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I have been thinking about our work on collaboration in something of a matrix structure. There are some tools that can facilitate group collaboration, community, and networking. And, there are some specific content or program areas which seem particularly relevant to your group. I hope to have your help in identifying both the tools and the content, how they should go together, and how these can make your work in MITP and your careers more effective.
Wikis
Blogs
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Wikis are webpages like this: a shared collaboration space which designated users can edit, and which provide an additional channel for sharing and editing documents, keeping a history of our interactions (such as meeting notes/minutes). Discussions with those who study the use of wikis suggest that they can help make collaborations among 10 or more people , especially when not everyone shares a first language, more effective and their impact more enduring. For those of you working on Program-mandated projects, of course these spaces are open to you -- as many as you need -- for doing whatever you would like to do. I hope also to have wikis serve you as a forum for working in programmatic areas such as leadership, teamwork etc., as detailed below.
Blogs
Chat/IM
Second Life
Second Life is a web-based 3-D virtual world. Users create animated representations of themselves called "avatars," and use them to interact with people in all sorts of ways. Regular people are using SL to buy and sell goods, develop real estate, and socialize. Companies are using it to market their goods, meet with clients, and collaborate as a way to supplement audio/video conferencing. Dr. Irving Wladawsky-Berger, formerly head of research for IBM and a leader in the adoption of virtual worlds for collaboration, is now a visiting professor at MIT Engineering Systems Division and is helping us move our collaboration ideas forward. He and his IBM colleagues argue that collaboration in SL, either in the corporate or academic arenas, offers participants a broader range of "sociable" connections than a simple videoconference. When a videoconference starts, someone begins the agenda and at the end it's over. In SL, when people gather in one place for a meeting, there is more of an opportunity to chat, form community, and arrange further discussions.
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See below for some links to MIT sites on SL and other resources. To visit SL go to http://secondlife.com/whatis/ 
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Ideas for content and programs
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