Some of the communication systems I expect to use to facilitate online teamwork are Skype, e-mail, and Twitter, which I use every day, and new technology that I am learning to use through this course in D2L. Online collaborative strategies, such as, Google.docs, Blackboard IM, Elluminate, Blog posts, and shared discussions between students, are examples of online teamwork.
According to Dr. Ken Haycock, whose credentials include the past presidency of many national and international professional associations and his current service as a member of the American Library Association Council, that there are certain keys to a successful team which include operating on a group level and use of individual accountability. Dr. Haycock suggests that there is a pattern that occurs in the formation of groups in the classroom as well as professionally.
Initially groups are assigned and members begin to complain about the assignment, then shift blame to each other. Eventually, responsibility takes over and the team is forced to reconcile and begins the process of resolution and begin to cooperate. Finally the team may enter the production stage and work together. Haycock states some teams never reach this stage but finish the project anyway just to get it done.
In The Monster Inside Library School: Student Teams by Enid Erwin, a SLIS part-time faculty member, Erwin shares her practical advice to the teamwork process based on feedback from Libr 202 students. Essentially, Erwin relates to us that a successful record of teamwork included in a resume will be given a higher priority. Erwin stresses having a positive attitude as the antidote for fear of losing control and for a lack of trust in others. In a survey of SLIS students it was revealed that working on teams is the number one fear and worry of online students. Why online teamwork then? Erwin indicates to us that participation, planning, and attitude are skills that can be directly transferred from the classroom to their job.
