Session+Six

=== Look back over your previous experience in facilitating classes, what was the biggest challenge you faced in terms of managing time and organization? What strategies can you share with your colleagues to help in this area? === // ﻿Leigh-Ann- I am still learning better way to manage time and organization with each class that I facilitate. I have gained so much from the facilitator's forums. When people post suggestions, my jaw sometimes drops to think I have been doing it the hardest way possible. One of my biggest challenges in my first class was emails. I was sending out reminders, etc. So, the next course I saved some sample emails and used as a template and copied and pasted. I have a folder on my computer with emails that are written for some general areas such as students who are behind, or students who have not logged in. I also found a sample spreadsheet for grades that REALLY made life better. //

// S usan ~ // Looking back over my previous experience in facilitating classes, the biggest challenge I faced in terms of managing time and organization was emails. My first course to facilitate was EDU4465 Wikis, Blogs, Podcasts, and Skype. I had over twenty participants and I didn’t know what I was doing. The first thing I did was to set up a Contact Group in Gmail. I read in the Facilitators Forum, that the Moodle System Messages had crashed before and that it was a good idea to have your own Address Book. I think that setting it up at the beginning of the course is always necessary. As you use it, you work through the incorrect addresses and then when it is time to send out the certificates, Bingo! Sherry- Having your students in a seperate address book/email account such as gmail is a great idea. Sometimes the schools email will be down creating a road block. I am going to do this. Thanks for the idea.

Ginger~ I am in my first facilitating class and the people who get behind are my biggest challenge. I don't know how to get them going! I know that the beauty of an online class is working at //your own pace// but I am a get ahead type person and it is hard for me to get them going. If you don't keep up with the lesson then you fall behind in so many ways. Participants that post last //everytime// miss out on the threads that are woven into the disscussion. They get into the class more when they weave a thread into the disscussion board instead of waiting and just saying the same thing that has been said before. Sherry- I agree the student that lags behind misses out on a lot of good information. I also feel that they are apt to quit because they don't feel a part of the group.

__Sherry- My first online class I facilitated was an Art Appreciation class with a junior college. Students didn't realize how much information there was going to be. A lot of them felt that it would be easy, they were shocked when they took the quizzes and did not get a very good grade. This is where I had a hard time...keeping them going and helping them with organizing their time. Since then, I have implemented a "discussion forum", like we have in our class. It has helped everyone. They now realize they are not alone and that the class is difficult but doable. Having some interaction has helped with the success rate of the class.__ Pam-I have no actual "facilitating" experience. I am teaching ACCESS online however. It is similar to facilitating. To keep students involved I think is easier than keeping adults who have no desire to learn new things. Keeping the topics and assignments interesting with variety is the best metthod of keeping anyone "on task". Online classes cannot be set up to "work at your own pace". When a time limit is placed on most individuals they will become more motivated to complete their work. When they can work at their own pace, usually they think " I think about that tomorrow" (Scarlett O'Hara). We all want to learn something new and gain experience in the new things. If you want to keep anyone else interested it would be necessary to get them involved by developing methods of actual use. In other words, real world experience in the use of the knowledge gained. With students in the classroom we all do this. With students online we sometimes need to be a little more innovative in our ideas. We must think "outside the box". Using the tools we have learned in this course and others will enhance our "toy" box with new ideas. Wikis and voice tools will be the best method of keeping students involved.

Gwen~ I gave students various timeframes to connect at least once or twice per week to each other and they were also free to contribute whenever they chose to do so. I allowed time for reflection, I attempted to keep discussions alive and on a productive path. My students seemed to have a hard time staying on the path or timeline that I wanted them on.What I've learned is that when facilitating online discussions asking the right questions is just as important as giving the right answers. when facilitating online discussions it’s important to pose questions which have no easy answers or which have many possible answers and to make sure students are encouraged to add their own experiences and insights. Feedback is important to help facilitate the discussion. Individual feedback is sometimes required to encourage newcomers to contribute to the discussion. The facilitators should summarize the key points to end the discussion or ask some prompting questions to recharge the discussion.

 //__It's Not Going Away__// //__**__//
Sharon Sewell There once was a beast  Who loved to feast  And prey on the minds  Of those who would find  Themselves  Blind. Blind? You may ask... It's such a simple task. Ah, but is it so simple <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">That you smile with a dimple? <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">See <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I'm totally crimpled. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Wiki's, RSS, email, and blogs <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">How does one get through this technology smog? <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Grading, managing, feedback and more <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Swimming, wading, walk to the shore  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Finding  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">The techno "core"  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">At the core of this world  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">No one is bored  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Keystrokes, delete, copy and paste  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">All learn to go slowly without haste  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Making  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Success, not waste  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">eLearning has made me better in more ways than one  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I am more effective in f2f and on line is not shunned  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I practice using new and challenging tools  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">The wiser I become and run from the fools  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Who tell me  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">You're breaking the rules. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Rules can change as one learns new tricks <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Technology can heal or make one sick  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I choose to find the ideas worth the risk  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">So that others I may assist  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">On line  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">I persist  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Back to the web where the lines stretch long  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Making new friends with bonds that are strong  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Learning new ways and that it's ok  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">To reach and walk on new roads here to stay  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Technology  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">It's not going away

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Charles here~<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">As Pam, I have no experience facilitating online classes; although, in my f2f classroom, I consider myself more on the facilitating side of the business. The syllabi are detailed, outlined with week by week assignments and due dates of projects. The most voice used is in the first week, and that's in the orientation, dealing with all the housekeeping. ======

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<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">I find my biggest challenge is keeping them motivated. Strategies I use for f2f are quite similar to those I will use facilitating an OLC. The following are some of them: ======
 * ======<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Provide consistent, regular feedback, both to individuals in the class, and to the whole group <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">. ﻿ ======
 * Provide high quality online documents, such as syllabi, and other instructional tools. In my f2f, I have several copies of documents becaue high school tend to misplace what they don't want to do.
 * Practice consistency and fairness to ensure a positive, fair, and effective learning environment.
 * Have a back up when audio and video equipment fail. For OLCs a back up just in case the server goes down. A good idea is to provide ways for participants to send class materials.

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Jacqui here - Finally, I'm able to access Wiki again. I have found that "things" that work when I use IE as my browser do not work when I use Chrome as my browser (and vice versa). I rarely use IE anymore because it slows Vista down to a crawl, but obviously I have not been mindful of this when getting on the internet. I've also realized (very interesting) that when I use the email through our course and am in Chrome the editing tool does not work, but the editing tools work when I use IE. Go figure.

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">As for challenges in facilitating I have found keeping everyone interested and onboard as my biggest challenge. We all get bogged down by life itself and what may have seemed like a breeze at first, becomes drudgery after seven weeks. We just need to keep everyone's spirits up, be positive, model our expectations, and help where we can. If we all work together to help each other we can accomplish anything.

Michele here- Hey Jacqui, I find that interesting because I am currently working through Chrome on this wiki post. I guess that's a big thing to remember in facilitating online classes is that just because it works for one, doesn't mean that it will work for all. Technology is not always cut and dry because our computer systems have not been set up the same way and we don't all have the same virus protection programs, etc. I am also a Chrome lover! I almost dropped out of this class as I am taking another PLU class that I have to take and along with all the other responsibilities was starting to get bogged down. Thanks for pulling me through! As far as time management is concerned, I would say that the basic advice is the best advice...Find a time to work and do it everyday. Consistency in your presence as a facilitator is very important!