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2. Wiki Activity Back Pocket Strategy

bp

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

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

Learning Outcomes
(your participants will be able to...)		Assessment Criteria

  • Identify instructional/design problems and propose solutions appropriate for adult online learners

  • Articulate rationale f
    or instructional choices (including tool selection)
  • List and describe key characteristics of adult learners
  • Demonstrate connections between what we know about adult learners, and the online learning environment

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

Some extra-special advice (based on past experience)
  • Keep things simple and brief: this means the task itself, and your expectations. Your participants should create a short one-page wiki together, NOT Wikipedia! (and remember: people may not have used a wiki before – attend to this need)
  • Make your instructions VERY (very, very…) clear.
  • Remember it is about "Need to know , nice to know .. sitck to need to know ..
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