Skip Latest News(No news has been posted yet) | | | Kia Ora! Welcome to this four-week workshop in Online Facilitation at [your institution]. We hope you will enjoy discovering new techniques for effectively
planning and managing online interactions. We will look at both
teacher-student and student-student interactions and focus on the use of online discussion forums. Be sure to make the most of this opportunity to "flex your online facilitation muscles" with your fellow participants. Find out more... | | | | 1 | Knowing me, knowing youFor this workshop we have organised a face-to-face (F2F) kick-off meeting. However when facilitating online learning you may not always have that 'luxury'. Your students may be on different ends of the country or of the world. You will have to use an online activity to introduce them to each other. | - Do e-tivity 1.1
- Do e-tivity 1.2 (if you are online at the right time)
- View definitions of asynchronous & synchronous e-learning (optional)
- Read the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Online Discussion Participants (optional)
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 e-tivity 1.1 - Web Hunt
Participate in the Google Web Hunt and introduce yourself. Click on e-tivity 1.1 below for further instructions.
 e-tivity 1.1 Web Hunt Forum e-tivity 1.2 - Chat PracticeAn opportunity to practice synchronous communication with the chat tool. Click on e-tivity 1.2 on 25 May 2007 at 12.40 NZ time for a 10-15 minute chat.
 e-tivity 1.2 Chat Practice Definitions: Asynchronous v. Synchronous E-learning Resource- 7 Habits of Highly Effective Online Discussion Participants Resource
Changing Tasks & RolesMany teachers who are asked to "move their course online" become preoccupied with getting the content of a course online. Although the learning materials are important, being a repository of knowledge is only a small part of what you do as a teacher.
What other tasks does a teacher perform that she will need to achieve online? What are other components of classroom learning that need to be translated to the online classroom?
| - Do e-tivity 1.3
- Read the web page What Makes A Successful Online Facilitator
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e-tivity 1.3 - Brainstorm Role & Tasks of Classroom Teacher
Participate in the online brainstorm on this topic. Click on e-tivity 1.3 below for further instructions.
- e-tivity 1.3 Brainstorm Role & Tasks of Classroom Teacher Forum
 What Makes A Succesful Online Facilitator? file- This web page lists some online facilitator characteristics and student expectations. Can you think of more? Were you surprised by any of the items?
| Playing the Part - Different Roles in Online Facilitation
From the above, it seems that with the move to go online, a conscious effort is needed on the part of the teacher to ensure she fulfills all her students' needs & expectations.
With the transition from an industrial society to a knowledge society, another change in the teaching role is occurring. The teacher stops being the "sage on the stage" and becomes the "guide on the side". Diane Laurillard describes this as moving from a transmissional model of teaching to a conversational framework of teaching. It can also be seen as going from teacher-centred learning to learner-centred learning.
The teacher is no longer the fountain of all knowledge, but a facilitator of knowledge. She guides students towards useful and recent resources, paces them so they are not overwhelmed and enables them to discern between the varying qualities of information. And more, she directs activities to aid students in deepening their understanding and applying that knowledge to their own experience.
This may come naturally to you in your role of classroom teacher. To achieve this online, you may need to take on a few more parts. | - Read the two articles by Hootstein & White
- Do e-tivity 1.4
- Read Online Facilitation on elearnspace (optional)
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 Wearing Four Pairs of Shoes - Ed Hootstein (4 Roles) file- Facilitating and Hosting a Virtual Community - Nancy White (9 Roles) file
e-tivity 1.4 - What if the shoe doesn't fit?
Based on the articles above, discuss which role or pair of shoes you would find most challenging. Click on e-tivity 1.4 below for further instructions. - e-tivity 1.4 What if the shoe doesn't fit? Forum
- Online Facilitation on elearnspace file
 Reflection 1
Post a short message to the Reflection Pond in the Ripples - Week 1 topic at the end of this first week of activities. Share what you found helpful, surprising or more difficult than you expected. The Reflection Pond is located in the Services Section.
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| | | 2 | Bringing Order to Chaos
The process of online facilitation depends on a host of components & factors. Online students and their workload, your other duties and workload, the technology platform, students' comfort levels for working online, the anytime-anywhere factor... you can probably think of many more.
How can you possibly hope to control all those elements? What you need is an Online Facilitation strategy.
The most practical model for Online Facilitation was created by Gilly Salmon. It is based on 5 Stages: | Access & Motivation Online Socialization Information Exchange Knowledge Construction Development
It is also important, as you are thinking about the design and build-up of your facilitation activities, to be aware of cultural differences.
- Examine Gilly Salmon's 5-Stage Model
- Look at Interactive version and More Models for Teaching and Learning (optional)
- Do e-tivity 2.1
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- Gilly Salmon's 5-Stage Model file
- Interactive version of the 5-Stage Model file
- JISC: More Models of Teaching & Learning (incl. 5-Stage model) file
e-tivity 2.1 - Apollo, Periodic Table & History of New Zealand
Pair up with a fellow participant & get a feel for the 5-Stage Model. Click on e-tivity 2.1 below for further instructions. - e-tivity 2.1 Apollo, Periodic Table & History of New Zealand Forum
Bringing Structure to Activities
"I added a discussion forum to my course but no one used it." You've probably heard this utterance from a colleague, accompanied by a sigh of frustration. It is often followed by a variation on the theme of "this online learning thing doesn't work."
Now translate this to a classroom setting: if at the beginning of the semester you asked students to come to the front of the room whenever they get the urge and talk about any topic for any length of time, what would happen? Probably not much, which is why we structure and manage our class activities. We can do the same thing online.
Gilly Salmon calls these structured online activities, e-tivities. Each e-tivity should contain: a spark, purpose, task, interaction and time indication.
Spark: This can be a heading or an entire paragraph. It is how you hook your participants - it should be motivating and capture their interest. Purpose: Explain why this activity is important for the learning process but also for the individual participant. Task: This should be a detailed description what the participant or the group has to do. Make it as specific as possible, e.g. stating a number of words (max. 200 words) or describing another deliverable (an image, url or presentation).
Interaction/Response: This is a suggestion for how to interact and respond to other participants' posts. This stimulus may be more needed in Stage 1 and 2 but it is good to stipulate your expectations. Time indication: Make it clear how much time your participants should spend on an activity and when you want them to wrap up the activity.
E-tivities should be linked to the the 5-Stage Model. One e-tivity can build on previous e-tivities.
| - Read the extract from E-tivities Book & the EduTechWiki Entry
- Look at Running E-tivity plenaries (optional)
- Look at Icebreaker links for inspiration (optional)
- Do e-tivity 2.2 (Note: You can do either e-tivity 2.1 or e-tivity 2.2)
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- Extract from E-tivities Book: Building e-tivities- key principles file
- Entry for E-tivity on EducTechWiki file
- Running E-tivity plenaries - Gilly Salmon's website file
- Using Online Icebreakers - University of Southern Alabama file
- Icebreaker Ideas - Southern New Hampshire University file
e-tivity 2.2 - Your E-tivity!
Create an e-tivity you can use in one of your courses. Click on e-tivity 2.2 below for further instructions.
- e-tivity 2.2 Your E-tivity! Forum
 Reflection 2
As you finish the Week 2 e-tivities, post
a short message to the Reflection Pond. Share one of your triumphs this week - was there anything that clicked for you this week?
The Reflection Pond is located in the Services Section at the bottom of the course page.
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| | | 3 | Groups - Flex Your Facilitation Muscles
Now it is your turn. To experiment with online facilitation you need a group of willing participants. Finding volunteers for that is difficult, so make the most of this opportunity to practise with your colleagues.
In e-tivity 3.1 we ask you to divide yourself into sub-groups & choose a topic related to online facilitation & online learning. For e-tivity 3.2 we will establish a separate Forum for each of the groups. You as a group will decide on a facilitator, structure & goal for your discussion.
| - Do e-tivity 3.1
- Do e-tivity 3.2
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| | | 4 | Re:Group
We hope you had a good "online facilitation work-out." It's now time to return to the group and present the results from your sub-group's discussion. We would also appreciate it if you can share your group's experiences, frustrations & triumphs alike.
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e-tivity 4.1 - Ta-daa!
Time to present your group's discussion summaries & respond to the work of the other groups. Click on e-tivity 4.1 below for further instructions. - e-tivity 4.1 Tadaa! Forum
Re:Flect
Unfortunately, this is the end of our journey together.
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e-tivity 4.2 - Reflections on the Workshop
The end of the road - please tell us about your journey. Click on e-tivity 4.2 below for further instructions. - E-tivity 4.2 Reflections on the workshop Resource
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| | | 5 | Service SectionIn this section you will find some additional assets & activities. It is also a gathering place for the additional resources, links and ideas that you collect during the workshop.
- Your Online Facilitation Snippets & Musings Forum
- If you find a useful resource, have a tip or have other thoughts you want to share about online facilitation or online learning, please post them here.
- Helping Hands Forum
- You may have a question or concern that is unrelated to the workshop content. You can contact the facilitators directly but it would be great if you would add your question here. Other participants may have similar queries or be able to help.
- Reflection Pond Forum
- Workshop Chat Room
- This is the general chat room for this workshop. This is also where Vanessa & Joyce will hold open office hours, every Friday afternoon from 4 until 4.30 PM.
- Bibliography & Additional Reading Resource
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