Comments on: Web Seminars Shore Up Schools http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/gulfcoast/2006/09/25/where-do-hurricanes-come-from/ A year after hurricanes devastated New Orleans and other Gulf Coast communities, schools are open but struggling to replace libraries, equipment, and staff. Digital educators and others gathered late in September to discuss the best ways to help. Here\'s a report from the conference and follow-ups on the most interesting ideas we found there. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:11:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: NSDL Highlights » Blog Archive » Let's Talk About It http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/gulfcoast/2006/09/25/where-do-hurricanes-come-from/#comment-3526 NSDL Highlights » Blog Archive » Let's Talk About It Tue, 29 May 2007 16:10:53 +0000 http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/gulfcoast/2006/09/25/where-do-hurricanes-come-from/#comment-3526 [...] Web Seminars Shore Up Schools Posted in Topics: Technology, Social Studies Jump down to leave a comment. [...] […] Web Seminars Shore Up Schools Posted in Topics: Technology, Social Studies Jump down to leave a comment. […]

]]> By: rpayo http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/gulfcoast/2006/09/25/where-do-hurricanes-come-from/#comment-3523 rpayo Thu, 19 Apr 2007 23:14:05 +0000 http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/gulfcoast/2006/09/25/where-do-hurricanes-come-from/#comment-3523 Richard: Thanks for your comment. My name is Robert Payo (rpayo@nsdl.ucar.edu) I oversee the web seminars that NSDL is doing in partnership with NSTA. We have found these seminars to be a great way to connect with teachers and to provide them with a means of connecting teachers to experts in the NSDL community and the resources associated with NSDL. One of the most common things teachers favorably comment on about the seminars is the level of interactivity that is embedded into each of these presentations. Participants not only learn new content, but are engaged in the presentation through the use of web seminar tools such as polls, quizzes, stamping their answers on the presenters' slides, or discussing a topic on the online chat. It's hard to gauge an audience when you are not in a face to face situation and this interactivity allows for the audience to feel involved in what is happening. It can also be a tool for getting feedback from the audience or as a mechanism to check participants' understanding of concepts or getting them to use the information to integrate what they are learning. Another aspect that has been useful in using this format is the use of a moderator. The moderator, myself in the case of our series, keeps things moving along, prompts questions from the audience, and moderates the chat. The chat also allows the moderator to create a more personable experience for the participants. I often respond to the participants with encouraging words or reflect on what they are writing. This allows for more one-on-one contact with audience members. With any online experience, establishing connection and community is important. People like to feel like they belong since it would be very easy for them to disconnect or disengage from the group if they chose to do so. I think the same notions would hold for students as they do for teachers. Students are certainly more savvy with the technology, and there is great potential to build upon what is learned from a web seminar and extend it into the classroom as well as using web 2.0 technologies to assist. You can find some reflections on the web seminar experience of pre-service teachers from Texas A & M where one of the presenters of our seminar on electrostatics teaches on the blog associated with that seminar: >. Coming fresh out of university, they have newer perspectives on the use of such technologies and how it would apply for their classrooms. Richard: Thanks for your comment. My name is Robert Payo (rpayo@nsdl.ucar.edu) I oversee the web seminars that NSDL is doing in partnership with NSTA. We have found these seminars to be a great way to connect with teachers and to provide them with a means of connecting teachers to experts in the NSDL community and the resources associated with NSDL. One of the most common things teachers favorably comment on about the seminars is the level of interactivity that is embedded into each of these presentations.

Participants not only learn new content, but are engaged in the presentation through the use of web seminar tools such as polls, quizzes, stamping their answers on the presenters’ slides, or discussing a topic on the online chat. It’s hard to gauge an audience when you are not in a face to face situation and this interactivity allows for the audience to feel involved in what is happening. It can also be a tool for getting feedback from the audience or as a mechanism to check participants’ understanding of concepts or getting them to use the information to integrate what they are learning.

Another aspect that has been useful in using this format is the use of a moderator. The moderator, myself in the case of our series, keeps things moving along, prompts questions from the audience, and moderates the chat. The chat also allows the moderator to create a more personable experience for the participants. I often respond to the participants with encouraging words or reflect on what they are writing. This allows for more one-on-one contact with audience members. With any online experience, establishing connection and community is important. People like to feel like they belong since it would be very easy for them to disconnect or disengage from the group if they chose to do so.

I think the same notions would hold for students as they do for teachers. Students are certainly more savvy with the technology, and there is great potential to build upon what is learned from a web seminar and extend it into the classroom as well as using web 2.0 technologies to assist. You can find some reflections on the web seminar experience of pre-service teachers from Texas A & M where one of the presenters of our seminar on electrostatics teaches on the blog associated with that seminar: >. Coming fresh out of university, they have newer perspectives on the use of such technologies and how it would apply for their classrooms.

]]> By: richardrbutler http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/gulfcoast/2006/09/25/where-do-hurricanes-come-from/#comment-3522 richardrbutler Wed, 18 Apr 2007 15:02:50 +0000 http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/gulfcoast/2006/09/25/where-do-hurricanes-come-from/#comment-3522 A wonderful article, it's great to see the use of technology going even a little way to help those affected by the hurricane. If I may just introduce myself, my name is Richard Butler and I come from the beautiful old English city of Winchester. My wife is a teacher and I am working in conjunction with a company to try and introduce Webinars as an everyday learning tool into some British schools- do you have any hints and tips which we could use to help our kids have a better educational experience? If you do, an email would be greatly appreciated! A wonderful article, it’s great to see the use of technology going even a little way to help those affected by the hurricane.

If I may just introduce myself, my name is Richard Butler and I come from the beautiful old English city of Winchester.

My wife is a teacher and I am working in conjunction with a company to try and introduce Webinars as an everyday learning tool into some British schools- do you have any hints and tips which we could use to help our kids have a better educational experience? If you do, an email would be greatly appreciated!

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