Week 1 Notes - FDO: The Big Picture
An introduction to the "big picture" of the course from the facilitator perspective, and exploring key pieces and skills
Facilitating FLO Week 1: Getting Started & Community
A lot of important things take place in the first week that will lay the groundwork and set the tone for the rest of the course. Not only do we get to know each other (through Introduction posts, etc), but we also aim to foster an atmosphere of active participation and experimentation.
Like much of the FDO, Week 1 is very "meta" - we learn about community by building community. As a facilitator, it is important that you:
- post an introduction that models expectations
- be brave and transparent in using technology
An optional but recommended approach to Week 1:
FLO facilitators demonstrate the mini-session process by planning and facilitating the Building Online Community activities. Throughout the week, the facilitators “think out loud” and communicate and plan as transparently as possible. This is a good opportunity to incorporate collaboration tools, such as a wiki or other co-authoring platform, to show how it is possible to communicate outside of a forum, which tends to be the go-to tool.
This approach can be used for Week 2 instead -- especially useful if your registration numbers are low and there aren't enough to form facilitation teams for all mini sessions.