The number one desire in online learning is to engage each individual present. Quizzes and polls are two quick and easy features that can help boost the energy, add some fun, and help learners connect to the content and each other. When to Use As a warm-up to learn something relevant about the people who are there. Example: What […]
Many people are afraid of sitting in silence with a group in a Zoom room. Don’t be afraid. Silence can be extremely helpful and needed if timed well. Here are reasons to design for silence: to give people time to think to make space for off-screen work before coming to the large group to consider content, ideas, […]
The Chat box is highly underrated. All meeting spaces have this feature, but it is not often used. And even more rarely, explored. Here are some great reasons to use the Chat box: to invite in all voices Rarely does everyone have a voice in a session (in-person or virtual). Since meaning-making is personal, every […]
As of late, PowerPoint has gotten a bad rap … at least we think so. In many cases, this is for good reason. However, we are too easily lured in by slick technology with tons of bells and whistles. PowerPoint can be used in all sorts of different ways to enhance engagement, prompt dialogue, and […]
When my kids were very young, I would take them with me to run errands. They’d say, “Momma, what’s our plan today?” with excitement in their voices. They wondered what our adventure to town would include! I would list things such as stopping at the post office, the bank, the library, etc. During our outings […]
We talk a lot about attending to needs of learners when designing and facilitating learning events using the GLP principles to practice framework. I find Nonviolent Communication (NVC) to be very compatible with a learning-centered approach in that it also is about attending to heartfelt needs to move towards a more peaceful and just world. […]
This recent demand that we all become online participants and facilitators has many rewards and challenges. There is a different intention to our interaction and our time together. Our learning environment has become more isolated and independent, regardless of a virtual screen. And though the boundary may be virtual, it should not replace checking our […]
In the past few weeks, organizations around the world have faced the challenge of converting their in-person meetings to virtual ones. Our organization, the International Budget Partnership (IBP) is no exception. Every month, IBP holds an all-staff meeting via Zoom, a virtual meeting platform that has recently seen its popularity soar; half of our staff […]
Thank you to Mary DeCoster and our friends at Food for the Hungry for sharing this valuable tip sheet from their work. We are featuring an excerpt on our blog, you can access the entire tip sheet on our website here. In fast moving emergencies, such as the current pandemic, we need to make […]
In our new reality, this is a very challenging time in higher education with information changing hourly. Suddenly, many colleges and universities have been thrust into teaching online whether they are prepared or not. Here are few tips to survive this semester and mitigate this abrupt transition to virtual learning. Assume this is the first […]