Virtual Teamwork: Mastering the Art and Practice of Online Learning and Corporate Collaboration

Recommended Reading-Virtual Teamwork: Mastering the Art and Practice of Online Learning and Corporate Collaboration

 A Mixed Message That Has Its’ Strengths

1. This book includes a diverse group of essays on online learning and online collaboration in the business world. These essays do offer reasonable approaches to learning theory but they do seem to include hard to follow material that is both dated and contradictory. Many are from pre-2000, which is not exactly cutting edge for a book released in 2011 and the table of contents or index do not refer to current mainstay services such as Facebook, Google, Twitter or YouTube

2. I was looking for a resource that had a broader perspective of online learning and the title implied this was going to include collaboration techniques, which it barely does. Virtual Teamwork is not a text about “How to Learn to Deliver Online Learning,” yet it seems to challenge non-online learning as being out-of-date.

3. To be balanced, the book does have useful tips on managing a team and references ways to address the cultural diversity of global teams.

4. I have been both a University professor and a corporate educator and we all realize that traditional classrooms are commonly supported by online resources and anyone participating in learning today recognizes that using virtual collaboration tools is customary today. If you work virtually, this book will likely boost your importance to your audience.

5. I believe Virtual Teamwork is a helpful resource for educators or faculty who assigns team projects in their courses, as it covers the basics of creating meaningful teams, expectation setting, and management.

6. On the whole, this book provides reasonable suggestions and tips for dealing with conflict in teams. The examples, case studies and best practices make it worth the read.

As always, feedback is appreciated.

John J Hogan, CHA CMHS CHE CHO

John@Hoganhospitality.com    Office 480-436-0283   Cell 602-799-5375

Hotelier, Speaker, Educator, Author, Expert Witness

• Principal,  HoganHospitality.com   Expert Witness Services, Workshops, Consulting

 

•  Co-Founder & CLO, HospitalityEducators.com, Resources in Customer Services, Training, Marketing and Sales, Profitability

 

• Visit  johnjhogan.com for Coaching and Development

Christmas Gift Suggestions

TWO SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT LISTS WITH THE SAME INTENTIONS

John J Hogan, CHA CMHS CHE CHO

John@Hoganhospitality.com    Office 480-436-0283   Cell 602-799-5375

Hotelier, Speaker, Educator, Author, Expert Witness

• Principal,  HoganHospitality.com    Expert Witness Services,  Workshops, Consulting
•  Co-Founder & CLO, HospitalityEducators.com, Resources in Customer Services, Training, Marketing and Sales, Profitability
• Visit  johnjhogan.com for Coaching and Development

 

Guest Blog message from Stanley Turkel- The Pineapple as a Symbol of Hospitality, Fanciful Travel Predictions & Definition of “Turnpike”,

I am pleased to share a message from noted hotel historian, Stanley Turkel, CMHS that he posted earlier this year.  In this post, he notes the history of how the pineapple came to be known as the universal symbol of Hospitality.

John J. Hogan

This background is why we at HospitalityEducators.com chose the pineapple as part of our logos over the years.

  Original 2010 logo   

    Updated 2017

______________________________________________________________________

Fanciful Prediction, Definition of “Turnpike”, The Pineapple as a Symbol of Hospitality, Hokusai, the Great Japanese Printmaker

 (original publication date July 18, 2018 )

by Stanley Turkel, CMHS

Hotel History: Fanciful Prediction – In the September 1912 issue of American Homes & Gardens, futurist Harold D. Eberlein presented his predictions of the impact of air travel on American cities.  Eberlein foresaw a proliferation of roof gardens on top of large hotels to provide pleasing views for guests.  He also predicted that travelers could expect to find “clerks and bellboys posted on the top floor ready to attend to the immediate wants of tourists who have just arrived by airplane. Aerial taxicabs will circle like vultures over the hotel waiting for a doorman to signal one of them to alight and pick up a departing guest.” The creation of drones and self-driven vehicles shows just how close we are to fulfilling Eberlein’s fanciful prediction of the future. Google’s efforts to build delivery drones and internet-beaming balloons are no longer just science projects.

Definition of “Turnpike” – It came from the practice of placing a pike or staff across a toll road. One side of the pike was imbedded with spikes. When the toll was paid, the pike was turned spikes down so the traveler could pass. The first turnpike was built between Philadelphia and Lancaster in 1792.

The Pineapple as a Symbol of Hospitality – In order to understand how the pineapple became the symbol for hospitality, we must return to Newport, Rhode Island in the 17^th century. It was founded in 1639 by settlers seeking religious freedom. Newport’s majestic schooners participated in the infamous Triangle trade:  ships would sail to western Africa to pick up slaves, continue to the Caribbean to trade the slaves for sugar, molasses and sugar and then back to New England. Along with these commodities, captains would bring home pineapples whose exotic shape and sweetness made them a rare delicacy in the colonies.  Before emails or cellphones, sea captains would place the pineapples on their gate posts or over their doorways to inform neighbors that they had returned.  Colonial hostesses would set a fresh pineapple as a centerpiece of their dining table when visitors joined their families in their homes.  Later, carved wooden pineapples were placed over the doorways of inns and hotels to represent hospitality.  The practice has continued to the present and frequently one sees the pineapple icon in hotels, restaurants and homes to signal an atmosphere of hospitality and welcome.

Hokusai, the great Japanese master printmaster, once wrote:

“From the age of six, I had a passion for copying the form of things and since the age of fifty I have published many drawings. Yet of all I drew by my seventieth year there is nothing worth taking into account. At seventy-three years I partly understood the structure of animals, birds, insects and fishes, and the life of grasses and plants. And so, at eighty-six I shall progress further; at ninety I shall even further penetrate their secret meaning, and by one hundred I shall perhaps truly have reached the level of the marvelous and divine. When I am one hundred and ten, each dot, each line will possess a life of its own.”

My Published Books

• Great American Hoteliers: Pioneers of the Hotel Industry (2009)
• Built To Last:  100+ Year-Old Hotels in New York (2011)
• Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels East of the Mississippi (2013)
• Hotel Mavens: Lucius M. Boomer, George C. Boldt and Oscar of the Waldorf (2014)
• Great American Hoteliers Volume 2: Pioneers of the Hotel Industry (2016)
• Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels West of the Mississippi (2017)

All of these books can be ordered from AuthorHouse by visiting www.stanleyturkel.com and clicking on the book’s title.

About Stanley Turkel 

Stanley Turkel was designated as the 2014 and the 2015` Historian of the Year by Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This award is presented to an individual for making a unique contribution in the research and presentation of hotel history and whose work has encouraged a wide discussion and a greater understanding and enthusiasm for American History.

Turkel is a well-known consultant in the hotel industry. He operates his hotel consulting practice serving as an expert witness in hotel-related cases, provides asset management and hotel franchising consultation. He is certified as a Master Hotel Supplier Emeritus by the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

All of his books can be ordered from the publisher (AuthorHouse) by visiting www.stanleyturkel.com and clicking on the book title.

Contact: Stanley stanturkel@aol.com / 917-628-8549

Please Take Note   Effective June 5, 2018, my new address is:

Stanley Turkel, CMHS,   5000 Fairbanks Avenue #321,      Alexandria, Virginia 22311

______________________________________________________________

John J Hogan, CHA CMHS CHE CHO

John@Hoganhospitality.com    Office 480-436-0283   Cell 602-799-5375

Hotelier, Speaker, Educator, Author, Expert Witness

• Principal,  HoganHospitality.com    Expert Witness Services,  Workshops, Consulting
•  Co-Founder & CLO, HospitalityEducators.com, Resources in Customer Services, Training, Marketing and Sales, Profitability
• Visit  johnjhogan.com for Coaching and Development

A delightful message for everyone!

                                                        The introduction to this book provides the reader  with a clear direction of the book’s intentions.

It states

1. this is not a book for your grandparents about meditation
2. it is not going to tell you enough information about what you do to become a practicing Buddhist
3. it does provide reassurance that one does not necessarily have to change their life to embrace the truths identified in the book
4. the author tells you that you will explore the fundamentals of the four of dignities of Shambhala vehicles of traditional Tibetan Buddhism

The book is divided into four sections

1. Part one: get your act together

2. Part two: how to save the world

3. Part three : letting go into space

4. Part four: relaxing into magic

The author, Lordo Rinzler, is a 28 year-old Buddhist teacher who states that he is talking to Generation O, which is defined as individuals and college or about to enter the workforce. He tackles the topic of Buddhism in a nonthreatening, easy to understand way. He explains the methodology of meditation, as well as how it might be used in everyday living.

One of the things I really like about this book are the discussions about everyday issues, with optional basic meditations that could be used by anyone interested. I find the book to be more about identifying awareness of self and interaction with others, rather than trying to promote a specific religion

While the author does address some of the more mystical side (to Westerners) of Buddhism, he delves into into real-world issues facing Generation O such as clothes, relationships, office politics, money, friends, school, making mistakes and a bit of politics.

My son was born and raised in Tennessee and exposed to Christian teachings and beliefs. When he was 23, he moved to Seoul South Korea to teach English. Over the next five years, he experienced a wide range of religions, including Buddhism, and felt much more at ease in his personal journey of seeking the truth. He has now returned to the U.S. and feels much more open minded about religious freedoms, ideas and methods of seeking a higher power.

I originally ordered this book for my son, but found I enjoyed it as much as I mentioned he will. It is a pleasure to recommend this book.

As always, comments and feedback are welcome

John J Hogan, CHA CMHS CHE CHO

John@Hoganhospitality.com    Office 480-436-0283   Cell 602-799-5375

Hotelier, Speaker, Educator, Author, Expert Witness

•   Principal,  HoganHospitality.com    Expert Witness Services,  Workshops, Consulting

 

•  Co-Founder & CLO, HospitalityEducators.com, Resources in Customer Services, Training, Marketing and Sales, Profitability

 

•  Visit  johnjhogan.com for Coaching and Development