Week 7 - Social networking and facilitation

Well I have had a week of extreme online activity. Joining twitter, linkedIn, following more blogs, starting another blog etc. My initial thought was how will I keep up with all this and how will I manage my time, then decided I must give them all a go before deciding which ones to use. I also don't feel like I can make a judgement call on any of them until I have used them for a while. Playing with them is definately the best way to learn. Twitter surprised me - Sarah had requested some midwifery exam questions and I was able to supply her with a whole exam I just happened to have. These sort of requests just filter out through those networks we spend so much time building and it was nice to be able to give back - reciprosity. So next time someone complains about the time it takes to manage these social network tools, just mention the word reciprosity. My initial and very short interpretation so far: Twitter (instant, requests) Facebook (social chatter, fun) LinkedIN (Professional networking) blogging (reflective thought and active discussion)

Week 6 - Skype experiences

Using Skype has been fantastic. I started using it about 4 months ago to reconnect with an old friend and have found it invaluable when I spoke to Malcolm Lewis the other day about my mini conference topic. It was great to have that visual connection of being able to see him, it adds a positive dimension to the conversation that you just don't get with audio only. I have found the video will drop out sometimes if I am on for over 20minutes (with an international caller) however Skype did behave itself for Malcolm and I. What is great is that it is free to call someone else on Skype. My husband and I spent $4500 (in 1990) on a phone bill in 10 weeks when I was in the USA working only 6 months after we met - (love is blind and very expensive) imagine how much we would have saved being able to use Skype - the mind boggles at what could potentialy be available to our children in the next 20 years - time travel!!!!

Interprofessional online community set up - SOS

After reading this week's material, I have decided on my topic for the mini conference - 'How to set up an interprofessional online community within a health care facility.' I would like to be a network weaver and build a collaborative, innovative online team of maternity care health professionals who strive for excellence, positive collaboration and engage in critical analysis of care for women, their families and the health professionals themselves. Therefore I am putting out an SOS for anyone who has attempted to or done this successfully before. It doesn't necessarily need to be in a health care facility.

Week 5 - Summarise my learning

In response to the questions posed in short.
1. What is online facilitation - the best word to describe OLF is 'guiding'. The dictionary states guiding involves assisting in an unfamilar area / accompany and explain / to supply counsel / to supervise in an advisory counsel. I see it as walking beside and providing support and structure to the learner / audience.
2. What skills do you need for OLF - patience, empathy, good problem solving skills, excellent communication skills - verbal, writing and listening, technical and topic knowledge, open manner to build a feeling of trust in the audience so they feel comfortable in an often an unfamiliar area, self reflectiveness
3. How does a OLF build an online community or network? - be present online often and in a meaningful way, use different avenues / applications, be strategic, use key words, utilise online social network access opportunities, word of mouth is powerful both online and in the real world, build your online identity to suit what and who you are wanting to attract as a network
4. Key things to remember when facilitating? - be prepared, have many back up plans, know your subject well and the technology, try to have a second person as a back up for support, be enthusiastic, be open to change and new ways, possess a healthy dose of self reflection and ability to laugh at one self
5. Difference between teaching and facilitation? - After reading week 3 - week 5 readings I feel that both terms are very similar. I think the old definiton or connation of teaching has a different meaning to that which is seen today. The old thought of teaching (all expert, all knowledgeable, powerful being telling the student the information - is slowly dying) being replaced by a 'faciliteacher' one in the same. Someone who guides, supports, encourages the learner to find / see for himself, explains and counsels when necessary and supervises as they walk along the journey of learning together - is more of what I see a faciliteacher doing.
6. Netiquette - the rules and manners of online communication

My online identity - what do I want it to be?

After listening to Week 4's session with Sarah on 'online identity', it got me thinking about the comparison to our real life identity. Having met Sarah personally last year after following her musings for awhile I feel that her online identity matches what I saw in real life. I found her to be an upfront, open person who was willing to disclose information about her herself (her life, work and personality) to make deeper connections with the people she met. I found this refreshing and exciting because I find it rare these days to come across someone who is as open as Sarah, especially to that extent. As humans we have a need to develop relationships (social or otherwise) with others. How we communicate, present our selves, behave, develop and grow impacts on how we interact with others and the level in which that relationship forms. An online identity allows a person to be as close too or as far away from the real person as they want to be. The level of control over this issue raises many concerns and call it idealistic but I too feel confortable with having my online identity match my real identity but respect those who for what ever reason do not.

Post mortem of my 1st facilitation online experience

Well as with all new experiences, it wasn't as bad as I thought. My main fear was a technically disaster that I did not know how to fix. Otherwise the preparation, faciliatation and evaluation of the meeting was similar in a lot of ways to face to face facilitation. The things I have taken from this experience are:

• Be prepared, have a back up plan on paper (My mother brain will often leave me mid sentence and I forget what I am taking about - mothers will know what I mean)
• House keeping or ground rules to ensure eveyone knows what to do in the session
• Know your subject well
• Try and meet with your co-presentors to discuss the flow of the session, who will do what.
• Log on early (approx. 1hr) to ensure you are connected and have everything ready
• Have a practice a few days before hand to get a grasp on what the screen looks like in 'staff privledges mode' and what you have to do with it. Sarah will need to give you this access.
• Handy to faciliatate with 2 people (1 with lots of knowledge and one without - is always a benefit)
• This exercise increases your listening and multi tasking skills (I need to practice my listeneing skills)
• Have fun!!!

First time at facilitating online

Well I am preparing for my first attempt at faciliating online tommorrow morning. I have read all the pre-reading, prepared an outline of what I have to say, typed a back up plan of what Chris has to say, saved Terry's power point in case she needs a back up and will connect to skype in case Elluminate dies (heaven forbid!!!) I am getting onto Elluminate an hour early just to make sure I am connected and functioning and hope and pray the 4 kids wake up early in the morning (in a good mood) and everything goes to plan. The meeting is at 9am in the morning (Brisbane time) which is just after the school run, so no one better forget their lunch or show and tell because we are not going back tommorrow. Funny, it feels just like the day before I have to give a big presentaion at uni. Lots of planning (Plan A, B, C and Z just in case). Although at least if I make a mistake tommorrow, it is all part of the learning process!!!!

Online tools = wonderful networking opportunities

My thoughts so far into the 3rd week- this course has given me wonderful opportunities to network with people I may never have come in contact with before. Online people seem more willing to help you and are prepared to offer all sorts of information and assistance. I can't say I'm feeling comfortable with any of the mediums / tools yet but I am at least playing and finding my way slowly through the maze of new tools. I am concentrating on my blog, 2-3 other blogs, skype, wiki educator and OFC blog. My email is getting out of control so need to figure out a way to continue to make it easy for me and better manage my time. I wonder if there is a way of making the blogs from the OFC and my followed blogs go into a folder in my email inbox and not into the main inbox?