This week we are going to think about how we bring people together so that we have someone to facilitate. Whether we are starting from scratch building a network, community or team, or working with a captive audience (so to speak) such as a group of students, we need to pay attention to how we organize, coordinate, collaborate and liaise as part of our facilitation role.
It is also worth thinking about:
- how do we maintain momentum of the community/network/team/student group?
- how sustainable is the community/network/team/student group?
- how sustainable is our role of facilitator?
Webconferencing
Social networking platforms are web services that technically facilitate social networking and community development. From Facebook to Linkedin, each social networking platform has slightly different functionality and social phenomenon.
Join the virtual class meeting in Elluminate to share your thoughts and experiences of using social media for online facilitation, or discuss any other issues or learning that have cropped up over the last couple of weeks. This session will be held on Thursday 2nd September at 16.00 hours New Zeland (World Clock) . Willie Campbell, Karen Humber and Jane Scripps will be facilitating this session.
Activities
1. Watch the video of Clay Shirkey (2008) talking about how we organise ourselves in the digital age: Here comes everybody.
2. Read the article by Beth Kanter (2009) in which she talks about how to be a network weaver: June Holley and The Art of Being Rhizomatic (The Practice of Network Weaving). Please feel free to leave a comment for Beth on this blog post (or any other for that matter). I know she'll be pleased to hear from you and enter into discussion about networking and online facilitation, especially in the non-profit sector. Once you have read the article, carry out an analysis of how good you are at network weaving to help you identify what areas and skills you need to strengthen.
3. Read the advice from Sue Waters (2009) about how to build a professional learning network: Baiting the Digital Hook to Build A Professional Learning Community!. Again, feel free to leave a comment for Sue - she is always extremely helpful.
4. Join a social networking website such as Facebook, Ning or LinkedIn. Add your user name to the course "Participants" page. Explore the social networking site, join a group or fan page, make a comment and join in conversations. Network with other course participants and discuss your experiences of social networking.
5. In your blog you may wish to document your thoughts about social networking and facilitation,
- How can social networking platforms be used for online facilitation?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of social networking?
- How would you use the social networking platform you have joined for online facilitation in the future?
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