eL4C37 - Facilitators Workroom

Learning4Content
37th Online Workshop (April 19-30, 2010)

Basic Wiki Skills and Collaborative Learning

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Facilitators Workroom

Welcome facilitators of eL4C37 to our private place inside the workshop pages.
Let's use this page to align our efforts for a coordinated online co-facilitation of the workshop.

Work in progress, expect frequent changes. Help and feedback is welcome. See discussion page.

Facilitators' Contact Info

Patricia Schlicht

• Gtalk:email or email
• Skype: patsy 272

Dr. Gita Mathur

• Gtalk:email or email
• Skype: gitamathur

Ramesh Sharma

• Gtalk:email or email
• Skype: rameshcsharma

Workshop requirements

• We are required to aim at a minimum of 47 registered participants. We have about 33 so far. 47 participants are the ideal, and normally more people come in as we go along. --Patricia Schlicht 03:25, 15 April 2010 (UTC)
• We are doing well. --Patricia Schlicht 02:30, 18 April 2010 (UTC)
• We have >48 participants & Three facilitators....Good ....Cheers!--Gita Mathur 11:43, 19 April 2010 (UTC)
• With Radhalakshmi and Michael this makes 50 as of now. Thats more Good!!.. 50 Cheers! Ramesh 11:16 AM, 19 April 2010

To do List

• Promote the workshop outside in whatever way possible
• It would be great if you could respond to participants as they will later post their introductions. We always say something encouraging about them and welcome them aboard. Take ownership and act as you are "Mr. WikiEducator" as representative of WikiEducator...."Welcome aboard", "good to have you with us", "welcome again, glad you could make it"....". Follow the lead. Make them feel welcome and appreciated.
• Update the participants list with new registrations (both of us at an ongoing basis).
• We are now using a dedicated Gmail contact list and no longer use the Google Discussion forum. I will keep the list and you will be on it in any case.
• Verify all links on our workshop website
• Check spelling and grammar
• Review contents on Workshop Schedule.
• Check the Wiki Discussion tabs on the Workshop page on a regular basis to respond to questions and queries.
• Create live online events for Saturday, April 24, time to be confirmed (Patricia) in the Wiziq Virtual Boardroom .</s>

(: Dear Patricia, I will be busy with a University Exam till 1.30pm India time. Please discuss before finalizing the time on 24th April.--Gita Mathur 11:47, 19 April 2010 (UTC))
(: It'll be your Sunday, sorry that it is so early on a Sunday. If you can't make it, I'll understand. Volunteer work only goes so far. Warm wishes --Patricia Schlicht 18:15, 20 April 2010 (UTC))
(: I am an early riser, and any ways we have been at this even at 2.30am my time in winter....remember those days...:-). I am only worried about my internet connection as I need to relocate my computer due to home renovation work in progress. Hope for the best. Regards--Gita Mathur 18:24, 20 April 2010 (UTC)) (: That's all one can do. Yes, I remember well. My former sessions used to run from 10 pm onward. It is always a challenge to incorporate timezones so it works for all, so I alternate, to give all an advantage at some point. Warm wishes--Patricia Schlicht 18:32, 20 April 2010 (UTC))

(: I Just checked the Workshop Schedule & am happy to note "Time is fixed on Sunday, 25 April 2010, 18:00 Vancouver time" that is Monday, fixed , 26 April 2010, 6.30am India Time.--Gita Mathur 12:45, 19 April 2010 (UTC))
Hi Gita, It is Saturday, April 24, at 6 pm Vancouver time, which is your time Sunday. Please refer to the right time. List of local times is in the workshop schedule under the appropriate heading. My Saturday is your Sunday, NOT Monday.--Patricia Schlicht 03:18, 20 April 2010 (UTC)}}
(: Hi Gita, Now I know what the problem was, I didn't realise the time had switched to Sunday when saving, which is why I kept repeating that it was Saturday our time, Sunday yours. I have corrected it now online. Warm wishes and thanks, --Patricia Schlicht 17:41, 20 April 2010 (UTC))
(: Hi Patricia, I am happy I could point this out. I have registered for the class 2 days back & there I saw the actual time. It is fun doing all this with you. Regards --Gita Mathur 17:58, 20 April 2010 (UTC))
(: Likewise, Gita. Warm wishes --Patricia Schlicht 18:15, 20 April 2010 (UTC))

• We need to look and keep an eye for any outstanding person who might want to present during the Live session. Powerpoint must be in by Saturday morning latest.
• Share workshop instructions with Ramesh and Gita through Google docs before sending.

(: Hi Patricia, I think we are a great team of Three and the participant response is good too.--Gita Mathur 11:50, 19 April 2010 (UTC) )

(: Hi Patricia and Gita, Sure, it will be great to work together. We have got good response. With best wishes --Ramesh 11:40, 19 April 2010)

• Feel free to add here

Populating Participants' User Pages

A simple method for populating a user page with the welcome template, categories, and headings is to add:

{{subst:EL4C user page|Name=EL4C37}}

subst and Name are required to directly substitute the content into the user page and select the correct welcome template. A suggestion for the summary text is as follows:

Created with Template:EL4C user page. Questions should be directed to your eL4C facilitator.

For more information see Template:EL4C user page and the caution below.

So what you do, you copy/paste the link above: {{subst:EL4C user page|Name=EL4C37}} on to the transferred page. People register first and you transfer the page into the participants table.

On the Newbies pages, you just enter this syntax above and save. It populates the page with all necessary headers, including the welcome template.

Caution

Before adding any content to a linked user page, make sure it corresponds to the correct user account. Click on "my contributions" link (in registered participants table), there must be at least one of the following edition line:

Variable Date - variable Time - (hist) (diff) Learning4Content/Workshops/Online schedule/eL4C35/Register ‎

This edit confirms the user registered to the workshop.

Comments/Questions

Notes from eL4C37

Available related resources:

• Mediawiki Help page: Preferences
• Mediawiki Handbook

Resources for Online & F2F Facilitation and Co-facilitation

• Learning 4 Content Resources Page
• From Workplace to Workspace. The International Development Research Centre
• To facilitate or to teach. Leigh Blackall
• L4C Online Facilitation
• add more...

Comments

• (: Hi Patricia, this is really nice. I am full of ideas for this workshop. Just open my sandbox on my userpage and see what I had done for my 26 & 27 online workshops. Let me know if this is the right place for this discussion or should I send email to you? ...Gita)
  

• {{Reply: Hi Gita, thank you for this. Will have a look, to see what you have done. Great to have both of you on board. Warmest, --Patricia Schlicht 02:21, 18 April 2010 (UTC)}}

• (: Hi Gita, Namaste! yes, this is right place for sharing ideas. Please do write them here. Regards, Ramesh 16 April 2010)

• (: Hi Ramesh, Namaste. Thanks for the reply. I was thinking about considering the fact that among the participants many are Newbies but many others have been through L4C workshops earlier. Can we design a template asking them where exactly they need help, do they need more practice on any day in particular, was it that they could not complete the workshop due to personal reasons....and so on. This can be put on their userpage. Asking or discussing on WikiDiscussion may not help, I feel they already have the Day 1 to 10 instructions already, so can we provide specific help too?)

• (: Hi there, Gita, let's not change the structure of the course as it is intended to be. What we however should do is encourage questions. People will make their own choices and let us know where they will need help. If they need more info/practice/training in one area, they usually will let us know, we just need to keep encouraging it. In previous courses, they start writing to you personally not to embarrass themselves. I usually refer them back to the main list, encouraging them to post the question, so we can learn from each other. Normally, this is what they do. Once that hurdle is taken, it flows easier because somebody made the first step.

• Could you explain what you mean by "designing a template which then will be put on their user page". What do both of you think, also in line with Gita's suggestion, if we create a space on the workshop webpage under discussions for instance, where people can input by name where and what they need help with.

• This would be a place, also others can refer back to for info. We kind of have this but maybe it needs some refinement. What do you think?) Maybe here: Wiki Questions--Patricia Schlicht 02:26, 18 April 2010 (UTC)}}

• Yes, I agree with both of you, Wiki Questions seems to be the best solution. Can we send by email, the link to this page to all those participants who are WM certified by earlier facilitators? I am thinking about how to encourage them into action :-) Their email ID's are on their userpages, we can make a Google Docs to send them specifically. What do you both think? --Gita Mathur 03:16, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

• {{Reply|Hi Gita, Yes, we can send by email the link to the very page we will create. At this point though, you can create it but wait until people have settled in a bit. You don't want to overwhelm them with too many new things at the start. Give it a few days and then we should mention this and provide the link in the instructions I will send out day-by-day.

• By the same talking, please keep an eye on introductions under Wiki Discussions, so we can welcome each of the people. Thanks again to both you.

--Patricia Schlicht 04:55, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

• Hi Patricia, I saw the Day 1 instructions, 'not saving problem' not there now. Please send invite for Day 2 instructions so that we can work on it. I have all our workshop participants & workshop discussion pages on my 'Watch' list & am trying to welcome & encourage each of them...Feels great working with you. :-)--Gita Mathur 16:21, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

(: Thank you, Gita. Likewise, we are a great team, the three of us. Warm wishes--Patricia Schlicht 00:27, 19 April 2010 (UTC))

• Hi Patricia, could you please update the 'Upcoming events' on the Main page from EL4C36 to EL4C37 --Gita Mathur 04:18, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

(: Done Gita. Thanks for noticing. Warm wishes--Patricia Schlicht 04:22, 19 April 2010 (UTC))

• Wow! That was fast. Enjoying being at it at the same time. --Gita Mathur 04:42, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

• (: Hi Patricia, the link added for registration on Main Page & Current Events page is not working. On Current Events page I changed http://www.wikieducator.org/Learning4Content/Workshops/Online_schedule/eL4C37/Register to http://wikieducator.org/Learning4Content/Workshops/Online_schedule/eL4C37/Register. Removal of www works. Just click on the above links & see yourself. The Main Page change I can not do, so please do the needful. Regards. --Gita Mathur 10:05, 19 April 2010 (UTC))

I had tested it and tested it again right now. It is working fine with me. Not sure what it is, Gita. --Patricia Schlicht 03:15, 20 April 2010 (UTC)
Now it is working here too.--Gita Mathur 04:06, 20 April 2010 (UTC)

• Hi Patricia, Please check the links below, I think the world clock time is set for 25th & not 24th.--Gita Mathur 04:31, 20 April 2010 (UTC)
• Problem solved. Cheers.--Gita Mathur 18:25, 20 April 2010 (UTC)