W9: TEC model of online collaboration as a tool to enhance intercultural interaction and to bridge between diverse groups of learners
Abstract: The web allows us to learn about other cultures and people who are different to ourselves by actually meeting people from other cultures. However, in order to make these exchanges fruitful we must be able to build trust between the teachers collaborating on a project, between the teachers and the students, as well as between the students from the different cultures. We need to build a non-threatening environment where students collaborate with each other using the web tools. In this workshop we will look at the stages for online collaboration and online tools that can further collaboration. The TEC model facilitating this session was developed by Shonfeld, Hoter and Ganayem (2013) and is constantly being assessed and renewed in accordance with results from the implementation of the model in the field.The interactive session will include using computers and mobile devices including the TEC social network, Blackboard Collaborate, free collaborative tools, and a demonstration how to use the TEC 3D virtual Island and the Intercultural education MOOC Island to facilitate intercultural encounters. During the session, participants will interact online and will be initially exposed to the efficiency of online learning environments for reduction of anxieties of collaboration with “the other”. In addition, the discussion will be focused on the rules required for facilitating collaboration (Walther, Elaine, Ganayem, & Shonfeld, 2015).