Week 2 Mini Session Overview and Back Pocket Strategies

1. Mini Session Overview

This week we have a learning activity (mini session) that will be facilitated by your colleagues - specifically:

• Wiki Activity  How do Adult Learners get their needs met online?

In this activity we will be be using a wiki, which may or may not be a familiar technology for you (wikis are essentially websites that anyone can edit - think "Wikipedia").

If you are not listed as one of the facilitators for the activities this week (see the course schedule), then you are a "student" in that activity and will be getting direction from the facilitators.

But...do start by reading and viewing the material in Week 2 to prepare yourself to participate actively. There are some great videos in this unit from experienced faculty who share some of their experiences.

Toward the end of the week, "students" will give the facilitators feedback on how they did in the Mini-session Feedback Forum. So you might also have a look at the learning outcomes for this unit and prepare to give feedback on how their facilitation did/not support your achieving those outcomes. And if not, what would have helped you?

If you are finding the "flow" of the course confusing, please return to the Course Outline and review the section on Learning Activities, particularly the bits on Facilitating Mini-sessions, and participating in Mini-sessions.

2. Wiki Activity Back Pocket Strategy

This mini-session task asks you to do what few have done before: facilitate without a forum!

The idea is to challenge you to think about and use tools other than the tried and true forum tool.

Rest assured; we value forums, it's just that they're used almost automatically, by default. The name of this game is APPROPRIATE technology use (pick the BEST tool to support your goals). Also, we're curious to see what happens when we DON'T use one. Remember, we're all experimenting here in ISWO!

Goals of this activity:

Explore the opportunities and challenges of online learning as they relate to the adult learner.

Or, put differently:

• How/can adult learners get their needs met online?
• What affordances exist online that match up well with what we know about adult learners?
• What challenges exist about online that are of special concern to the online adult learner?

Here are the Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria you should be working with/toward for this activity

The task for your participants: list/compile/collaboratively write (in the wiki) a one-page summary of the affordances online learning can bring to the adult learner.

Your task as facilitator:

1. Share with your mentor and team members one personal goal you have for yourself during this mini lesson .. 

2. Work with  your participants through this process (without a forum!).

Your participants need to (in the time allotted, on a schedule that you determine):

• read the readings for this week to get a sense of the adult learner
• look around for other info/sources (optional, but worth a google)
• enter their thoughts in the wiki
• give you feedback on the activity

What you need to figure out (with our help, if you wish - just ask!) is how you're going to facilitate this without relying on a forum.

We've made one tool choice for you (the wiki) ... 

Questions to ponder as a group

1. How are you going to nudge, prompt, encourage, cajole, support your participants? What tools do you have besides the forum?( will you make individual contact ? will you praise the small steps ( using I see/ I hear/ I sense... ) Will you propose a time line? Will you set up automatic .. you should be here now notes .. will you use audio/ video/ visuals as encouragements?

Your  ISWO facilitators  can be a "fly on the wall / guide on the side at any or all of your planing gatherings .. make sure to invite them ! You are not alone .. teaching is a collaborative event