Comments on: Raising the Bar on Online Event Practices

By: Full Circle Associates » Backchannel Resources

Full Circle Associates » Backchannel Resources — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:00:29 +0000

[...] Raising the bar at online events [...]

By: Nancy White

Nancy White — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:29:13 +0000

Barbara Sawhill has written a good post about the topic.. http://www.languagelabunleashed.org/2009/08/14/do-as-i-say-not-as-i-present/

By: Modeling the Method - Emerging Technologies Consulting

Modeling the Method - Emerging Technologies Consulting — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:31:06 +0000

[...] Raising the Bar on Online Event Practices (fullcirc.com) Tags : presentations, teaching No comments for this entry yet… [...]

By: Nancy White

Nancy White — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:58:11 +0000

Thanks, Stephen. I think alignment on expectations is important in some contexts – not all. Getting alignment takes time, so it has to provide value.

In addition, I have to say, I’m constantly stumped when people don’t know why they chose to log on – and it happens a lot. What’s that all about?

And as i mentioned in my reply to Steve, my post was really quite sloppy and did not at all account for diverse contexts.

By: Nancy White

Nancy White — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:56:23 +0000

Steve, I have to admit, I’m totally gobsmacked at the idea that synchronous communication should be avoided and that it favors “socializing” over learning. I can imagine that you can imagine my face.

First, the blog post was about synchronous events in general, not just ‘learning events.” But my operating principles include the fact that every time we do anything we have an opportunity for learning. So I personally look for learning in online events, even when the purpose may be a team meeting, or a work session.

But lets look at online events with an explicit intention for learning. If it is a one time gathering, what type of socialization would be appropriate? If it is a cohort that meets regularly, I would assume the socialization and relationship building has been happening over time. In a one time event, people may not need to ‘get to know’ each other, but feeling welcomed may be important. Designing ways for engagement should not consume all the time and attention. Some groups don’t need that at all. Context matters. (And my trying to explain here makes it clear to me that I did not provide enough context in my post! Sloppy.)

So how does that get in the way of learning? What about socially mediated learning? Can you say more. I am not sure I’m understanding… especially the last line. Say more!

By: Steve Eskow

Steve Eskow — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:30:47 +0000

Nancy, are there those (beside me) who take the position that online real time communication should be avoided whenever possible—if the goal of the exercise is learning rather than socializing?

So much of the time of real time has to be consumed by techniques for making participants welcome and recognized and engaged that there seems to be not much time left for learning.

And, of course, the real time imperative gives up one of the two great freedoms online instruction can give us: spatial freedom, so that we don’t have to leave where we are and our work and world to congregate; and temporal freedom, so that we don’t have to learn on someone else’s schedule.

Note that this doesn’t challenge all the techniques you and Alan Levine and Jonathan Finkelstein teach. It proposes that it is the very essence of the real time experience to require them.

Best, Steve

By: Stephen Powell

Stephen Powell — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:44:06 +0000

Hi Nancy. Arguably covered by your mentioning of ‘purpose’, but depending on the particular context I would emphasise this by adding the need to ‘agree/align expectations’. Although we all have our own idea why we have signed up to an online event, it can be helpful to surface these assumptions.

Cheers, Stephen.