
Miro is a whiteboard platform that is great for collaborative learning. This free-to-use platform is excellent for structuring ideas while encouraging people and teams to collaborate.
Thanks to its intuitive and comprehendible design, teams can engage in brainstorming, plan activities, give/ask for feedback and suggestions, present different concepts, etc. In addition, the platform comes with a chat, comment, and video section.
Moreover, you can invite people to collaborate with each other easily. However, Miro is free for personal use only. The paid version costs $8 per user, monthly.
Mural
Mural is a digital workspace designed for visual collaboration, making it an excellent choice for teams and educators aiming to foster creative thinking and innovative problem-solving.
This platform excels in allowing users to brainstorm, plan, and develop ideas through an intuitive and engaging interface. With features like sticky notes, drawing tools, pre-made templates, and real-time collaboration,
Mural integrates with various productivity tools, ensuring a seamless workflow within diverse teams. Ideal for workshops, design thinking sessions, and project planning, Mural facilitates an inclusive and creative collaborative learning atmosphere.
FigJam
Figma Jam, part of the Figma collaboration suite, is a virtual whiteboard designed for teams to brainstorm, ideate, and design together in real-time. It's particularly well-suited for collaborative learning environments where visual communication and design thinking are key.
With Figma Jam, users can draw, annotate, add sticky notes, and utilize shapes and templates to organize thoughts and ideas visually.
The platform supports a collaborative and iterative design process, making it possible for users to work together seamlessly, whether they are in the same room or distributed globally.
Collaborative Learning platform for project management
Project management tools are essential for organizing and managing collaborative learning projects effectively. These tools help in coordinating tasks, deadlines, and resources, promoting accountability and smooth collaboration among team members.
Essential functionalities include task assignments, progress tracking, file sharing, and integrated communication tools. The tools listed below are particularly effective for streamlining project management tasks in educational collaborations, preparing learners for teamwork and project execution in various contexts.
Notion
Notion is partially a task-management software and part note-taking app. However, unlike many other similar hybrid solutions, Notion does that with grace and ease. The result of that combo is something truly unique that is very practical.
This combination makes it ideal for creatives such as graphic designers, copywriters, marketers, and writers.
The Notion's most prominent components are its shared databases, kanban boards, reminders, and calendars. In addition, the Notion is free for individual use. That makes it very popular with freelancers who need to keep track of their tasks and project notes.
Padlet
Padlet is a cloud-hosted bulletin board designed for collaboration, resembling Pinterest in its visual layout yet distinct in its functionality. It provides a unified platform for students, teachers, entrepreneurs, and others to share and manage digital content efficiently.
With a user-friendly interface, Padlet allows users to post and embed a variety of digital materials, functioning like a digital notebook accessible from any device. This feature proves particularly useful in educational contexts, where teachers and students can compile and utilize resources for projects seamlessly.
Padlet's adaptability across different settings, coupled with its simplicity, makes it an essential tool for enhancing collaborative efforts and learning experiences.
Basecamp
Basecamp is a highly efficient project management and team collaboration platform, renowned for its ability to simplify the complexities of project coordination and communication.
By centralizing tasks, documents, communications, and schedules, it provides a comprehensive toolkit for managing collaborative learning projects with unparalleled clarity and organization.
Key features such as to-do lists, secure storage, message boards, and calendars ensure a smooth workflow and keep teams aligned. Its intuitive design reduces meetings and emails, making it ideal for educational groups and learning projects.
Collaborative Learning tools for communication
Effective communication tools are vital for facilitating clear and continuous interaction within collaborative learning settings. They support direct messaging, group discussions, and video calls, essential for maintaining a connected and interactive learning community.
These tools enable prompt feedback and discussions, allowing for the adaptation of learning materials based on learners' feedback and needs. The communication tools recommended below are chosen for their comprehensive features that address the diverse communication needs of collaborative learning groups.
Zoom
Zoom is a versatile video conferencing platform that facilitates virtual meetings, webinars, and collaborative projects with ease.
Known for its reliability and user-friendly interface, it offers features such as screen sharing, breakout rooms, and real-time messaging, making it a popular choice for both professional and personal communication.
Its capacity to host large numbers of participants and integrate with various software tools has made Zoom a go-to solution for remote collaboration and learning across the globe.
Slack
Email is the go-to place for asynchronous communication, whereas Slack is somewhat the opposite. Slack is a single platform that enables teams to collaborate and work together.
It offers a wide range of communication and productivity tools such as real-time messaging (chat and calls), integration with apps and bots, searchable conversations, searchable records, etc.
As a result, every team member is in the loop and is always up-to-date with things. In addition to the free tier, Slack offers three more premium tiers: standard, plus, and enterprise grid. The standard tier costs $6.67 per user monthly, the plus tier costs $12.50, whereas you can get a custom quote for the enterprise grid.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a comprehensive collaboration platform developed by Microsoft, integrating chat, meetings, calls, and collaboration into a single tool. It stands out for its deep integration with the Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, making it a powerful option for collaborative learning environments.
Teams enables real-time collaboration on documents, facilitating seamless communication through threaded chats and video conferencing capabilities. Its ability to create dedicated channels for different topics or projects helps keep discussions organized and accessible.
Its wide adoption in both educational and professional contexts makes it a versatile platform for learners and educators seeking a unified space for communication and collaboration.
Other Collaborative Learning Software for Teachers and Students
Beyond the core categories of LMSs, visual collaboration, project management, and communication, there are other valuable tools that support various aspects of collaborative learning.
These include resources for content creation, assessment, and interactive learning experiences. Teachers and students can benefit from exploring these additional tools to find innovative ways to enhance learning engagement, creativity, and understanding.
The following selections represent a broad range of functionalities that support the diverse needs of teachers and students in a collaborative learning landscape.
Articulate 360
Articulate 360 is a platform featuring nine products connected to each other. The storyline is the standout tool used for making online slides that include animation, video, and voice-over. In addition, premium users can enjoy team slide sharing and editing.
Articulate Review 360 is another tool for getting feedback from various parties while being able to access comment history. There is a generous 60-day trial period for anyone interested in trying out this collaborative platform. After the trial period, the yearly plans start at $999.
Nearpod
Nearpod is considered one of the best collaborative learning tools for interactive presentations and assessments. Thanks to its intuitive interface, it is straightforward to create lessons and videos. It is also super-easy to upload learning materials from places such as YouTube, PowerPoint, and Google Slides. Starting an interactive discussion is another thing designed to be easily accessible.
One just needs to click on some lesson slides, add a topic to that particular slide, and learners can respond to it the moment they reach it. Learners can give a video, audio, or textual response. Nearpod users can choose between three tiers: Silver (free), Golden ($120 per year), and Platinum ($349 per year).
Pear Deck
Pear Deck is a web application designed to make collaborative learning a breeze. Its interactive assessment templates are the central core of its business model. Adding questions in the templates is as straightforward as is answering them in real-time.
That way, rapid feedback is possible, which plays well with all involved parties. Furthermore, teachers and students can import lessons from Google Slides, PowerPoint, and Keynotes. In addition to the free Basic tier, Pear Deck also offers a $150 per year Individual Premium tier.
Seesaw
Seesaw is an app that enables learners to collaborate on drawings, videos, PDFs, texts, etc. To encourage collaboration, users can include instructions to every lesson, assign tasks to learners, and evaluate their answers.
Each learner can even create their personal, collaborative learning journal. That way, they can share their content with their teachers and peers. The multi-language translation is a standout feature, especially with ESL students. In addition to the free version, Seesaw also offers a premium tier for schools. The premium tier costs $120 per year per school.
Bottom Line - Best Collaborative Learning Tools
As you can see, there are multiple online learning collaboration platforms. Some are better suitable for companies, others for educational institutions. Either way, you need to choose one based solely on your needs or the needs of your colleagues or employees.
We hope that we have helped you find the one collaborative platform to help you achieve something exceptional while working on it alongside your colleagues.
👉 Collaborative Learning: Make Learning Active and Interactive
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