Teaching Non-Profits How to Use Webinars Effectively

March 4, 2012

Tomorrow is an exciting day for me. I start teaching another “Build Your Own Webinar” course. This will be the third time I am teaching the program and I’m pretty excited. In the past, we’ve had participants from literacy and other non-profit organizations who run educational programs, as well as entrepreneurs, and people working in small to medium-size businesses.

The course basically teaches people how to build a webinar step-by-step, taking it from concept to delivery. The idea is that by the end of the program, participants have a webinar that is ready to go live.

Here is the course outline:

View this document on Scribd

Here’s what some participants of the webinar programs have said:

“I have nothing but gratitude and thanks for such a well planned and meaningful learning experience. This webinar was pivotal to a new career direction for me.” – Pat Minor, Canadian Parents for French, High River, Alberta, Canada

“Sarah is definitely an expert in her field. The breadth and depth of her information is excellent and she is very willing to share her time and expertise. I have attended several of her webinars. I highly recommend any webinar that she’s presenting in.” – Jeff Hough, Idaho State University, ISU Workforce Training, Pocatello, ID, USA

“Sarah is hugely knowledgeable in e-learning design to ensure that the audience is kept engaged. She also has a keen sense of what works and a broad knowledge of what tools are out there in the marketplace. I’d recommend this webinar to anyone contemplating developing their own programs!” – Peter Temple, Past President, Canadian Association of Professional Speakers, Calgary Chapter, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

“Great practical information for anyone who is looking at venturing into the world of webinar production. Sarah provided practical information and questions to ask when you are looking for a provider that will meet your needs.” – Laura Godfrey, LearningLinks Resource Centre, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

I am excited to meet the participants who will be joining us for this new course. Love working with adult learners who are dedicated to lifelong learning, professional development and using technology to advance the good work they do.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Webinar: How to Develop a Social Media Policy

February 14, 2012

Sarah Eaton social media technology speaker presenter webinarThis week’s webinar with Chinook Learning is “How to Develop a Social Media Policy“. Its designed for organizational leaders and managers who have to cope with guiding employees’ use of social media in the workplace.

Social media has changed how people interact with each other on line. Marketers talk about social media strategies, but that is different from an organizational policy that is designed to guide and govern users’ behaviour in social media settings. This course is based on this article “Anatomy of a Social Media Policy” that I wrote last fall, published by Social Media Today.

Participant outcomes

By the end of this webinar you will:

  • Understand the differences between a social media strategy and a social media policy.
  • Understand the basics of social media governance.
  • Know the critical elements of a social media policy.
  • Understand the importance of dialogue when it comes to striking a balance between users’ rights and responsibilities.
  • Gain a deeper understanding of what a social media policy is and how to go about developing a relatively simple, straightforward policy for your organization.

Content

  1. Social media policy – Definition and overview; Differences between a social media strategy and a policy.
  2. Social media governance – What social media governance means for organizations, employers and employees.
  3. Anatomy of a social media policy – Learn the critical elements of a well-constructed social media policy and how the various elements work together to create a fully functioning and effective policy. Learn what they key parts are so you can build your own simple, straightforward policy.
  4. Balancing users’ rights with their responsibility to their employer. Why it is important to dialogue with users in your organization and tips for doing this effectively.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Tips for success in an online discussion board

January 3, 2012

Sarah Elaine Eaton, speaker, presenter, keynote, technology, social media, Calgary, Canada, educator, education, professional developmentHere are some tips for success in online, asynchronous discussion boards in any learning program or course:

Post regularly

Make time every week for your discussion board postings. You will need time when you can read through other posts without interruption, as well as write your own posts and replies.

I teach Master’s of Education students at the University of Calgary. In my courses, I encourage my students to check into the discussion board every day at a time of day when they can be alone, without children, co-workers or telephones interrupting them.

Be aware of deadlines for posting

A discussion board is an asynchronous learning tool. That means that you have some flexibility around when you post. However, in a learning situation where your discussion board contribution counts for part of your grade, there may be deadlines for contributing.

The reason for this is that your instructor has designed your course with a certain flow in mind. That means that the course is built so that one topic leads into another. Each topic builds on the one before it.

Your instructor may close a discussion board for active posting after a certain period of time, in order to keep everyone focused on current topics, rather than ones that have already been addressed.

Keep an eye on any deadlines and factor in your local time zone to ensure that you are contributing on time.

Don’t write a post – craft it.

Your contributions to your discussion board are your way to show your instructor and your peers that you have thoroughly understood and digested the weekly reading and you are prepared to add your contribution to the scholarly discussion.

Adding citations and references to your posts demonstrates you are concerned with giving credit where it is due.

Pose open-ended questions to draw others into your posts and engage them as readers.

A substantive discussion board post is probably at least 2 to 3 paragraphs long, but really, the quality of your post is equally (if not more) important than how long it is.

Understand the importance of the conversation

Posting your own answers or responses to discussion questions is important, but it is only part of the picture. Building a sense of “virtual community” is another important element.

You are expected not only to read, but also to comment on your peers’ posts by offering supportive feedback, reflective replies and additional resources that help everyone in the class to build their knowledge base.

Do not assume that reading your classmates’ posts is enough. It is up to you to demonstrate that you have read them. The main way you do that is by posting a thoughtful reply that shows you thought about the other person’s post.

References and resources

Jorgensen, E. (2012). 5 Tips for online discussion board success. All Allied Health Schools. Retrieved December 7, 2012, from http://www.allalliedhealthschools.com/blog/2012/online-discussion-blackboard-help/

Speidel, B. J. (n.d.). Tips for Succeeding in an Online Class.   Retrieved December 7, 2012, from http://www.swccd.edu/~asc/lrnglinks/olsuccess.html

TeacherStream LLC. (2009). Mastering online discussion board facilitation: Resource guide. Retrieved December 7, 2012, from http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/stw/edutopia-onlinelearning-mastering-online-discussion-board-facilitation.pdf

Teaching with Technology (Wiki). Tips for Discussion Boards. Retrieved December 7, 2012: http://twt.wikispaces.com/Tips+for+Discussion+Boards

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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E-learning Principles: Five Free, Downloadable Resources

July 18, 2011

Here are five excellent downloadable resources that clearly outline basic e-learning principles in clear, easy-to-understand language:

Six principles of effective e-learning by Ruth Clark (Free 10-page .pdf from the eLearning Guild)

E-Learning: A Guidebook of Principles, Procedures and Practices by Som Naidu, Ph.D. (a free 100-page .pdf book published by the Commonwealth of Learning)

Efficiency in e-Learning: Proven Instructional Methods for Faster, Better, Online Learning by Frank Nguyen and Ruth Colvin Clark (Free 8-page downloadable .pdf from the e-Learning Guild)

E-learning Tools and Resources: Putting Principles into Practice by Wendy Chambers (A 41-page .pdf. I’ll put in plug for Wendy here. She’s a personal friend of mine and I can tell you, she really knows her stuff.)

Back to Basics: Using Adult Learning Principles to Create E-Learning Success by Steven R. Aragon (a 10-page .pdf. Note: This document opens in a separate window.)

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Update – November, 2017 – This blog has had over 1.7 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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