Had a bit of a late start to the course but am catching up on all the activities! Here are some early thoughts from me:
Initial Thoughts on Digital Facilitation
- Learners Choose Online for Flexibility: For the most part, learners in digital environments are choosing where and when learning happens, often because that is what fits their life best. Facilitators should account for this in their plan.
- Engagement is/can be Challenging: Without face-to-face interaction, creating meaningful connections and active participation can be tricky. This has to be thought out well before starting.
- Digital Environments are Both an Enabler and Barrier: On the one hand, digital learning options opens up more opportunities for more and different kinds of learners to participate, it also brings potential barriers such as technical difficulties, access issues, lack of engagement—which may hinder the learning process.
Questions About Digital Facilitation
- How do we define a sense of community in a fully digital learning environment, and what does it look like in a digital environment where we can tell it’s there?
- How do we ensure all learners can connect with us for help given the challenges of establishing connection and presence online?
Metaphor for Digital Facilitation
Digital facilitation is a little like being a garmin on a backcountry hike. We can show our learners all of the logged waypoints and how to get there. We can help them find their way back to the start if they need to revisit a point, and we’ll answer any questions when they hit the emergency SOS button. We can’t actually MAKE them ever go on a hike, we just have to try to make the hike as interesting and enjoyable as possible.
Leave a Reply