Week 5 of Online Facilitation

This week in class there was a large focus on online collaboration.  My experience with online communities is that they are a great way to utilize the collective knowledge of a group.  I found that working in groups in this particular cohort has proved quite beneficial, as I've gained both socialization and technological skills.  The biggest benefit that I've found with group collaboration is the efficiency.  What I mean by this is that when group roles are properly allocated, using motivated group members, it is amazing to see how fast a task can be completed.  To me, this type of success is proof of how we as humans work much better together.  One challenge that I've found with group collaboration is finding a common meeting time.  With adult learners, it can be especially difficult to combine agendas that involve kids, jobs, and other organizations.  In the larger picture however, I see social networking as a solution to this conundrum.  As anyone can be connected via a tweet, a text, or a Facebook message, groups can meet on the fly, during periods of time that were previously deemed "inconvenient."  I truly believe that much business in the future will be conducted asynchronously, or though some social medium other than face-to-face interaction.