Setting Up

Tai Chi for Mums and Mums to be is out in the big wide world. Sadly the gorgeous rack card I have had produced is too big to appear here; but I can send it out from taichi@interfaces.co.nz. We enjoy being part of a community, learning together, helping each other.

I am hoping Mums and Mums to be will come together to experience the constant gently flowing movements, and enjoy the clarity of mind and energy buzz that result. The 5 weekly sessions spend time focusing on a specific part of our busy body's; 1: spine and posture 2:body awareness 3: pelvis and alignment 4:breathing and 5: balance and peacefulness.

Classes can take place at a venue close to the group that one of them specifies or I can arrange a suitable site. During the summer being outside under a large tree is pretty well perfect as is the beach, however tai chi can take place wherever.

Clothing that is easy to move in is the best, you are welcome to be barefoot, wear exercise shoes or socks; your choice.

Class costs are $45.00 for 5 sessions making it $9.00 per class. The $45.00 to paid upfront to my account number at the ASB is 12-3115-0217596-00.

You will discover there is no bending or lunging which makes it perfect for your baby take part in a sling or papoose.

OF2010 what did it do?

Learning.

Educators are that fortunate position of experiencing a lot of education, most often we are giving it and hopefully often we are also receiving it. We are critical evaluators benchmarking against our own vast experience and other examples. We are reflective practitioners much like other professionals, and we take this role seriously. We therefore know when we have been served well and when not.

WE HAVE BEEN!

Did I learn new and useful things? truckloads, I am still overwhelmed by those loads and it will take sometime to work through it all, I am figuring by the time the next course starts I will be in a better position and learn again. So you can take it from the earlier sentence that it was challenging enough. There is challenging and there is challenging. I have recently finished a national certificate in Lit and Num; that was challenging. The challenge was the level of patronage, overworked detail, yawning boredom of the work, the challenge was staying with and completing. The value? I will probably never know, time will be the teller, here and now I give it 2 on a 1-10 scale.

The challenges with this course were many. I would have liked to have been able to spend much more time on-line, the family couldn't believe I was always on my lappie. The headspace to go to the sites and learn over the course of the paper, I just haven't been able to do that, but i now know i have youtube and Sarah's site there as well as other kind people. I need to learn how to make a youtube clip, that is on my list.

The course facilitator did do a good job, she did a very good job. My first meeting with her was on the WE page, now I have seen a few of these and expected this course to run true to them, well it didn't and it hasn't in any way, it has started its own paradigm of excellence, I wonder how long it will be solitary. OP also needs a deal of credit here for being, in my opinion, the benchmark provider in NZ of on-line learning and I am happy for that to go to the CE [Auckland Uni, Waikato, Massey and NorthTec can't get near], and therefore for employing such quality people as Sarah and her colleagues, take a bow OP; love to work in such an environment, they obviously do exist.

I have a thought or suggestion. There a number of basic things I have not learnt, and I guess i could have, anyway how about a glossary of things we really are tripping up and on how to do that?

I will put up, embedding links into blogs, organising the upper ribbon of screens open, I know I have been over that with Sarah but it hasn't sunk in. Maybe on the opening WE page there could be a checklist of tools or skills that would be useful to have started before the course, so that practice continues right the way through, they are simple things but so useful.

Applied learning-

This week I am setting up a FB and Wordpress blog for my business as well as linking my twitter account acethat. My domain goes live as well as my email addresses. I will be in set up mode for a month as well as out F2F marketing "tai chi for this time in your life" the first is For Mums and Mums to Be. I will connect all this together and keep this blog going to have grand explosions, when steam needs to blow, no names. I have asked to included in on-line facilitation opportunities as them come along and will be pitching my skills to a range of organisations as an OLF.

I have recommended this course to a vast range of people and will blogging, FB and emailing them well before it is due to start, I have a list of a dozen people so far.

Personal Evaluation and Review of my mini-conference

• What went well, and what did not go so well- Not too much to report here. I would have liked more participants, however those who said they would come on, didn't, just my business coach Kerene. I also put the event out on Twitter and through Vasi to NorthTec staff, there was no response. I have heaps to learn about marketing with social network tools, heaps. If I were to do be in a similar position next year, there would be a deal more people. A couple of bits like loosing one slide and being late in turning on the recording led me to rethink the value of a backroom person, which would be useful next time, but ofcourse in WizIQ.
• How the event was organised and promoted- I contacted through FB people I know who would be interested in this, also put it out through other networks, as well as FO2010. Perhaps the topic wasn't too thrilling, I don't know. What I do know is most people in my circle think this is way out of their ability range, that could well be the issue.
  • adequate information- I covered this using my blog, wikieducator and emails
  • support (technical and access)- Eluminate was very cooperative, as Sarah was unable to be a staff member I was flying solo and that didn't feel too bad, actually.
  • relevant for the audience- yup it was
• Whether the event was managed and conducted smoothly - particularly noting how you handled any disruptions.- There were few disruptions, 1 only minor when a guest turned up, in such a case I welcome through the text box.
• What efforts you made to ensure that all participants knew where they were supposed to be and when, and arrange technical support for people?- I posted 3 times on the mini-conference site, 3 times by email, and twice by twitter, once mine and once Vasi's account. to each guest i offered them a prior experience in Elluminate, as it happened Kerene came in late and winged it well. Vasi and I spent 2 periods of time on Elluminate to prepare.
• How you set the stage, made introductions, explained the aims, and whether you managed to remain neutral and facilitatory. I set the stage with a welcome, which i will improve on now, the initial slides are useful and we need to cover the base of newbies not knowing how to operate in the space. I had set up my slides to start with a welcome of images, mine was the London Underground tube map, and I was to ask each person to put in a phrase describing themselves and where they came from or an image. I did explain the aims, etcs and facilitation continued to the end.
• How you did a round up, drew closure and indicated where recordings and other follow up materials would be made available. This was not good, I needed to handle this far better, I know I do this F2F all the time, but I think I just had too much on my mind. I had told people in my emails, blog and wikieducator where the recording would be and asked them to comment on my blog. No one has done that.
• Feedback from audience- the audience was excellent, very engaged, nothing after that though
• How you would do things in the future; become much more familiar with WizIQ, i will ask people in FO2010 if they are willing to swap learning sessions. Learn how to do such clever things like placing links into the text box, things that 2nd nature to some and I still have no idea on.
• General comments and additions. As is the case with assessments I was far more nervous about the mini than about the World OT session. That is because this meant so much more to me than other learning I have done in the past. I am committed to doing the course again in 2011 to develop my familiarity and competence.

endings and beginnings

This week I 'attended' a number of mini-conferences. Some inspirational, some thought provoking, and some entertaining; thank you all fellow learners for your time and energy in putting so much of yourselves into the preparation. We have been transported from India, to a boat cabin in a marina somewhere in America I cannot remember, and don't know how to leave this to find out, but I guess that doesn't matter too much. What matters is what was the facilitation experience felt like, was I engaged, and what is my next response? I am grateful to our trio of triers who combined Skype and imeet which provided an opportunity to reflect on this paper. I am also grateful that I have been offered so sessions that have added to my list of 'things to do at the end of the course'.

It seems to me each of us have had our challenges [perhaps not in the truck load that Mark et al] had to deal with, and come through.

Can I say for the record the imeet experience whilst frustrating at times demonstrated clearly how vital experience and confidence with technology won through to provide not only those who managed the entire time but also those who were unable to do so, a session which richly demonstrated facilitating on-line; WELL DONE THAT TEAM!!!!!

Then there was the c0-facilitation from a cabin and a bedroom with I think at least 2 screens running to allow both strands of conversation to take place, WOW.

I have already blogged about e-kerela, that was inspiration on a totally different level.

So where does put me, not leave please note; put me. It puts me in a place I have not been in before from a paper or a qualification. It puts me in charge of my future [on-line]. I have the tools to create that you see; I am quite a beginner on-line but not in the role, so I don't expect upskilling to take too long. I can clearly see that age on-line is really no barrier, really only tools and motivation. to be continued later

Post Traumatic Shock Syndrome-its over

er well, it went kind of ok, I would give myself 6/10; 1 off for forgetting to turn on the recorder at the beginning, I was worried about one of my visitors not getting into the room which distracted me. 1 off for my intro slide and activity was the London Underground Map on which I was going to trace my very regular journeys and ask others to do similar, I stuffed that up totally. I also didn't realise a dial on my headset had been pushed which was the source of my audio problems, would you know it; so that is three points. The forth thing was I went into organiser mode, one my family recognise soo well, and really was a bit of a bamboozleer or sargant major that was through wanting to get it right. All these observations are about my facilitation skills which is what the mini-conference was about. I am a confident facilitator/coach and now I need to tune myself for this alternative platform.

That all said, I feel really relaxed in the arena, its a good place to be. My fellow students joined in and included quite a range, my awesome guest did her stuff and stimulated discussion and comment. The more I do the more I will improve, I do know what I need to work on [at least I think so-all suggestions gratefully received].

I am so pleased I did this paper.

eportfolios must be a journey

I have just re-listened to the voice thread presentation by Coach Carole. When I first started OF2010 I had grand thoughts about doing the eportfolio course as well, ofcourse I took too much on and needed to walk before I ran. Now, as I near the end of OF2010 I see a new opportunity for the use of eportfolio's and being able to support them with online facilitation in a specific area that has for years produced poor results for the resources expended.

So; note to Jane, enrole in the next course Coach Carole runs and learn more, and... have a look at Mahara.

Gobsmacked still: c/o eschool kerela

This morning it was my good luck to join Sebastian Panakal's mini-conference 'Waste to Wealth' Wiki and session. I deeply enjoyed it, deeply appreciated the energy and commitment as well initiative that seems to be rooted in many of the community. I valued anew and was grateful anew for my wonderful life, and I was inspired by his students.

This week my coach used part of this quote to move and affirm me, on looking further into it I found the entire quote and I now gift it onto Sebastian and his students as it seems to me that it just about covers what is happening there.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are younot to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Marianne Williamson"

Thankyou Sebastian

Jane Scripps

Building confidence

This week I have used tools and enjoyed experiences.

On Tuesday I facilitated a session for World OT day; a subject I have only a layperson's experience of. Although I had 'played' in Elluminate this was to be the real thing, so armed with a whisky and soda I started up and was relieved to have Sarah there to talk me through lining up 2 PPTs.

It being a world wide event meant an inclusive ice-breaker was required, but a fast one, in addition I wanted to reduce the 'testing equipment' time as much as possible and worked on an assumption most participants had previously been into other rooms, therefore come with experience.

Using the mic I asked everyone to test their audio and put their hand up or text their success. Then I asked people to say high and provide a word or two describing their environment or country but on text.

27 people came into the room, most arriving close together with a few latecomers. The style of presentation was 3 ppts from presenters, plus the one on Elluminate etiquette. This mean there was straight dialogue and no interaction with participants. There was activity on the text I am relieved to say.

Periodically I would pop something onto the text welcoming someone or providing encouragement/affirmation to the speakers. Once the presentation period was done it was question time when I reminded people of etiquette, my final action was to time the conversations out to fit in with the session ending and provide a url to the next session.

As it was a hour long I managed to complete most of a Killer Soduku puzzle and all of my whiskey and soda, phew that was important.

It was a whole lot easier than I planned for, I relaxed and enjoyed myself; I felt a bit for the listeners, as that is all they were. The style of presentation provided a clear example of how important it is to have interaction, some of these sessions were happening at night or during the night and that meant people were waking up or staying up past their normal time, to sit and not be involved would be difficult I think.

The following day I spent time with a fellow 0-lf student in Elluminate and that provided more experience and was a comfortable space of discussion and support. After that my special guest for the 9th met me in Elluminate and we discussed the session construction, her role and the tools she would use to ensure engagement with the group. Tomorrow I am meeting a fellow student in Elluminate to go through a presentation, so all in all I am getting plenty of experience.

I saw that WizIQ is being used for the presentation and that is something I could have done to0; almost regret not doing it now, however to secure learning at a basic level in this case in Elluminate, is useful for me as it suits my learning style and provides a discipline for someone known for their flitting hither and thither.

I have pushed the boat out and advertised my mini on twitter and facebook and course email as well as here, which means I may have other participants than just fellow students. I have not put the url on either site as I want to screen who comes in. I am mindful that this is not my 'property' to be handing out.

I have also used Doodle as an invitation tool, as well as the timeclock and tiny url tool on WikiEducator.

At this time I am committed to participating next semester to enjoy the environment again and become more confident with the tools I have really only started coming to terms with. Like ACE [Adult Community Education] one time round is not enough for me, so twice round will set me up nicely and I hope to provide support to others as they jump into this awesome playpit. Also I am aware that life will come along and subsume me, taking part for a 2nd round will remind me of where I am heading.

As I sign off I have a vision of a great wave coming to shore. I have been apon a surfboard on that wave, enjoying the exhilaration of the ride, I see the shore, the wave is dying, am I coming in or finding another wave?

My favourite things

My mini has continued to be created and now seems to be settled. My former colleague Vasi Doncheva will attend and will discuss her experience of using Delicious and Twitter.

We will take a look at the tools we have most enjoyed using, and why; and why others haven't been successful for our situation or just ourselves and our style.

Some of you may be interested in Vasi Doncheva's e-daily, http://paper.li/playnice_nz/elearning

You see I have removed teams from the concept and moving around rooms, I am aiming for an interesting, informal sharing of learning and information.

My Mini helped by "The path of least resistance- Robert Fritz"

Robert talks about the creative process in way that is freeing but at the same time may be trying for those who need parameters or even 'should do's'.

So I begin with the end picture in mind, much like a 'Merlin' experience I then work back from the success. This approach removes the hopelessness of complex tasks weighing me down.
With a picture I have more information than can possibly be achieved with words; as I describe this picture and how it came to be I provide knowledge on the steps forward.

If I look at the image from many angles, add and take away elements, turn it over to see from below, above, inside and out the terms of reference of the image change or fill out, and thereby fills out the concept.

I will reflect on how this approach helps or hinders my mini preparation.

Learning is a dynamic activity which has been proved yet again with developing my mini approach.

Later I will post what my vision is and then the steps to the reality, I welcome comment from participants and readers of this blog,

If we don't look for and read we can be the looser

Note to self, read other students' blogs more often, so many people are sharing interesting ideas, networks, developments and unless we click onto these blogs they remain undiscovered to us.

After the party finishes- the mini beckons

There is plenty of clearing up to do, as well as seeing if there is anything lingering....

Well in my case 8 days away from on-line facilitation and planning my future have had a significant impact, with one I once again am well behind with my work and reading and with the latter I have changed tack, probably best to do that now rather than further on course.

I missed, through poor time management the 2 2nd life opportunities, which means I will have to find other ways to look through it, I appreciated Sarah's comments on the need to have a thorough look and not make immediate judgements. I am enjoying both listening to recordings and taking part in synchronistic sessions; Tuesday's with Nellie Muller was most interesting and with other speakers she was very stimulating not only in her manner but also with her easy use of various tools we are being introduced to. E-portfolios seem to be available through mahara and google, they are high on the 'get to' list for me. Coach Carole has just put an announcement up about developments for her with e-portfolios, which looks interesting too.

Some of you may be interested in Vasi Doncheva's e-daily, http://paper.li/tag/eqnz I hope this works, it is my first ímplant'. This is fairly recent start-up. Whilst we sat discussing the huge world of on-line tools or applications I mentioned how challenging it was to cope with them all, so Vasi suggested I use tweetdeck http://www.tweetdeck.com/desktop/ try it out and see wha

t you think.

I am thinking deeply about cultural competence at the moment. It's value is highlighted by spending over a week with 3 Taiwanese grand masters [martial arts] and listening to one interpret for the 2 who had minimal English. These 2 travel the world teaching and rely to a vast extent on interpretation by students, cultural competence is hugely important for their messages which are sent kinaesthetically and visually.

I am going to have a look at delicious, it offers a good way to hold all the websites I am gathering, among other things.

Now, onto assessment things. Part of this course requires us to put on a mini-conference. As we have all come to this course with e-skills and are adding to them each day I thought it would be interesting to look at some of them in the mini-conference. So this is my thinking:

Would 4 people volunteer to involved in a discussion? They would be in 2 teams and each team will chose 2 tools to promote to the audience, hopefully made up of other participants. I will ask the 2 teams to go into a room each and put onto a whiteboard the pros and cons of each tool, then after say 15 mins come back into the large room and not only present their whiteboard but also champion their tools to the opposite team, perhaps getting a debate going. I will then ask for a vote for which group of tools is the most favoured from everyone.

SO, can I please have some volunteers!

The last few hectic weeks leave me to ponder where there was time to work and keep up to date with the rest of life. Once my Ching Ming Tai Chi Chuan experience in Bacchus Marsh, Melbourne is over I will have the mental space to make some in-roads to the readings from this course, and comment on them here. The easiest homework are the YouTube clips. I have yet to work out how put up links with ease and accuracy and want my blog to reflect my growing confidence with the myriad of tools available. I have added to my goals making You Tube clips which I aim to put on my website, I wonder if this is possible.

One of the many things I appreciate being self-employed [but not yet earning any income], is that I have the time to look, for example when we moved to this house the garden had experienced a scorched earth event, when all the trees bar one had been chopped down and the stumps covered with black plastic and river stones. One Totara survived, its limbs well chopped back, due to the timely arrival of the police called by the neighbours. Since then I have been planting fit to bust and one particular species I like are aloes, I like their structure and line. Now 6 years old many are tall and beautiful shapes, this season they have bought added bonuses to us. The flowers which are vertical, large and colourful have attracted many wax eyes, on some pollen laden flowers there may 6 birds, so beautiful to watch, how they worked out that this year was the one to visit our garden I don't know but they have certainly added enormously to our life.

On to our weekly considerations on the course: to do this I will go through the posed questions and provide answers, this acts as a good development prompter, as I prepare to become an on-line facilitator.

Is this activity or event in an open or closed environment? Well there multiple avenues to travel down and so multiple events to consider. I am keen to establish a wikieducator site and put up some community education ideas, I have established a profile, need to get some comment/critique on that and so if someone reads this and would volunteer, that would be good. The WE would be an open environment, the on-line facilitation closed, the blog open and so it goes on.

Do I need to target my marketing to specific people or use the Internet to spread as far and as wide as I can? The basic answer is far and wide, but in a managed way and using tools appropriate to the market, this may have to include Twitter which is a tool I don't yet have a handle on.

§ What networks do I need to develop and what communities do I need to access in order to market my event/activity? I need to develop networks in sustainable community development, these will mainly be found in the Social Enterprise community and Corporates that presently philanthropise. I will develop local and non-local networks which will require me to consider how, who and what: how I do this, what tool/s I use and who I know who would be willing to assist with introductions.

§ How can I leverage or make the most of the serendipitous nature of the Internet? Leveraging will require me to respond in a manner that interests the enquirer and provides them with reason to take the contact forward, this means the manner in which I communicate must be appealing, thought provoking and useful to encourage enquirers to forward my site to others and thereby experience serendipity. The requires planning, connections to be working well and confidence in me in the tools I will use.

§ Will the event/activity/project be free or does it have a cost involved? The most obvious answer to me is that some of the activity will be free to interest/excite the reader and some will come with a cost around it. I will have to self-moderate to an extent, but also discuss this with people in the field to find benchmarks and then consider what styles of charging I will operate, eg a not for profit charge and a for profit charge.

§ What tools shall I use - free or proprietary tools? I will use skype initially and perhaps moodle if it is still free, initially I need to be using these types of tools, they may also be tools familiar to users which will be a double bonus. As I will do some work in the SE sector an aim may be to have the on-line facilitation activity either sponsored or subsided by a company providing the activity.

§ Will the speakers/participants incur a cost? Don't know and also don't know how I will set up charging, if anyone call lend a hand here please do!

§ How will I support people to access the technology before the event/activity? Well this is preparation, same as when I taught, I will offer participants practice sessions prior to the event/activity with me and perhaps with others already signed up for the event/activity.

§ How can I market my event to and support people who have minimal access to computers and the Internet? I have come across this so many times in Adult Education, the solution was to market to the community organiser and the community site which had access to these essentials, this may mean agreements or arrangements with that larger organisation. Then there are networks and these can be tiny but enabled to grow larger through the notion of sharing tools.

§ Is there a place for integrating the cell phone? Well yes, and is the course going to include downloads onto ipods which will mean students can stay up to date with resources and take part using say Skype.

§ How can I put information online in a format that can be printed cheaply for people who have limited Internet access. Don't know-help!

• What do you need to do develop an effective online network that you can use for your online facilitation?
• WIIFM [what is in it for me] I need to have something others want too, I need to know people and can find people with similar interests, so I need to find these people on-line and pitch my product/event. Similar to a face-to-face event a well known and liked guest speaker is a powerful start, good graphics and stable platform. I must have my website/blog up and running with regular updates happening and this to be on the move in a growing network of interest.
• What tips can you share about online networking that will help us improve our online facilitation skills?
• I will come back to this, I wonder if people intending to facilitate on-line would be assisted by running a trial and hearing a playback to find out what of their style does work well and the converse. Explaining that time lag is inevitable would be very helpful and give some information on that, such as what to wait for, and perhaps have a symbol on the screen that reminds people to click the microphone off before they do anything else, it seems to be a sticking point.
• What worked well? Our on-line session was full of bumps in the road; Karen's connectivity and audio was a real downer, which means there must always be a plan B, we did have this but then didn't follow through with the idea, I would do that again. Exampled was the DimDim session going onto Eluminate. Allocating people specific tasks and times I think would help, we tend [any session] to talk over each other, so perhaps a section of the session, not jumping around with inputs.
• What did not go so well? Setting up rooms, which was frustrating especially when I took part in a meeting with Coach Carole and found how relatively easy it is to do. The connectivity ofcourse was a real issue and led to disappointment for us all.
• What skills or resources do you need to network and facilitate meetings using Twitter? I wonder if this will be my temporary nemesis, even though I watched the You tube clip I could not confirm in what order the info should go into the discussion box and what I needed to have clicked before hand, very simple but totally eluded me and resulted in my first frustration on the course, which I guess is quite something. I do know Twittering holds really advantages for me, so as I said above a temporary nemesis.
• How do you see yourself using Twitter in the future, if at all, for online facilitation? Yes I WILL GET THERE, it may be the challenge area I have.

Venn diagrams, social networking and on-line facilitation

As I sat thinking about this blog Venn diagrams came to mind and stayed there, my conclusion is that they concept is to be part of my blog, and why?

I have read Sue Walter's blog and her PLN site, there are some excellent visuals to promote thinking. For me from a personal and professional perspective I see networks such as professional Ning or Facebook site as circles, as well as social circles and learning circles; there are points of sharing common knowledge and skill and points where sharing or commonality takes place in new ways, I visualise these circles as in constant motion connecting at the similarities.

How can social networking and facilitation be used for on-line facilitation?

To answer this I return to how we as humans network and facilitate, it is worth pausing a moment to remember that not all humans value doing this, or have the confidence and skills. Attempting to take this on-line therefore presents a range of challenges if one of the outcomes is to include these groups.

For those who seek to network and facilitate taking the activity to an on-line forum means basic pool rules are known and even part of personal practice. An interest in people and their activities is commonly held. For those with more dominant characteristics I suspect the on-line forum provides clear indicators of people voting with their feet!

Advantages and disadvantages of social networking on-line are oft-documented and debated, as I am personally during planning for my new business; ie which networks do I wish to use and why, who do I want to reach on-line? these need to be clear business objectives as part of the overall plan. I am also clearly aware that my personal and business networks are like the Venn diagram discussed above, there are points of commonality and points of distance where other links occur. Coming to mind pretty immediately are that some of the postings of my young friends 13 to 23 are not appropriate for other generations to be exposed to.

Once I have decided from this candy shop of platforms which ones I am committing to, I will plan the part of my business I will operate on-line and prepare the first few weeks of work, to ensure the viewing networkers wish to return and recommend the site to others. I would use it to post resources and invite participants to discussions, facilitating further networking. I was interested to hear from an ex-business person that this mode of operation was considered foolhardy, as it could only lead to other people in the same business swiping ideas and comments, competitiveness run deep ofcourse, I am interested in hearing how other on-line facilitation business have fared in this regard.

I intend using my on-line site as a continuation of face to face facilitation and skype mentoring/coaching sessions, in much the same way as many people on this course already do. I am sure there is little to invent, there may just be adaptations.

Now I am away to socially network with adult community educators who have jointly won the 2010 Dynamic Community Leadership award, they are Circus Kumarani and Flax Roots Whanau, we are to congregate and celebrate.

Microwave Ovens and patience

Hello all, I hope I have your attention, as I have a question I would like an answer to.

I am trying a series of font, letter sizes and colours I seek your comments on preference.

First up I have just discovered that the blog I thought I had saved..........................I hadn't; so here goes with patience and a 2nd shot.

Before I get into the microwave oven I will share our tough experience last week when Willie, Karen and I co-facilitated a session, and Karen who did so much preparation was left unable to contribute for much of the allocated time due to ICT issues. It was a challenging session for us all. I was quite apprehensive as I am very much a performer who works with a group, and I use all my senses to 'read' the class or group I am with, of course there are very limited reading points in this new world I am learning about so I wondered how I would find my hooks to move into the group, it felt as if and of course it was that I was blind to the break out room participants.

Microwave ovens, now an accepted tool in many kitchens, in fact the only cooking point in some very recently apartments based on the premise the occupants will eat out or reheat TV diners. The microwave, a result of man walking on the moon, as a cooking medium swept into common usage about 30 years ago. At that time they were large, cumbersome, noisy and quite demanding. Adept marketing had prepared consumers to believe the microwave oven was the next best thing to sliced bread. A raft of tools, recipe books and champion cooks were used to move the conventional cook to adopting a virtual interloper to the kitchen domain. We discovered the distinct advantages of integrating microwave cookery into our conventional preparation so that it became an accompaniment to food preparation. In some kitchens it became the only style of cooking as can be witnessed by the inside of the cooking cavity

Moving this analogy into our web world there are many parallels; we know how to facilitate, and now here is a new way of doing it, but wait can I cross use the same knowledge, tools and experiences? as it turns out, no; not really, I can use some of the basis but I must cross-reference immediately to what the demands are of this new way of communicating. I find there is an oversupply of support tools and information, I may utilize this and I may just ignore it, depending on the type of learner I am. For those people for whom this works and are able to change and grow with the opportunities offered they will spend quite some time with their microwave oven, and for others after a try it will languish with other 'toys' until it can be gifted on.

Countdown and countup

The reason for today's title is that week is my last in employment with this organisation, where I have spent many years of my teaching life, so count down on that and count up to the future. Just as this occurs I am rediscovering an enjoyment in teaching that has eluded me for some years.

I have also just enjoyed Greg Walker's presentation, asychronistically.

At the end of the discussion Greg touched on how as 'digital natives' join the area of online learning and facilitation they come with their generation's tools naturally embedded and therefore able to engage with their students readily.

One may also assume/hope they have been trained by the likes of Nancy, you Sarah and Greg so that their pedagogy for this medium is understood and applied. I wonder though how much might be missed by them if approaches, learning, understanding of earlier generations are assumed to be 'old hat'.

What is becoming very clear to me is that we must be super clear about our objectives and the WIIFM for the students BEFORE we start down the track of the online world, we then add the requirements and lastly the design. The well known adage of preparation, preparation, preparation, which is needed to produce an experience/product of quality.

Returning then to my earlier comment; challenging and engaging learning requires I think, not only professional tools but also a deepening personal professional pedagogy which is developed through reflective, evaluative opportunities, readings, discussions using as many tools as possible. What I think I am trying to say is we can use many of the tools of today and yesterday as we move inexorability forward, they worked! and can again provide the foundations from which new approaches can grow.

I have also reflected on who I have taught this week; Youth Guarantee Scheme students and Level 3 Foundation students, the former on wine service and the later on stress.

Our YGS are digitial natives yes; however increasingly we are challenging them to put away the laptops and engage in discussion, debate and simulated learning exercises where they work in a synchronistic environment. We are finding these 16 and 17 year olds are getting very rusty at setting up face to face relationships in the here and now, and the consequences of not attending to communication mores.

It is much easier to be in an asynchronistic setting, there are less consequences to deal with immediately. As usage decreases so does confidence, this is something we will need to stay connected to I think. It is my understanding that in many 'developed' [sic] countries very large numbers of 16 - 23 year olds without employment as a result of the biting recession are in similar positions and that also concerns me. It seems we, the educators and coaches may need to pay more attention to developing confidence in face to face communication in our DG's, they will easily slip into extending their abilities where on-line learning is concerned.

As far as the Foundation students were concerned some of the subject content could have be delivered in an on-line setting. I think however the crucial learning about the students' individual needs still needs a face to face component, online learning is more appropriate once engagement and a relationship has been established.

Back to Greg; I had not heard used the terminology of convergent questions, grounded and divergent, but actually use them naturally as with socratic and evaluative. Rubics was another term I have only known when connected to a cube, again I find this has been in in my kite of tools for some time, I have just not specifically encased the process in its own name.

A bubbling pot of a life

Until I can de-load my mind and concentrate on this amazing learning I suspect i will continue to just download on this blog. Since I last posted plenty has been happening and not a lot of it planned, so grabbing each thing as it comes past has stifled my desire to give this awesome 'opportunity of a learning'the time I do wish. I remain totally delighted I jumped in when I did, I remain telling colleagues to enroll for next intake, I am so sure it has come along at the most right time in my life, enough of the hyperbole.

What is on-line facilitation?

It is to guide people through an on-line based experience so that they are able to participate in a way appropriate to their style, removing and managing barriers to the experience and assisting them to become -self-managing, as far as possible in that experience. This is a very loose definition, I am trying to encompass the remit I am looking at for my business.

What skills do i need as a good on-line facilitator?

• First up for me, I must be confident and skilled to use and manage the technology, this includes knowing basic trouble shooting.
• 
  
• Then I will have done a complete rethink about the nature of on-line relationships in this forum.

• I have been lucky enough to have had 3 on-line participant experiences,the range of my personal responses has been between frustration resulting in tears, to dogged determination to not be offended by the facilitator, more difficult than I thought possible.
• On reflecting these with my colleague Vasi who heads our Flexible Learning section at NorthTec [ something of a legend in my opinion], and as a student of this course I understand just what a different response e-learning and on-line facilitation requires.
• As an on-line facilitator I would be wise to revisit my professional personal pedagogy and not adapt it for this style, I would be wise to start afresh, as has been affirmed in the many clips at our disposal, from the position of my students, or co-communicators.
• I will consider what kind of experience I want for them, and what needs they come with. To a greater extent, apart from the experienced on-line community I am pretty sure there is a greater mass of possible/future users to whom this world is really foreign, and that must be my major consideration.
• So preparedness in all its forms. [including such things as currency of developments in this field, resources, student management techniques]
• Understand deeply the meaning of coach on the side.
• Be approachable with a good listening 'ear'.
• The skill of being enlightened by personal moderation so that I am growing appropriately as the on-line community I am facilitating does.
• Explore and develop arguments.
• Ensure that as this community may not have body and para language to build relationships with they do have the emotional response through text and hearing that nurtures positive engagement.
• I do need to have a sense of humour, however this needs some thought, offence taking [as I know] is all to easy, so perhaps a mentor or supervisor 'listening in' at times would be a good idea.

How does an on-line facilitator build an on-line community or network?

Suggestions are:

• Making it clear at the outset that an as on-line community/network is how the group will develop, making it clear that by the nature of the group this is the easiest way, ensuring as a membership criteria each participant has the tools for the experience.
• Having in the facilitator 'tool-box' tools to support and assist those have connection problems. Setting 'pool rules' at the outset and re-saying them at every occasion; new members may join regularly and need to be made aware, in addition for the more settled-in members it is well to remind them of how to operate inclusively.
• Suggest matching options for members and ways to do this, being able to check in that this opportunity is working.
• Periodically make available new on-line opportunities or toys; these may be in response to a theme a group is developing, to demonstrate some of the positive impacts of micro-networks.
• Listening to concerns/ criticisms and responding immediately, as well as providing feedback times.

What are the key things to remember when facilitating a meeting or education course, especially with working with people new to technology.

That fear, overload, frustration and impatience sprinkled with a readiness to give up more easily than in a face to face or immediate physical community are constant companions initially. Indeed this state can be constantly a likely knee-jerk reaction, especially when connectivity is a basic cause.

Perhaps [and I am new to this] spending some behind the scenes time with such people preparing them for participation and giving them an on-line buddy to assist.

Netiqette will be new to all and with an overload of experiencing happening quite possibly a constant concern.

Reminding people how to participate for every live discussion, and reminding everyone of their contribution to the discussion. I particularly like the texting option available, this is because I don't yet know what to say, I am just absorbing, I feel quite shy about my speaking involvement and I am sure others will feel the same.

Having the text or audio available for each recently finished on-line conversation. This is invaluable with its links. It is obvious from the number of people on-line that we all appreciate the service of emails and links, awesome.

What is the difference between teaching and facilitation? I will include here 'moderation' this is the first time I have introduced to moderation being the same as facilitation.

Well, teaching is about providing opportunities for themed learning; however that provision takes place. The 'sage on the stage', is found less and less in the world I presently work in. At NorthTec tutors work hard to stimulate thoughts, activities and reflection on learning. Often tutors place themselves amongst their learners for obvious reasons. Teachers are paid to have an academic responsibility for an outcome, to keep their skill and knowledge constantly current and preparing for new needs in learning, for example Literacy, Language and Numeracy, or the Youth Guarantees Scheme, flexible delivery of learning packages. Tutors may develop more intimate relationships with students they can see and interaction real time with.

Facilitation or moderation has a very different flavour. It is my experience that this learning provides opportunity for independent development given learning can take place sychronistically and asychronistically. Tools and experiences may be taken up, or ignored; they are however provided with almost seamless ease. Facilitators can make much of the learning stages available for the course, to allow for different learning styles and speeds; this differs wildly from teaching where there is still a tendency to provide materials just in time for the lecture, or ad lib. Facilitators can and I have found, do, withdraw from the group to allow for individual development.

What is netiquette?

It is an agreed way to behave in on-line relationships. This appears to have commonality worldwide in keeping with the Internet. To those new to on-line relationships and groups netiquette is critical and needs to be overt, and repeated. It ensures everyone is aware of a courses, organisations network way of working together in a healthy manner. It may be how to use on-line tools, or how to respond in an on-line discussion. It maybe explicit instructions about language.

This new deli

It is only week three and I am feeling slightly overwhelmed with what is possible, almost every where I look there is more to look at, think about and try. Have you ever walked into a real deli, not the supermarket kind and got lost in the shelves, the tasting the opportunities, walked out with a load of food you intend eating, that's me right now, I really don't know which way to turn and think I shall plod for the time being through each week and keep up to date with blogs and igoogle then gently add, which is not how I would really like to respond in a deli, I think this digital immigrant will use her personal learning needs quite a lot with this course. Ok week three bring it on

Intergenerational sharing

When I was first introduced to the terms 'digital native' and 'digital immigrant' it was with the clear understanding one term belonged to young people who had grown up with e-technology and the other to older people [like me] who are gradually adopting it into our lives.
Well, I think this tag is unrepresentative of real life. My experience is of sharing technology, hints and tips between generations to enrich both and develop a community of intergenerational learning using e-technology.
Hence my 90 year old father can on-line search for and enjoy a range of sites that take him worldwide and my 13 year old friend can discuss net-a-porter.com and how fashion buying may change in the future.
We [my 13 year old friend] and I have formed the following vision. The buyer logs on to the site to check out what is available, if there are items for trying on they take on an avatar persona that has their measurements and their features, trying clothes on in an on-line environment and then being able to have changes made before taking receipt of the clothes. There could even be a group of friends who could all take on persona and shop together. This idea was stimulated by the virtual and real time training session we were given a link to, thanks for that Sarah it certainly had my brain cells thinking.

Adult Learners

September 6th-10th is National Adult Learners Week www.adultlearnersweek.co.nz including International Literacy Day on the 8th. ALW and ILD are UNESCO initiatives which mean we can expect signs of life in adult learning in countries UNESCO is active in. Today I met with withered remains of the ACE network to discuss how we would promote this week. I say withered as we have gone from 26 members to 3 as a result of the National Government's cuts last year.

As an adult learner I need to be stimulated, stretched and challenged in my learning, already this course is providing these 3 in spades, unlike a literacy and numeracy course I have recently finished where I found myself moving to the role of a 'naughty student' disruptive, noisy, and overyly contributing.

When thinking about national Adult Learners Week and perhaps the results of the Goverment's chainsaw action far fewer adults will be stretched, stimulated and challenged, oh and we rarely have the type I was for a little while (then I started to behave myself, ie grew up.

flashmeeting versus elluminate

Interesting this morning to be part of this on-line community. I really just wanted to sit back and listen to gather in the culture and protocals of the 'old hands'. This platform [on this take] seems more stable, with flashmeeting I could readilly see who was talking but there were far fewer people involved, with this group there are many more and as you indicated Sarah even more can be involved.

I have called my blog 5 tomorrows because it will include not only how I use these new tools in my tomorrow, I will also offer up some of the wonderful tomorrows others are planning around me.

Here is a starter. here in sunny Northland (NZ) there is a community with very strong links to its sea and Scottish settler past. It is a tight and highly articulate community with many resources in the people who live there and are prepared to put energy into it.

The proposed project is to restore a clinker settler's boat, to do this Adult Community Education funding hopes to fund a boat builder to teach locals the skills required to do the job, at same time developing in them new skills, hopefully through the Men's Shed concept sharing these with younger men, senior school students and (this it where it gets even more powerful) identifying where literacy and numeracy gaps lie and filling them through 'in community' teachers. This is the kind of project that Goverment funded ACE is perfect for, and if we can excite some school leavers and older learners to enrol at the polytechnic for full-time courses as a result our 'powers that be' will be even happier.

I give myself 8/10 for perseverence

Finally I on the wiki page but without a number, hopefully someone will take pity on me.
I am looking forward to this paper for a myriad of reasons that include creating a new future. My first heavy dose of on-line learning started with Waikato University and moodle. What suprised me then and still does today is the difference a person makes in their managment of a moodle based paper. For me that underlines how important the way we write is. I must review my posts with as much objectivity as possible before posting.
My first appreciation of blogging's impact was during the film Julia and Julie.

First Steps

The challenges of blog set-up have already set in, having just completed my Nat Cert in LLN I can readily see a new literacy is upon me.

I have already enjoyed taking part and facilitating an on-line discussion using Flashmeeting, which demostrated the probably value of this paper. Here's hoping and expecting, plus more besides I suspect.