Learning to date

Here goes trying to summarise my learning to date... (I started this last week, but got distracted and had to save it instead of publish it unfinished!).

In a word 'heaps', but in the expectation of these posts being reflective I best try to reflect in a bit more detail, which immediately makes me realise how the course is designed for real participation rather than just a place for resources.

I am a relative newcomer to 'learning' in the online environment, never mind being a 'facilitator' in this same space. In retrospect it would have been great to have had more experience of being an online learner (to date I've had limited exposure to this medium) and then perhaps I would've had a better idea of the role of the online facilitator, however that said the participation and practical design of the course is lending itself to simultaneously learning both roles.

But one major lesson I've learned already from other facilitators is that as an online facilitator you are also a learner - every session I've attended so far has included the presenter and/or facilitator sharing the fact that they have learned something new.

The value of peer feedback is another lesson not to be underestimated and forums like the Google group and blogs are a great way to channel this information. However following others blogs and using the comments is still proving too much like a time consuming task so I need to work out a better system for this and find areas of common interest with the others on the course.

Reflecting on my efforts over the last 6 weeks:

I was overwhelmed with all the information and potential tools out there and thought 'what have I got myself in for', but completing the straight forward activities one step at a time provided the motivation to carry on. Saying that I thought adding details to the Wiki Participants page was a bit confusing.

I chose to use Blogger other than Wordpress based on the fact I had never heard of Wordpress, but I had used Blogger a few years ago to record my experiences as a volunteer in South Africa. In the meantime I have also been exposed to Wordpress through the blog my department set up: http://www.sustainable-practice.com/. So far they're pretty much of a muchness, but it's great to build my experience with both so I can be better informed to advise others.

I managed to listen to a recorded Elluminate session which gave me an idea of how it works - impressive! I thought I'd set up my computer to be able to attend the online meetings, but it wasn't until actually trying to to join in on 6th August that I realised I had a few technology issues. The IT dept at OP came to the rescue and got me up and running.

It was in the deep end then and sharing the facilitators role with Coach Carole for Nancy's session - hands-on learning. The importance of preparing a run sheet for the session in advance and having a plan B in place are fundamental to the session's success and reduces the risk of forgetting things. Some of the text language and abbreviations used in the session were new to me, so good to learn those as well as the general netiquette protocol.

Signing in as a staff member to Elluminate gives me moderator status so it was good to sign in as a guest during Greg Walker's session to see the difference.

Other online tools that I've started to 'play' around with include TweetDeck, Survey Monkey and Skype. TweetDeck was too much so I've kind of abandoned that one for the time being, and just signing into my Twitter account as normal. The jury is still out on Survey Monkey and I will have to try Sarah's recommendations of Google Forms for surveys or Echo Fon for a comparison. Skype is great and keeps calling costs down.

Hashtags and hyperlinks are appearing everywhere and seem to be standard practice for many

My online tool box is starting to bulge... Bit like my waist line! Sitting in front of a computer for too long is not doing any good for my fitness levels!!!

I've yet to investigate i-Google, how to load clips onto You Tube and still not sure whether Facebook is a medium for me or my work. Still need lots of practice with Elluminate too, but making progress.

Onwards and upwards....