Encouraging Online Instructors-Facilitators

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Subject: [PD 3439] Re: one easy-to-implement idea to encourage instructors/facilitators
From: Holly Dilatush holly at dilatush.com
Date: Mon Jun 15 11:45:03 EDT 2009

Katrina asked:
"What are ways that teachers can make effective/better use of chat programs or email to ensure that student / teacher communication and teacher availability are maintained and encouraged?"

And this idea occurred to me (it's an adaptation of an idea that worked really well at the Charlottesville Adult Learning Center when I taught there):

For the first ten minutes (or time limit of your choosing) of every monthly staff meeting, have all communication be via IM (instant messaging) or cell phone text messages -- have as many computers as one is able to have available at the ready -- and, with everyone sitting/standing/leaning in the same room, communicate! Chances are that many of the participants will be aware of different programs/processes to send messages to more than one person, others may be less comfortable, others may be clueless -- so teach each other!

At the Charlottesville Adult Learning Center, we tried two activities that were (my opinion) very effective.

1) At the beginning of each ESOL staff meeting, a statement would be written on the board. We would be asked to stand near the windows if we agreed, against the opposite wall if we disagreed, or in the middle if we were neutral or uncertain. Then we'd ask for a speaker from each group to defend/explain their choice. We limited those to 10 minute discussions, and then proceeded with our meeting.
2) At each meeting, a recording of an oral Best interview was played, and we each scored it -- then compared our results, line item by line item! *Very* informative, very useful discussions.

To help teachers feel less threatened by technologies, provide frequent opportunities for them to test pilot them -- what better way than with each other, where andragogy and meaningful implementation possibilities and challenges can be discussed as they learn to be more familiar with the tools?

If groups are meeting regularly for another purpose, combine some portion of the meetings into same place, same time "live" practice opportunities. Have same place cell phone text messages, Skype chats, dimdim meetings ( http://dimdim.com), IM chats, clickers, and more -- completing your meeting agenda items -- exploring the tools, teaching each other tips to use them.

-- Holly (Dilatush)
Charlottesville, VA USA
holly at dilatush.com

Subject: [PD 3441] Re: one easy-to-implement idea to encourage instructors/facilitators
From: Marcel Kielkucki mkielku at kirkwood.edu
Date: Wed Jun 17 09:26:11 EDT 2009

Another idea that I have seen used with email/discussion boards is the 2+2 method. If you have multiple topics in your thread for one week, require your students to post to at least 2 of the topics, but then they must also reply to two posts of other students, and these replies should be more than just, "I agree with so and so."

Mr. Marcel Kielkucki
Kirkwood HSDL Coordinator

Subject: [PD 3449] Re: one easy-to-implement idea to encourage instructors/facilitators
From: Katrina Hinson khinson at almanid.com
Date: Wed Jun 17 10:37:14 EDT 2009

Holly,

I love the idea your presented below!! I'm going to share that with my colleagues. What a great way to get them used to something they are not very familiar with! I do think that exposure to new technologies is the best way to get people acclimated to new things. What I find bothersome sometimes is that some people are so excited about the technology that they want to learn it all at once and don't realize they may need to learn one thing at a time. The excitement and enthusiasm is good but it makes it harder for them in the long run. They get frustrated because they don't feel they know 'enough' as the next person and in their eagerness to learn all of it, they learn none of it well.

Have you or anyone else on the list encountered that if and if so, how did you deal with it?

Regards,
Katrina

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