Patent ID: 8019718

Claim:
A method for collaborative teaching and learning, while facilitating simultaneous and dynamic changes by multiple users, the method comprising: receiving a command to add or modify a topic record in a series of topic records in response to a user request; creating a new record in the event the received command is to add a new topic record; generating a modify token in the event the received command is to modify an existing topic record; deleting the modify token in response to completion of modifying the existing topic record; wherein the modify token prevents additional users from editing the existing topic record while the user is modifying the existing topic record; wherein in the event the modify token has been issued, the additional users can copy an existing record, modify the copy of the existing record, and assign a new name to the modified copy of the existing record while the existing record is being modified by the user; and wherein a collaboration engine generates and manages the modify token; wherein in the event the user requests a subdivision of a topic record from the series of topic records the method comprises: generating a subdivide token; releasing the subdivide token in response to the completion of the subdivision of the topic record; wherein in the event an additional user requests to edit and subdivide the existing record while the subdivision token is in use by the user, a copy of the original record is generated to create a new record that is a subset of the original record; wherein in the event the modify token has been issued, the additional users can copy an existing record, modify the copy of the existing record, and assign a new name to the modified copy of the existing record while the existing record is being subdivided by the user; and wherein a collaboration engine generates and manages the subdivide token.