Information Systems: Theory and Practice Name: _______________________
Professor Chen Due Date: __________________
China University of Petroleum (中国石油大学).
Collaboration Software Project
Part I. Work on “Using Your Knowledge – a collaboration software project” (a through g) and answer the following questions: (10 points)
1. Summarize and explain your experience working on the Google Drive & Chat project. You should also identify who is your Partner – your friend or self. (5 points)
2. List and explain the most important feature you experienced with exercise (e.g., how Google processed the changes to your document) (3 points)
3. Describe your experience from using Google “Chat/Video&more” and compare its feature with others you have experienced. (2 points)
Part II. Instruction on How and What you should turn in:
1. Write a report (in Word format) including the answers to the questions listed in Part I. The answers should be outlined in three questions listed above.
2. Name your file as: mbacup_Collaboration_Lastname_Firstname.docx (or doc).
3. Print a hardcopy and turn in in the class, and
4. Send me an email with the attachment to with the following required information:
Subject: mbacup Collaboration Project
Text within the body:
Dr. Chen,
Here is my Collaboration Project.
<Your Full Name>
so that I can record/grade your homework
Part III. Using Your Knowledge – a Collaboration Software Project:
This exercise requires you to experiment with Google Drive & Spreadsheets. You will need two Google accounts to complete this exercise. If you have two different email addresses, then set up two Google accounts using those addresses. A Gmail account will automatically give you a Google account.
a. Using Microsoft Word, write a memo to yourself. In the memo, explain the nature of the communication collaboration driver (Hint: Collaboration is a key driver of overall performance of companies around the world and how about communication collaboration software?). Go to http://google.com and sign in with one of your Google accounts. Upload your memo using Google Drive & Spreadsheets. Save your uploaded document and share your document with the email in your second Google account. Sign out of your first Google account.
(If you have access to two computers situated close to each other, use both of them for this exercise. You will see more of the Google Drive & Spreadsheets functionality by using two computers. If you have two computers, do not sign out of your Google account. Perform step b and all actions for the second account on that second computer. If you are using two computers, ignore the instructions to sign out of the Google accounts in the following steps.)
b. Open a new window in your browser. Access http://gmail.com from that second window and sign in using your second Google account. Open the document that you shared in step a.
c. Change the memo by adding a brief description of the content-management driver. Save the document from your second account. If you are using just one computer, sign out from your second account.
d. Sign in on your first account. Open the most recent version of the memo and add a description of the workflow control communication driver. Save the document. (If you are using two computers, notice how Google warns you that another user is editing the document at the same time. Click Refresh to see what happens.) If you are using just one computer, sign out from your first account.
e. Sign in on your second account. Re-open the shared document. From the File menu, download the document as a Word document.
f. Describe how Google processed the changes to your document.
g. Explore the “Chat/Video & more” feature (on the left-lower side of the main menu) with one of your friends and describe your experience from using it. Please note that you might need to install an appropriate “Video” software from within your Google account. Furthermore, the “Video” software is “Browser” dependent, it means that, if you use Firefox as the web browser for exploring Google Drive and install “Video” software this time; however, you need to re-install the “Video” software if you use IE as the web browser next time. Finally, you need to invite a friend to send you an email (certainly from his/her Gmail account and you both must be online at the same time.
To start a chat, click on your friend’s name on the lower left hand side of the screen as shown in Figure 1. If you have not added a friend, click the options button followed by the “Add Contact” option as seen in Figure 2. Once you have added a friend and click on his or her name, you can chat with them. If you click on the “More” dropdown as show in Figure 1, you can access the video chat option.
h. An example for of Google “Chat/Video” session is shown in Figure 3. (Guess who they are?)
i. Another example of Google Video is the “Google Hangout.” This service allows you and up to nine of your friends to participate in a video conference, where the person who is speaking will take the main display. To start a hangout, click on the “Hangout” button as shown in Figure 4. After filling in your contacts and you Hangout name, you can start a Hang Out. This is also shown in Figure 4.
Since Google might change/enhance the features of its Google Drive (and Chat) such as Google+ and Hangouts you need to figure out how to get familiar with current interface now and their updated features in the future.
Figure 1: How to use Google/Chat&Video Features
Figure 2: Adding a Contact:
Figure 3. An example of Google “Chat/Video” session
Figure 4: Starting a hangout
Collaboration Software Project Page-3