TeamWave Workplace

TeamWave Workplace was TeamWave's original, client-server, downloadable product. Both client and server pieces ran on Windows, Mac and a variety of Unix platforms.

Workplace offered a flexible rooms-based collaboration environment supporting both real-time and asynchronous group work. Each room was centered around a large persistent whiteboard, which could hold not only drawings and text but also a variety of other tools. There were provisions for extending the system (e.g. adding new tools) through an SDK.

The system was popular for a wide range of uses, most importantly in education.

A good starting point for information about the system are the two original TeamRooms papers: user-oriented and technical.

Screenshots

Here are some overview screenshots (click for larger):
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Interesting Uses of TeamWave Workplace

Just getting this started, but here are a few pointers to some things other people have written about TeamWave Workplace:

• A great introductory paper describing TeamWave Workplace and its features by Wayne Richmond.
• DOCTA: A Norwegian project investigating collaborative telelearning. Interestingly, Workplace was just huge in Norway, in large part because of the work done by these folks. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the lead researcher having Canadian roots...
• One of the more interesting uses was by Mary Ellsworth at Gallaudet University, who was using TeamWave Workplace in the education of deaf students. Here's a getting started page at their site.