GroupTable.com

GroupTable Makes 10 Best Classroom 2.0 Application List

Dave — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 15:24:39 +0000

GroupTable has made Huddlemind’s Top 10 Best Classroom 2.0 Applications List. Huddlemind is a specialist social-media education and eventing company. They also own and operates a Social Network of Educators and Organizational Development practitioners at huddlemind.net.

Here’s Dave Duarte (Co-founder of Huddleminds) list:

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1. Udutu: Easily author and publish courses online

2. Engrade: Web-based tools for educators - including tools to keep track of marks and publish assignments

3. Haiku LS: Easy, elegant learning management system

4. Grouptable: GroupTable is a web-based software and success network developed specifically to help student groups improve document management, project planning and communication.

5. Edufire: Learn online with live video

6. Global Classroom: Create elearning centres to train staff or clients.

7. Adobe Connect Pro: Host classes live via the web

8 . Schoolrack: Manage class mailing lists, calendars and assignments in one place for both teachers and students.

9. Studeous: enhance courses with tools like live chat, discussion boards, podcasting, and text messaging.

10. Edmodo: Free private micro-blogging (like Twitter) for teachers and students.

Thanks for including us in your list Dave Duarte!

GroupTable helps Bentley Student Group Win Competition (Testimonial)

Dave — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 14:31:54 +0000

I recently came across a blog post done by Nick Rac, a student from Bentley University. He gave his personal account on how GroupTable helped his group not only eliminate many of the problems they had, but played a part in helping them win a $1,000 contest at his school.

With his permission I have re-posted it below.

Thanks for the great testimonial Nick, We’re glad we could help!

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During my junior year of college at Bentley University I was enrolled in a mandatory course entitled GB 301. The course was primarily a project class in which a real world business with a real world problem approached our class and asked for consulting. After being broken into groups of 5 we were given basic information, and a few assignments - from this we were to formulate a 70 page business plan for the client, this was a competition style course with a $1,000 cash prize for the winning team. This course is extremely well-known and feared by Bentley students as it is extremely time intensive is a serious time commitment for ANY student.

After holding my group’s first group meeting it became apparent to me that all 5 of us being able to meet in the same place at the same time would be extremely difficult and I began to search for free group collaboration software. I gave a number of products a good thorough testing and decided on one outstanding product: GroupTable. The next group meeting was introducing the application to my team and explaining how I wanted to implement it into our project - everyone was excited to use GroupTable and we all agreed that it would be essential to our group’s success…little did we know that it would probably save the project.

Over the course of the semester we met on a regular basis of twice per week in person and twice per week via GroupTable. Once the semester got a little busier we were all struggling to make our meetings and began meeting 4 times weekly on GroupTable and only once in person. We were the only group (of 20 total) which had implemented the use of collaboration software, which gave us a true advantage.

Typical college level group projects function in one of two ways: 1. All members of the group meet in a single location and work on each part of the pject one piece at a time. Or 2. All members meet, distribute the work amongst the group, disburse and meet again to review and combine each assignment. A group project using GroupTable functioned very differently. We were able to meet in person, assign out work AND collaborate with one another at any time. GroupTable’s clutch moment for us was when a group member had an unexpected trip home to London. He was able to meet with us, submit his work and share the ideas he had brainstormed during his travel time.

When one of us had a question or idea during the day we would simply post the question/idea to the private GroupBoard discussion board and wait for other’s input. During our online meetings the chat allowed us to talk real-time with one another to discuss issues, ideas and concerns. These two features combined with the “Binder” feature (which allows users to upload documents to share) were essential to the success of the project. At the end of the project we calculated that each group member met for 4 hours on GroupTable for every hour they met in person, impressive considering we averaged 250 hours of work PER PERSON for 14 weeks.

In the end we ended up winning the course competition and the cash prize. Our group was able to finish the project 5 days before the deadline (normally groups are running to Kinkos at midnight the night before to get the plans printed and bound). Our presentation was killer, our plan a huge success and we were able to do an impressive class presentation on how we used the GroupTable software.

In a business school like Bentley the majority of our courses require a large amount of group collaboration, Bentley teaches that in the business world of today you MUST be able to function in the group environment. This can be difficult for many people as it requires commitment, flexibility and pat. GroupTable addresses many issues associated with any type of collaborative work and I continue to use it to this day for large group projects.

Study Group Tips

Dave — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 03:10:44 +0000

Study Groups are proven to improve grades, however as with most group work, study groups can be challenging. Distractions can arise at meetings, schedule conflicts can occur between members and more. The semester is almost over for most students across the country and GroupTable.com a software for group projects and study groups has some tips that can help you get the most out of your study groups.

Instead of waiting to cram before a test, form your group early
Choose between four and six classmates for your study group
Share notes to see other perspectives
Minimize distractions
State objectives or goals
Be prepared-do your required reading
Take turns teaching one another
Stay on topic
Plan a weekly meeting
Manage your study group online

We hope these tips help. By managing your study group online you have the ability get all the benefits of a study group, but on your own time. Your group is no longer restricted to a specific time or place. By using the tips above along with GroupTable you’ll do great on those upcoming final exams.

Good luck!

GroupTable on Mashable

Dave — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:48:43 +0000

A few days ago Mashable, one of the top technology blogs on the internet did a review on GroupTable. According to Mashable….

“The entire makeup of the service is quite impressive”

- Paul Glazowski

To check out the article yourself visit GroupTable on Mashable. We’ll keep everyone updated…There are a lot of really cool things on the horizon for GroupTable that will come to light soon. We look forward to sharing them with you.

Cheers,

Dave

New Enhancements to GroupTable

Dave — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:22:05 +0000

Recently our development staff added some new enhancements to GroupTable. We always like to keep all of you in the loop so below you can see what we have added:

The ability to see group member’s phone numbers: We have heard feedback that it would be helpful to have all of group member’s phone numbers available in one spot. You can make your phone number visible to your group members by adding your phone number on your edit profile page. Once your phone number has been added your group members will be able to see it either on your group member’s tab, or on the specific group member’s profile page.
The ability to view documents in GroupTable’s frame: This is a very cool functionality. You can now open and view a document, power pt or other file directly in GroupTable’s frame. To do this visit your group’s binder and click the magnifying glass.
The ability to delete your discussion replies: We heard feedback from some of you mentioning that when you reply to an existing discussion post and spell something wrong, or would like to change your reply there is no way to do so. Well that problem has been solved. From now on you can delete your personal discussion replies by clicking the delete icon under options.

We are constantly striving to improve GroupTable to better fit your needs and look forward to any additional feedback any of you have.

All the best,
David Brim & The GroupTable Staff

Tips to help your student group project

Dave — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 03:23:29 +0000

It’s the middle of the semester and you have that group project due in a few weeks. Group projects can be very stressful, but have no fear GroupTable, a student group management software has some tips to help you and your group project team.

1.Communication is Key

Communication is a key for a successful group to function. Maintaining frequent contact with group members will help everyone stay in the loop. If someone says something you don’t agree with don’t criticize them. Seek to understand their point of view and then express yours.

2. Assign Tasks & Set Deadlines

Assign tasks based on the strengths of each group member. Tasks should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound. Assigning tasks and setting deadlines will keep everyone in the group
on track, increase accountability and keep your group from procrastinating.

3. Make Everyone a Leader
If you notice something that can be done better in your group, take on a leadership role. It’s a great way to enhance your leadership skills and ensure that work gets done. Each member of the group should act as a leader from time to time. Keep Organized Typically groups have a lot of files and messages being sent back and forth. It can be very challenging to keep everything in order and make sure everyone has the most updated information. Using an online group collaborative tool can help you manage everything.

4. Go Virtual
Sometimes it can be very challenging to get all group members together at the same place and time. Meeting online through chat or using a group discussion board can really make life easier.

Try GroupTable.com to manage your group projects and study groups. GroupTable will save you and your group from a lot of stress.

Good luck the rest of the semester!

GroupTable Contest for Some Cool Prizes

Dave — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 05:02:42 +0000

How much do you and your group like GroupTable? Now’s your chance to tell us and win some cool stuff in the process. We will be having two contests from now until December 1st. Below are some of the prizes we’ll be giving out and how you and your group can win.

NHL 2K9- xBox 360 game

How the Individual Contest Works

Create a video discussing the following
- What you like the most about GroupTable
- How GroupTable has helped your group
- A short message convincing others why they should use GroupTable
Upload your video to youtube
Post the video on your Facebook profile
Become a Friend of the GroupTable Groupie by clicking This Link
Message GroupTable groupie through Facebook with “Game Contest” notifying us that your video is posted on your profile

On November 21st the contest will be closed to entries and we will select the top video to win the game. We’ll announce the winner on December 1st…Good luck!

$60 Gift Card to Darden Restaurants

Darden is the owner of Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze and other fabulous restaurant chains. Encourage your group to participate in the contest and you may win a free lunch on us.

How the Group Contest Works

Create a funny video showing the hardships of group work without GroupTable. This can include:
- Distractions at a meeting (people talking about desperate house wives/football/ bf or gf etc)
- Schedule conflicts making it hard to meet
- How inefficient communication is bc of too many repetitive phone calls or long email threads threads
- Anything else you can think of is fair game.
Then show how great group work can be once your group is using GroupTable.
Become friends with “GroupTable groupie” on Facebook by clicking: This Link
Message “GroupTable groupie” with “Group Contest” in the subject line indicating your video is posted on a group members facebook Profile. Also include the link to the profile so we can view the video.

On November 21st the contest will be closed to entries. We will pick the best three videos and notify the group through Facebook on December 1st.

We also encourage all of you to become a fan of GroupTable on Facebook. You can do this by visiting our Facebook Fan Page Here.

We hope you guys have fun with this contest!

GroupTable Milestones

Dave — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:29:39 +0000

September was a great month for GroupTable. We now have over 750 registered users and had close to a million hits for the month. This week we also added another member to our team. Her name is Kelly and she is a communications major/marketing minor at UCF. We are very excited to have her on board and know that she will bring a lot to the table. We’re also very glad to have the support of all of you. Your really helping us get the word out in your classes, through Facebook, Blogs, Tweets, etc. You guys rock!

See you at the Table,

Dave

Landing Page Replacement day!

Dave — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:42:13 +0000

Attention All,

Lend me your ears

I proclaim that Labor Day, 2008 be forever remembered as “Landing Page Replacement Day!” Put it in the history books…

A small step for GroupTable, a giant leap for our conversion rates. Sorry Old landing page…you tried, but your timid and uninformative ways didn’t drive enough action. The old must let go and move aside to make way for the new. Also tell your friend “YouTube GroupTable Demo May edition” that we no longer need his services. Landing pg V2 will be a good page…The New and Improved Landing page- The sugar and the spice, the plate of chicken wings with just right amount of hotsauce (That ones for Carl), the super sundae with rainbow sprinkles…I apologize where was I…Oh yeah

Effective 1:00 pm your contract is terminated and you will be replaced. We don’t care where you go, but you gotta get the hell outta here.

Deepest sympathies…The job market is tough

As for you GTV2 Landing page…you’ve been training hard, now is the time to shine… Lace up your boots your up!

Old Landing Page

ps…Feel free to leave your comments for GroupTable’s old landing page or words of encouragement for Landing page V2

Visit http://www.grouptable.com to see the replacement landing page…Book mark this post if it made you laugh

Become a GroupTable Fan on Facebook

Dave — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 21:32:27 +0000

Our team has been working really hard over the last few weeks and GroupTable V2 should be ready to go very soon. It’s going to be awesome! In the mean time I just created a GroupTable Fan page on Facebook and you can become a fan! It would really help out with our movement and your support would mean a lot to me personally as well.