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ETEC 565M
Sam Zimmer
Introduction Teamwork skills have always been essential to working effectively. But now,
a growing number of workers are learning to collaborate remotely, often
with people they have never met face to face via a global virtual team or
GVT (Taras et al., 2013). While many workplaces use teleconferencing and
fixed videoconferences, there is increasingly more inclusion of mobile
technologies to facilitate anytime, anywhere collaboration. In fact, this year
about 50% of American workers engaged in some form of remote team
work (Dwahan and Chamorro-Premuzik, 2018).
So how are educators preparing students for this leap to global virtual
collaboration?
About Me Hi, I’m Sam Zimmer, a student in UBC’s Master of Educational Technology
Program. Back in 2014, when I took on my first freelance editing project (of
a blog about work gloves), I had no idea that I was joining the global
workforce of remote workers. Since then, I have completed more than 100
writing and admin projects for major companies like PepsiCo, Hershey’s, and
Johnson & Johnson. I used email, skype, FTPs, and Google’s suite of
programs, to virtually collaborate with stakeholders in different countries
who I have never met in person.
Theoretical Backing Most teachers and employers wouldn’t hesitate to hail collaboration as an
important skillset for students to develop.
While teamwork isn’t always easy (a conversation I’ve had with more than
one of my students), learning to collaborate effectively is a critical life skill.
The importance of which should not be underestimated.
But it’s the burgeoning demand for global collaboration that is new. As more
teamwork takes place in virtual environments, we need to expand our
skillsets to keep up. Cultural differences that might be obvious when arriving
in another country can be invisible in a virtual environment (Hewling, 2005).
Developing greater intercultural competence through situated learning
experiences can help students to succeed in the GVTs they will one day join
in the workforce.
In the face of rapid technological development over the last 10 years, many
innovative teachers have also created class twitter accounts, or used
emerging platforms like ePals to facilitate learning within a broader learning
network.
But where are we going? What affordances might mobile development and
other emerging technologies allow? How might they facilitate situated
learning for global virtual teams?
Suppose a teacher could easily pair up their class with students in another
school, across the country, or across the world. From their mobile devices –
using applications that already exist like IM, file sharing, or discussion
boards, but in an integrated platform, students could communicate with
partners or groups that are geographically distant.
Benefits Working in a GVT provides students with an experience for rich, cross-
cultural learning without the time or cost of a physical exchange program
(Taras et al., 2013). No longer will global collaborative projects be reserved
for the wealthy few.
Working across cultures can also yield the benefit of helping to break down
prejudices, whereas a lack of exposure to other groups can lead to conflict
(Taras, et al., 2013). Through experience in GVTs and other collaborations,
students can increase their intercultural competence and learn to interpret
the cues of others, even in more ambiguous virtual environments (Taras et
A3 Global Virtual Collaboration Transcript
ETEC 565M
Sam Zimmer
al., 2013). The result? Productive cognitive conflict, a space where real
situated learning can occur (Cleaves, 2015).
A 2014 study from the University of Oslo carried out a global collaborative
project for high school students from four countries: Canada, Norway,
Sweden, and China (Korsager et al.). Students were put into small groups
and tasked with a number of specific activities related to climate change
(Korsager et al., 2014). The teams identified climate related issues that
impacted all four of the countries, making connections between national
and international contexts (Korsager et al., 2014). The teams engaged in
discussion based brainstorming, planning, and created a shared wiki with
their findings (Korsager et al., 2014). The result? The students who
interacted most with their international peers showed the greatest
conceptual development linking the causes and effects of climate change
(Korsager et al., 2014).
Obstacles As with any activities that involve students sharing data on the internet,
participant security and privacy is of critical concern. How can we ensure
students and their data remain safe and secure as we figuratively knock
down classroom walls?