IN MY OPINION, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TRUST?

All of your answers truly echo my own. Trust is an essential ingredient in all relationships (private, public, business) and yet it is a component quite easily "dissolve-able". Many factors are involved for trust to be given, returned, and maintained, but I think that most fall under "character", such as reputation, willingness (to share, to collaborate, to listen, to critic), presence (staying in contact, support). It becomes obvious that for this team, the "characters" of the members will be established based on their social presence through the distance via this web-based tool and possibly other technologies (Clint mentioned possible phone conferencing in the future). But the basic assumption we all start with is still to trust each other's words, so that we can trust each other's bio (reputation), and extend the trust to group work responsibility. I think that "to trust" means "to give a chance."

WHY DO I WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS RESEARCH TEAM?

I want to be a part of this research team because I believe that this cross-cultural, multilingual and multidisciplinary team will identify essential elements for successful international distance collaboration. I have a direct interest in such results as my dissertation work is geared toward observing and analyzing 3D distance learning and teaching (via the Second Life platform) of foreign languages and cultures. I believe that the research team could provide answers or suggestions to best practices for educators' training for online distance teaching.

Risking to sound idealist (perhaps naive), I also believe that the Team's work can lay out the basis for an effective revision of Education (programs, curriculum, teacher training, scholar exchange, professional development and more). I am convinced that the work done by this team is visionary, making this team an agent of change quite necessary to allow for the educational paradigm shift to be better understood.

WHAT ARE MY PERSONAL GOALS FOR WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE ACCOMPLISHED BY THE END OF THIS RESEARCH PERIOD (in December)?

To study and better understand global virtual collaborative teams and cross-cultural online instruction were goals laid out by Clint and these are the reasons why I am in the team. So I am also appropriating them as my own goals. Being able to articulate the dynamics of a multinational team of multidisciplinary researchers and develop cross-cultural implementations would complement my education and training as an aspiring expert in international education and collaboration.

I hope to translate what I learn from this experience in publishable articles, for professional reasons (job hunting is one reason), and for intellectual reasons (the satisfaction to participate to the academic/research conversation and reach a global audience for example).