Sylvia Currie

Lights, cameras...action! Our first video conference of this seminar is this morning. You are encouraged to drop in early to check that audio and video are working before we get started at 18:00 GMT. (check your time zone)

Here is a direct link to the CoroCall Meeting Room:
http://vidyo.coroware.com/flex.html?roomdirect.html&key=7pmYW7HFZCzb

See you there!

Fall semester is here!

We're kicking off our Professional Learning Series with a profile of upcoming courses funded under eCampusAlberta’s Online Curriculum Development Fund. Learn what new courses will be available, development plans of the successful recipients, and join in a discussion about design principles and quality in online learning.

Facilitator: Randy LaBonte
Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 14:30 (Mountain)

Details: http://scope.bccampus.ca/mod/resource/view.php?id=8591

We'll use this forum to post links, ask questions, and continue the dialogue. Hope to see you on Tuesday!

In case you have questions about CoroCall, the videoconferencing system we will be using in this seminar, or Coroware, the company that is hosting our live sessions, I thought I'd start a fresh thread. I found this YouTube video that does a nice job of demonstrating the CoroCall experience.

Welcome to Humanizing the Online Experience 2!

About this seminar
Some of you may have participated in Part 1 last year where we practiced speaking to the camera and explored a variety of communication platforms and strategies for making real-time sessions engaging and interactive. We had a blast! Expect to roll up your sleeves again this year as we really focus in on the use of video. (Participation in Part 1 not required for Part 2!)

Each Monday of this 3-week seminar we will meet at 18:00 GMT (11:00 PDT) using CoroCall high-quality video conferencing. For first-time users plan to access the room 30 minutes early in case you need some coaching on the features.

About our facilitator
Jesai Jayhmes combines his background in acting, teaching, public speaking, voice coaching, and video production to help us understand the changes we need to make to be effective online facilitators in front of the camera.

Preparing for CoroCall Sessions
Each Monday we will meet in this CoroCall room. Check the seminar Wiki for full details on how to prepare. Remember, the emphasis in this seminar is on the use of video, so you'll need a webcam and microphone. We've set up this chat room for backchannel communication.

Participating in SCoPE seminars:
SCoPE seminars are free and open to the public, and registration is not required. You are welcome to come and go according to your schedule and interests. To contribute you will need to create an account on the SCoPE site -- a quick process. Are you new to SCoPE or wondering how to manage your participation? Check this resource.

If you have any questions about participating in SCoPE don't hesitate to ask here in the forum, or get in touch with me directly:
Sylvia Currie, scurrie@bccampus, skype:webbedfeat, +1 250-318-2907

I read Nick's post many times and it is so jam-packed with interesting observations that it's hard to know where to begin. As usual, Nick has a way digging below the surface and making us think hard about what we are doing here, as educators, online.

The comment about Web 2.0 as "illusion of community" really got me thinking: "The contents are shared but there is no real sense of knowing each other or caring about each other". So much is shared, we all benefit, but I wonder how often we register WHO an interesting tidbit came from. And do we feel an obligation to reciprocate?

On the other hand, at SCoPE I think that there is that willingness to give back because we have a common goal to learn. There's incentive to facilitate and take on different roles for individual practice and learning. Also, it's an opportunity to share research, work in progress, publications, and accomplishments. But I agree, it's different from a desire to self-promote, get noticed, show how many "friends" you have, etc.

Having said all that, I guess one question is what is the place for Web 2.0 in the SCoPE community?