Using a Variety of Technologies to Create and Maintain a Long-Distance Materials Development Team

Authors

  • Elizabeth Byleen University of Kansas
  • Pat Byrd Georgia State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.v19i1.51-65

Keywords:

Materials Design and Publication, Virtual Teamwork, Email, Listserv, Small Group Communication

Abstract

Over a two year period, a group of editors and authors used a variety of technologies to create a cohesive team that produced a textbook series with instructor manuals along with a supporting web site. Small groups can be analyzed in terms of their (a) situation, (b) leadership, (c) individual vs. group goals, (d) norms, (e) roles, and (f) cohesiveness. The development of the group for this materials publication project is described in terms of these six areas and the ways in which communication technologies were used to facilitate achieving the group's goals.

Author Biographies

  • Elizabeth Byleen, University of Kansas

    Elizabeth Byleen is an Associate Language Specialist at the Applied English Center of the University of Kansas and the author of Looking ahead 3: Developing skills for academic writing. At TESOL 1999, she chaired a session that explored the development of the virtual team for the Looking ahead project.

  • Pat Byrd, Georgia State University

    Patricia Byrd is a professor in the Department of Applied Linguistics and ESL at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia, where she teaches graduate courses in materials design and publication and in English grammar. In addition to publishing numerous ESL textbooks and scholarly articles, she is interested in the use of computer technology in language teaching. She teaches a graduate course in English grammar entirely on the Web in the WebCT environment. She developed the web site for the Looking ahead textbook series and is working on a web version of the grammar textbook Applied English Grammar. In her materials design course, students learn to create ESL materials for publication on the Web.

References

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Brandon, D., & Hollingshead, A. (1999). Collaborative learning and computersupported groups. Communication Education, 48 (2), 109-126.

Broome, B., & Chen, M. (1992). Guidelines for computer-assisted group problem solving. Small Group Research, 23 (2), 216-238.

Byrd, P. (Ed.). (1995). Material writer’s guide. Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers.

Byrd, P. (1998). Looking Ahead [On-line]. Available: lookingahead.heinle.com

Clawson, V., & Bostrom, R. (1993). The role of the facilitator in computer-supported meetings. Small Group Research, 24 (4), 547-560.

Ehrman, M. E., & Dornyei, Z. (1998). Interpersonal dynamics in second language education: The visible and invisible classroom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Hollingshead, A., & McGrath, J. (1993). Group task performance and communication technology: A longitudinal study of computer-mediated versus faceto-face work groups. Small Group Research, 24 (3), 307-334.

Mudrack, P. E., & Farrell, G. M. (1995). An examination of functional role behavior and its consequences for individuals in group settings. Small Group Research, 26 (4), 542-571.

Salazar, A. J. (1996). An analysis of the development and evolution of roles in the small group. Small Group Research, 27 (4), 475-503.

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Published

2013-01-14

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 1 (2002)

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Byleen, E., & Byrd, P. (2013). Using a Variety of Technologies to Create and Maintain a Long-Distance Materials Development Team. CALICO Journal, 19(1), 51-65. https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.v19i1.51-65

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