I could sense around me that I was losing my learners. It was during an early experience of me training them to use software to help with language learning. But these learners had very different levels of experience of using software and while I was helping some who...
Digital Training – Enabling Better Discussion? (Part III of V)
One participant came to speak to me about how the training session had been for her. At this early stage as a trainer, I had thought it had been good, but I listened. I had engaged participants with the content and had facilitated good discussion, either in small...
The Power of Peer Review and Implications for Digital Learning (Part IV of V)
There were many challenges throughout my course. Electricity was intermittent. English, the language of communication, had varying levels of understanding among participants. But the biggest challenge was the cultural shift to a dialogue approach to learning; a big...
Digital Learning in a Community of Practice (Part V of V)
Silence. Total silence. It was after one of the highlights for me of the Digital Education Masters program through The University of Edinburgh. Two world experts in their field had been discussing their topic together in a Skype class, with the rest of us listening in...
3 Tips to Invite Engagement During a Webinar
So … you’ve scheduled your webinar, sent out the invitations and marked your calendar with a reminder to log onto your selected platform 15-20 minutes early to make sure everything is ready to go. You’ll be ready to start on time – which will please your online crowd....
Moving My University Class Online – Where do I start?
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...
Let’s Make Better Use of the Chat Box
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...
Silence to Think and Re-energize
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:
Quizzes and Polls to Engage
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.
How to Use the Chat Box, Respectfully
Over the past months of virtual meetings – and there have been plenty of them – there has been much testing and experimentation with technology. One such technique has been the Chat feature; all virtual platforms have it and most of us use it. For me, the Chat feature...
Jamming with Jamboard, a Virtual Whiteboard
If you have ever attended an International Budget Partnership (IBP) in-person training, chances are you scribbled some thoughts on tiny sticky notes and stuck them on flip charts around the room. We at IBP love our flip charts, color markers and sticky notes. We haul...
Anybody Out There: What’s the Deal with Webcams, Anyway?
Have you ever set up a breakout room and only half the people went there? They didn’t ‘move’ because they were no longer at their desk. But how could you know: their webcam was OFF! Have you ever found yourself begging, even pleading, for individuals in a Zoom meeting...