Groupware | AI Games |

Groupware

In my studies with information systems at the University I got more deeply on grouptechnologies. After Master's Thesies I worked as a researcher with capture of tacit knowledge, the introduction process of groupware product and knowledge work.

Groupware

Groupware products are software which help people work together to achieve shared goal (Hakkarainen 2003, 6). Groupware are for example: email, message systems, shared working places etc. Groupware supports communication, collaboration, coordination and organizational memory (Hakkarainen 2003, 34). A good example about groupware are different kinds of learning environmets, where learning is supported with different kind of groupwork tools such as chat, news, shared documets, calenders etc.

Knowledge work

When talking about groupware you should also mention knowledge work. As knowledge work has increased, groupware's one task has become to support knowledge work.

Knowledge work has been defined several ways. Knowledge work has been seen as a process which input is data and output information (Davies, 2002. 68).In my opinion Bereiter has been able to define knowledge work well:

"Knowledge work belongs to the same class as metal work, woodworking, leather work, and personnel work expect that object worked with are abstract: they are conceptual artifacts" (Bereiter, 2002. chapter 6).

Reference

Davies, G. (2002). Anytime/anyplace computing and the future of knowledge work. Communications of the ACM. Vo 45. No 12, 2002. (pp 67-73)

Hakkarainen, P. 2003. The Groupware Support for Operational Management. Master's thesis in computer science and information systems.

Bereiter, C. 2002. Education and Mind in the Knowledge Age.