October 2000 — Features
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Creating a Pre-Service Teachers' Virtual Space
· If you are going to have students
collaborate on writing some type of paper, create a grading rubric so that the
assessment is fair and objective regardless of which instructor grades it.
Provide this rubric with several examples of quality work. This can serve as a
cognitive model for students.
· Provide
students with guidance on how to collaborate with each other (both professional
expectations of collaborating as well as virtual collaboration). Since this is
a new experience, students need to develop appropriate etiquette and realistic
expectations.
· Provide students with clear expectations for
all assignments and discussions.
· When possible, try to make assignments worth
the same amount of the students’ final grade. In other words, students in each
course should see that each campus is working toward the same goal with the
same project worth. Otherwise, students might not put in the same amount of
effort as others in the group.
With careful attention to detail, this activity provided
students with an opportunity to collaborate with others in their field and gain
an in-depth understanding of key issues.
Conclusion
In summary, we found this project to be a rewarding
experience for all involved. The time we took in the beginning of the design
and development process was critical to the success of the project. By having a
clear understanding of what everyone involved wanted and needed out of the
project, we were able to design a project that was well suited for the diverse
group of individuals involved. Additionally, open lines of communication were
key to the success of the project. We were able to avoid misinterpretations and
miscommunications by communicating frequently along the way. In an effort to
help others, we have included a list of free Web-based communication and
collaboration tools that can be utilized for virtual collaboration activities.
Free
Web-Based Collaboration & Communication Tools
WebEx — www.webex.com
Zkey — www.zkey.com
TalkMe — www.talkme.com
