The idea of online collaborationg has been in step for some time now. It is making interaction so much easier. The article that I have attatched above is a great source for learning how to structure online collaboartion. Though it may seem as though this is directly for online classrooms, the principles can transfer to online collaboration in general. Something that I feel is really important about the concept and excecution of online collaboration are the three steps of it, as described in this article. The first thing that we, as teachers, will need to do is to “set the stage.” In this stage we must “provide an explanation of the importance of the collaborative work as well as [give] clear guidlines for completing it” (2). We need to explicilty set out the guidlines, the purposes for students to make this an authentic learning experience for them. Having the opportunity for online collaboration, with people from all over, is such an important learning tool, that we need to set the stage so they can perform to their maximum potential. The next step i s to “create the environment.” In this step, “students need to have a place to meet and know the paramaters of how they should contact” (3). Again, it is so important to be clear with the students, so instead of taking time to worry about how and what they need to be doing, they can put all of their efforts into actually contributing to the online collaboratio. The third step is “modeling the process.” This is important for any aspect of teaching; we need to show students how to do what we are asking them to do. ”The instructor cannot simply set up the collaborative activity and walk away from it, leaving the learners to fend for themselves” (4). Modeling is so important. It is important for students to feel secure and confident in their work. This is why we will need to guide them through the entire process. Online collaboration has so much to give to learners, so we need to make sure that we are setting it up correctly
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