Case: Hear Me Roar
Here's the situation: You are co-facilitating the FLO with its usual diverse group of instructors: people from different backgrounds, experience, content expertise, and degrees of comfort with teaching, and using technology.
A couple days after the first live web conferencing session (held in the evening), you find the following two messages posted to the Open Forum / Cafe (by the way, these are real, modified a bit to protect privacy).
After reading them, you think back to the session. It's the first one, so there is a part where you run through how to use Collaborate. You recall there were a few participants who needed help getting their audio going (you logged in 30 minutes early to work this stuff out, but not all of them did). This group isn't the most tech-savvy, but has an interest in learning how to use synchronous tools. The conversation had wandered a bit, as people asked questions about the course, and about Collaborate, and generally hung out together online.
Message 1 - Subject Line: Hear Me Roar
Do adults learn from a collaboration session? Absolutely, yes.
However...
Whenever I find myself being asked to 'collaborate' in a group, I zone out. Have you noticed how quickly the table-talk goes off-subject? What a waste of my time, as a learner.
Then I am made to sit through a tedious session while each paired group gets to present their findings. Has anyone looked around at the room, as the "table" presents directly to the instructor. How many are listening? Learning?
I'm an 'adult learner', and I never come to the learning environment to learn from my respected peers. I am there to learn from the "sage on the stage", from the Master-Mind*.
By definition, my peer is my equal. It goes without saying that I respect them. I am one of them.
There is always a "sage" among my peer-group. I will find 'em and seek them out. I will collaborate, one-on-one.
Yes, adults do learn from collaboration. As Instructors, let us not assume collaboration means 'in a group'.
I see it happening here, with FLO.
Within this on-line community, I see both my peer group and I see several who have that 'master-mind' quality. I see some who attend the "get-together", and some who choose to not join. There are also those who show-up, and leave early ;).
In the context of our teaching, considering the linear need when instructing on a series of topics/content, I ask each of you to comment on whether an on-line "group collaborative session" is the best use of time.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Message 2 - Subject Line: Are You Kidding?
I know that some of you participated live in the Blkbd Coll session and others missed it due to timing. I am one of the latter and watched the file of the session the other day.
Now I know this may sound mean but... are you kidding? 75 minutes of session for less than 5 minutes of information. Sure there is some muddle as people log in for the first time and it was great fun watching people struggle their way though the program tools, but 75 minutes for half a dozen info slides?
Honestly, If I was at this session live, after 5 minutes I would have had it running in the background, not interacted unless called upon and gotten some work done. And that is what people will do.
This could have been shortened by at least 20 minutes by removing the 'ers and 'ums. we are supposed to be professional educators yet in this environment there's often difficulty stringing words into a sentence.
I know this sounds harsh, but go back and try to watch it.
I have some real misgivings about participating live in the next session if it's going to run like the last.
PS: I reread this three times and still decided to post it, maybe I'm just a rebel.
Now, head over to the forum for this case and respond to the questions posted there.