In my initial blog post about digital facilitation, I had three thoughts:
- There is an emphasis on community in online learning
- Providing choice to learners is critical
- Facilitating online requires a different skill set than in-person
Reflecting on my experience in this course as a learner and facilitator, I still agree with these points. The synchronous sessions were particularly valuable, where we gathered to discuss our thoughts and experiences with the week’s topic. They underscored the importance of community in online learning, as our collective exploration and understanding of the topic significantly enriched the learning experience.
The second point was important for both roles. As a learner, I appreciated the chance to choose what to read or experiment with as I could connect more to it. For example, when exploring Team Yellow’s VR/AR topic, I enjoyed that they provided different resources that would fit the needs of my learning and working context. With those choices, I could explore AR resources that could be used in a classroom context. Since I like choices as a learner, it felt important as a facilitator to provide our learners with the same opportunity as the goal to find ways to use the AI tools within their context.
Regarding my role as a facilitator, I still need a different skill set to teach online versus in person. When teaching face-to-face, you can see your learners’ faces and expressions to determine if they understand what is being asked. With online learning and digital facilitation, you only get that feedback if a student reaches out or during a synchronous session. What was helpful was the YouTube video provided by Team Orange that discussed the 12 best practices, and I plan to continue to develop these skills even if I primarily facilitate in person.
As mentioned above, I primarily practice in-person facilitation as an educator. Looking back on my two questions, I better understand how to incorporate the CoI framework in a K12 context. After learning about the best practices for online facilitation, I realized that some still work in face-to-face teaching. For instance, understanding your role and knowing your students are critical skills, whether you teach online or in person.
Finally, when looking back on my metaphor, I still consider digital facilitation a road map. There are twists, turns, and sometimes unexpected roadblocks, especially as a facilitator. While you try to predict and plan for everything in your teaching journey, you can only sometimes predict what will happen on the road. You must be flexible and go with the flow, especially when things get out of your control.