This is the home page for the MIT-Portugal Program: Collaboration Tools and Projects space. I hope this will serve as a way to facilitate our discussions of which resources would be valuable for MIT-Portugal Program graduate students (both PhD and Masters/DFA). I would like to understand the collaboration challenges you face, as part of your work towards the degree (for example, team projects) and as part of your desire to develop your professional career. Hopefully this will also be fun.
My rationale: who you are, why you are important, and how MIT-Portugal can help you succeed
There are approximately 100 grad students working at 7+ Portuguese institutions on MIT-Portugal Program degrees. About 60 MIT grad students are also funded by the program, working on its research and educational projects with MIT faculty. Taken together, this group represents probably the biggest investment ever by Portugal in developing highly qualified people in science and engineering who are intended to lead change in academia, industry, and society--in Portugal and around the world.
Some tools and why we might use them
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
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.
Why use SL for the MITP students? Some ideas are: facilitate group projects, such as those required in EDAM (product development) and Bio Engineering (iTeams); serve as a platform for programs, such as leadership development; allow wider participation in a guest lecture than videocon would permit; gatherings with Portuguese researchers all over the world.
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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