Teams

Randy Fisher, MA iCentro

Project Manager - Facilitating Stakeholder Engagement, Organizational Change, Learning, Evaluation & Performance

Contact: randyfishercan at gmail dot com

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Teams

Resources

• 3-Os & Learning Communities
• Randy Fisher, MA Thesis: Primal Needs Gone Digital: Educators' Motivations in an Open Wiki Environment
• IICD - ICT4E Facilitator's Manual
• Facilitating Online Communities (Otago)
• Learning4Content & eL4C36
• LearnShare HIV AIDS Africa Workshop Outline
• Performing Teams (WikiBooks)
• http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/group/index.html
• Moodle 4 Teachers
• Making Virtual Teams Fly
• Evaluation of eLearning for Best Practice
• Flexible Learning Guidebook, NZ
• WikiPatterns
• LinkedIn Discussion - Exercises for Virtual Teams

Learning Objectives

• Define a virtual team collaboration environment
• Understand team objectives and timelines
• Define collaboration and social networking
• Develop collaboration and social networking skills
• Discover how appropriate tools meet requirements
• Select the best tool for the job depending on requirements
• Apply collaboration and networking skills within a virtual team environment
• Share experiences
• Discuss challenges and how to overcome them
• Evaluate success

Getting Started

Pre-Session

• Client Meeting / Design
• Team Profile / Users
• Objectives
• Key Challenge / Issue
• IT Support (security, requirements, support); decision-making authorities; contact info}

• Set up appropriate accounts, user names, passwords, etc.
• Ensure connectivity, laptops, hardware, router, internet connection, etc.
• Ensure Intersol sites work at specified location(s).

• Assessment / Quiz

• Familiarity with Social Media / Usage

• Blogs, wikis, Facebook, YouTube, Moodle, Instant Messaging, GoToMeeting / Elluminate, Online Communities (Ning, Google Groups); E-Learning, fora, etc.

• Frequency of use
• Quality of Experience

Content outline:

1. Discussion of collaboration and social networking
2. Identification of benefits of collaboration and social networking
3. Identification of characteristics of high-performing team members in a networked environment
4. Discussion and review of various collaboration and social networking tools available to face-to-face and virtual teams
5. Discussion of the possibilities for blended collaboration
6. Hands-on experience and application in using collaboration and social networking tools

Instructional materials:

1. Flipcharts
2. Markers and masking tape
3. Computers with digital content
4. Training manual
5. Telephones (both fixed and mobile)
6. TV, VCR, Radio (for display and demonstration where available)
7. Projector + Screen
8. PCs

• Firefox installed
  • Hardwired (hardwires + router - 8 or 16 wires) (: Note - effects on connectivity speed)
  • Account set up - user name, login and password - set up and ready to go)
• Space set up - framing, workflow
  • Framing / workflow and support - AVA
• Security issues

Training methodology:

1. Plenary discussion
2. Question and answer
3. Group discussion
4. Facilitator exposition
5. Plenary presentations
6. Hands-on activity
7. Reflection (minds –on activity)

Sessions Outline / Framework

The day's sessions focus on developing an understanding of, and competency with, collaborative and social networking tools, and enabling participants to experience their power and flexibility. We will answer questions such as:

• what can collaboration and social networking do for me and my team?
• how can collaboration and social networking reduce the costs for doing things that I have been doing my usual way?
• will technology create more work for me?
• how does collaboration and social networking free up time for me to do other activities and how does technology enable other activities?

In Session I, participants will explore how the workplace and expectations are changing with the emergence of collaboration and social networking tools, and discover the challenges, opportunities and change strategies required in a 21st^st century networked environment. They will explore how collaboration and social networking tools can be deployed to increase their productivity and effectiveness. Through interactive discussions, participants will also discover the best situations for each tool.

In Session II, participants will explore through interactive discussions and hands-on experiences, specific collaboration and social networking tools to implement their projects in a supportive environment.

Content outline

1. Discussion of collaboration and social networking
2. Discussion and review of various collaboration and social networking tools for face-to-face and virtual teams
3. Discussion of the challenges and benefits of digital tools in virtual teamwork
4. Discussion of key team and individual characteristics to increase performance in networked virtual teams
5. Hands-on experience in applying collaborative and social networking technologies to project work and activities

Session Topics & Outcomes

Session 1: Collaboration and Social Networking Tools Explored (4 hours)

Collaborative and social networking tools are often associated with Web 2.0 and social media such as blogs, wikis, YouTube, Skype, VOIP, Ning and Google Groups. When effectively used, collaboration and social networking tools can provide teams with an enriching experience: of accelerated productivity; stronger relationships and connections; a trusted and supportive working environment; and faster goal attainment.

Adopting new technologies is never as easy as it seems. While collaboration and social networking tools are widely-accessible, they also represent a significant change which affects team culture, adoption behaviour and performance. This includes changes in team members' beliefs and how they work together; addressing fear, anxiety and resistance to change; adjusting expectations and perceptions; and building new behaviours, skills and competencies. When these tools are effectively deployed, they can provide an stimulating and powerful environment to support project implementation, group cohesion and individual productivity and enjoyment.

This session will examine the challenges and opportunities for virtual team collaboration and social networking, pertaining to change and transition, and performance and effectiveness; and selecting the best tools for project implementation requirements.

Outcomes

By the end of the session, participants will:

1. Clearly understand project team goals and objectives
2. Identify characteristics of high performing virtual teams, and what team leads / members need to do to meet these characteristics
3. Understand the benefits, challenges and use cases of collaboration and social networking tools
4. Discover various collaboration and social networking tools to support virtual team performance
5. Select the best tool for the job, depending on requirements
6. Share experiences among peers - and and build your 'learning community'
7. Understand strategies to overcome barriers and resistance to change

Session 2: Applying Digital Tools to Increase Team Performance (4 Hours)

Collaboration and social networking tools deliver on the connected, social Web 2.0 networked reality, when they successfully engage team members, and are directly relevant to project work. An inclusive and participatory collaborative environment sets the stage for employees and project teams to achieve their own project goals and objectives and explore their digital learning agenda.

This session uses hands-on exploration for specific digital tools; and identify opportunities for stakeholder engagement, 'buy-in' and productivity, and provides real-time mentoring to workshop participants to increase on-the-job performance, innovation and collaboration.

Outcomes:

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

1. Use a specific collaboration and social networking tool for an applied project(i.e., a wiki)
2. Understand basic wiki editing skills
3. Have an 'experience of success' in using the wiki
4. Enable dialogues and collaboration, synergies and innovation through accelerating sharing of employees' ideas and knowledge.
5. Enable organizational learning, strategic alignment and faster time-to-market (including associated individual and team identities, cognition and competencies).
6. Increase knowledge flow across projects (incorporating action learning) for improved knowledge management and performance.

Using Wikis

• See Wikis

Program - Activities & Resources

• Program
• Tips, Tricks n' Resources

Perspectives from a Mucky Muck

• embracing Web 2.0 tools for public service renewal
• people need to pay greater attention to how they work, where they work, the tools which they use, and the work they should be doing
• up until now the renewal has been about recruiting new talent
• the way people work needs to be rejuvenated or modernized with new tools and approaches, to help get more out of employees while better serving ministers and Canadians
• he calls for more collaboration, innovation, better use of technology, upgrading archaic back office system and better management of its more valuable resource, information and knowledge,
• using wikis to taps into the knowledge of employees across the country
• new employees reared on Face book and Twitter, think, work and interact differently, need to break free of a rules bound hierarchy where sharing information freely is anathema to many managers.