Week 7

Top three steps to building community

1. Choose tools that every can use or learn to use comfortably and rapidly
2. Have a motivating reason to connect
3. Be an example of frequency, tone, and content

Our writing process is going fairly well. it certainly is better than in previous courses. i think we are all learning better strategies for unpacking a task and completing it successfully. It is really exciting to be a part of a process that is noticably improving.

Week 6 Blog

Write notes related to your online course audience, communication barriers and the context, conditions and consequences that may occur.

My audience is international, and our biggest barrier is language. Our organization tends ot be ethnocentric, causing further conflict and resentment. I do my best to respect the contexts and needs of my leaners by being sensitive to their local practices and using simple syntax. Paying attention to these issues makes my distant Subject Matter Experts more cooperative because they feel respected. I think the learners also notice when someone from thier American employer has considered their needs when designing online courses. I also get to learn a lot about toher cultures, and I value the opportunity tremendously!

Week 4: Group Norming and Bonded Behaviors

Our readings this week and outside materials helped me to reflect on the value of cohesion to task oriented interactivity. What I am realizing is that through my conversations with Clarice, I am gaining a sense of her as a person. This is a wonderful connection, and I am far less likely to do the minimum when collaborating with her or to 'let her down' with the quality or timeliness of my contributions. Although I normed somewhat with my other group members in previous classes, I now believe, the introduction process needs to be repeated for each group. The bonds were easy to break, and we did not maintain them. Our OTL program has no sense of continuous community! This is an important part of the collaborative timeline that designers should not overlook. Opening up the groups and requiring team guidelines, as the first activity does not do the trick, I am finding. Even icebreakers only result in thinly bridged communication and behavior. The genuine connections or strong motivations bringing groups together organically are most powerful at affecting the success of the collaboration product.