Unit Notes - FDWO Week 1: The Big Picture

Depending on your group, your co-facilitator, and your own preferences, you may have more or fewer live web conferencing sessions throughout the ISWO (we use Blackboard Collaborate, but it could be any equivalent tool, like Adobe Connect, etc).  You and/or your co-facilitator partner should be comfortable in the moderator role.

Sometimes, you might encounter a group that has little experience but special interest in learning how to moderate live/synchronous sessions (you might glean this from their pre-course survey responses, or their intro posts). If this shows up, you might discuss with your co-facilitation partner whether you want to work in some "moderator training" for synchronous sessions. It could be a worthwhile "add", because it would enable participants to explore the "mixed mode" combination of synchronous and asynchronous online facilitation in their mini-sessions.

At minimum, we recommend a live session in week 1 to check in and clarify any questions.  We have found some groups really love it, and others either aren't as drawn to it, or find the business of scheduling live sessions near impossible. We always record the sessions, and share the recordings.

Web Conferencing: The Least You Need to Know...

• how to create and upload a PowerPoint
• how to help participants troubleshoot their audio, run the audio setup wizard
• how to function comfortably in the "moderator" role