Eight Norms of Online Global Collaboration to support global collaborative educators and students.

1. Educators who participate in online global collaboration need support and help
understanding how to build engaging and successful relationships with others
at a distance so that the deeper global learning is realised. The ‘Norms of
Global Collaboration’ are typical or usual behaviours and actions to be
practiced in synchronous and asynchronous modes when collaborating
globally.
Following these eight norms will likely ensure successful collaboration.
1. Prepared
This first norm is one of the most important. So many potentially excellent
global collaborations fail because educators are not prepared, largely because
they do not know what to prepare for.
Connect
 Use your PLN and PLCs to find like-minded partners for global
collaboration
 Determine what common tools you will use to connect and collaborate
 Test all tools beforehand to make sure you have access at school (and
at home as needed). This may the first time you use online
collaborative tools to connect your students beyond the classroom
therefore choosing and testing is most important.
 Workout time zone differences and what is possible synchronously as
well as preparing for asynchronous connections
Communicate
 Work out how teachers will communicate during the collaboration and
test this well before students come together
 Decide what communication activities will take place between teachers
and then between students - synchronous meetups? asynchronous
sharing?
 Work out student communication protocols and make sure all
participants agree on these
 Determine the expectations for communication during the collaboration
- every day? every week? students? teachers?
 Agree on the READ, RECEIVE and RESPOND systems and protocols
for all participants
 Collect holiday and out of school information from each participating
school so everyone knows when there may be no responses coming
2. Purpose
Every connection, communication and eventual collaboration must have a
purpose. Planning is the key to success!
Typical purposes include:
 Cultural exchange
 Inquiry and exploration into a topic(s)
 Global project - short or longer - curriculum-based
 Shared outcomes - student summit
 Artefact exchange and/or co-creation
3. Paraphrase
The norm ‘paraphrasing’ is about fostering clear communication skills for
intercultural understanding.
 Use clear, global language at all times
 Use alternative language for better understanding
 Do not expect colloquial sayings and local phrases to be understood
without explanation
 Question actively for intercultural understanding
Norms of Online
Global Collaboration
©Julie Lindsay @julielindsay
julie@flatconnections.com

2. 4. Perceive
True perception or understanding takes astute communication.
 Make sure you understand the parameters of the global collaboration
 Be comfortable asking for help to keep on track
 Share knowledge and understanding in order to propel the learning
5. Participate
Make sure all members of the collaboration understand how and where to
contribute and what the expectation is for doing this reliably.
 Be visible online during the collaboration
 Be a reliable and regular contributor
 Respond to others in a timely and constructive manner
6. Positive
Positive intentions are assumed at all times. The goal is for the collaboration to
be constructive in an educational context.
 Encourage a positive and constructive approach at all times
 Share global digital citizenship best practices
 Build empathy amongst learners
 Celebrate achievements along the way
7. Productive
A well-designed online global collaboration is about flattened learning and
creating something to share or co-creating artefacts between students and
classrooms.
 Collaborate and share information and ideas
 Create outcomes to share and encourage responses
 Make outcomes visible to the outside world
 Encourage students to compare, contrast, reflect
 Aim to build knowledge together and co-create artefacts
8. Potential
Serendipitous learning happens when you least expect it. This final norm is
about being aware of and fostering these unintended learning opportunities
whenever and wherever they happen during the global collaboration. It may be
that some plans are altered on the run, it may be that outcomes are tweaked
or it may be that connections and working time is extended in order to fully
maximise the learning.
 Be prepared for new experiences and unintended learning outcomes
 Be flexible and deviate from the plan
 Realise the potential of individual learners as they connect globally
Make sure you are able to realise the ... Potential
Make sure you are able to be... Productive
Make sure you are... Positive
Make sure you are able to... Participate
Make sure you are able to... Perceive
Make sure you are able to... Paraphrase
Make sure you have a... Purpose
Make sure you are... Prepared
©Julie Lindsay | @julielindsay | Julie@flatconnections.com | http://flatconnections.com | Last updated June 2015