Weeks 7&8 Collaboration

For the past week we had to collaborate with another classmate and come up with an artifact showing how schools can become more creative.  The process began with personal brainstorming of ideas. Then the first difficult task of finding a partner.  This is not the same as sitting in a class looking at faces you recognize, and have sat next to for months.  Looking at the work and posts of fellow classmates, along with the assistance of the teacher, groups were created. 
Once there was a clear understanding of who was working together, ideas started to meld.  Through various back and forth emails, my group partner and I decided to focus on a mind map theme, while incorporating other tools we have learned about during the first half of the course.  This is where online collaboration can become difficult.  
Working together is one thing.  Working together when you may never have the same time schedule is a challenge that I have never experienced before.  You have to put all trust in your partner that they are going to complete their end of responsibilities for the project. With time restrictions, that can be a stress,  limiting the time for revisions or alternate ideas.
I'll admit there were frustrating moments where I wanted to know what was being done and felt like time was being wasted because I didn't have full control over what was being done for the project. But respect and trust are key factors for a successful collaboration.
As the days passed more and more communication was made, sharing the progress on each end of the workload ensuring we were each doing our part.   Now that we are coming down to the final days of our collaboration,  I am proud of what we have created and have become that much more confident with online collaboration. These skills are crucial to understand if I want to offer new directions of offering online versions of my own course.