3-2-1 Blog Post – Digital Facilitation
· Thoughts or ideas you have about digital facilitation.
To me:
Digital Facilitation can be very tricky. As a facilitator, you would think that additional explanations with plenty of details are necessary to compensate for the lack of face-to-face interaction. Therefore, knowing when, where, and how to contribute to a learning event needs a great deal of planning not to end up overwhelming and boring attendees!
With Digital Facilitation, there is a learning curve where you undoubtedly move from being a novice to an expert facilitator. This learning curve process applies to both facilitators and the audience. I believe a good facilitator should be aware of this fact, s/he should manage their expectations and embrace the learning journey. Positivity is key!
Digital Facilitation requires a great deal of self-control. With a lack of face-to-face interaction, facilitators rely on digital communication where biases and judgments are easily formed. Keeping an open mind and utilizing the doubt’s benefit will surely make it easier for facilitators to be neutral and respectful to all.
· Two questions you have about digital facilitation.
A digital facilitator relies on technologies to communicate, facilitate, and educate individuals. What is a good plan B (if any) where technologies fail or partially fail to meet diverse learners’ needs?
How can policymakers in any educational institution manage to guarantee equity and inclusion in terms of technologies?
· 1 metaphor or simile about digital facilitation.
Practice (digital facilitation) makes perfect. I believe every digital learning experience benefits the facilitator. The facilitators should aim to learn something new in each learning journey!
Attribution
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
September 2, 2020 at 6:31 pm
Hi Tala – I appreciated your point about both learner and facilitator experiencing a learning curve. Much of what I hear and read examines the faculty perspectives of transitioning to meaningful online learning. However, students too must learn how to engage differently and be provided with opportunities to explore what that adjustment can look like, particularly with asynchronous learning, where two-way feedback may not be instantaneous.
I also appreciated your question regarding equity and inclusion. This to me remains a central gap and question of online learning and the successful transition from face to face, to digital modalities of learning. Beyond individual institutions, I think this is also an integral question of government accountability – in Ontario within our K-12 students, learners are returning to mixed models. I have deep concerns for students who lack access to the necessary tools to engage in online learning. Without equity and inclusion at the centre of this conversation, many learners who already experience marginalization, will be left further behind.
September 4, 2020 at 10:53 pm
Thank you Clint for commenting. I totally agree with you. Governments should be accountable for providing accessible learning environments that support equity and inclusion.
Not only in Canada, but worldwide, it is a challenging problem. I have deep concerns for Jordan…In Jordan for example, amid Covid-19, the government and public schools have been struggling to support students distributing smartphones and Ipads. But Jordan is a limited country in terms of resources and the lack of digital literacies in some areas is also a big problem…there are many challenges that the government is facing right now, people in Jordan don’t believe in online learning, a lot of online degrees worldwide are not even accredited in Jordan…parents, teachers, and society are now forced to learn online and somehow they are resisting this change but learning to accept it…it is always the last resort for them.