Return-Path: <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id i2VKsgm08474; Wed, 31 Mar 2004 15:54:52 -0500 (EST) Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 15:54:52 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <1016109490russell@literacy.upenn.edu> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Mary Russell <russell@literacy.upenn.edu> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1290] RE: Getting Participants Feedback X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" X-Mailer: QuickMail Pro 3.1 (Mac) Status: O Content-Length: 7910 Lines: 165 I'd like to second David's mini-survey idea. We have had considerable success using the "instant survey." We took the information and fed it into a spreadsheet. That way you can see where eveyone is on various issues/topics. Blackboard has a survey tool that looks good (it will collate results, too), that I am going to try with my classes this summer. On Wednesday, March 31, 2004 3:03 PM, Jane Mencer <jmencer@famlit.org> wrote: >What a great idea, David. I've also seen online polls used effectively for >a similar purpose. I have experienced online facilitators during >synchronous sessions (I think that we were using NewMeeting) who, after >introducing and covering a learning point, using a poll feature of the >software posed a one-question multiple-choice question which we, as >learners, all answered. Based on the percentage of learners who answered >correctly, the facilitator would know whether what he had presented was >understood. > >Jane > > >-----Original Message----- >From: nifl-aalpd@nifl.gov [mailto:nifl-aalpd@nifl.gov] On Behalf Of David >Rosen >Sent: Wednesday, March 31, 2004 1:53 PM >To: Multiple recipients of list >Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1280] Getting Participants Feedback > > >Heide and others, > >The problem for a presenter of getting feedback (information from the >audience which allows you to know whether you are hitting the mark or >not) is, as Heide pointed out, not limited to the online medium. I >have been a speaker and performer (in a musical group, outdoors, at the >Hatch Shell on the Esplanade in Boston) where the audience was seated >so far away, and sitting in the dark, that I could not get tell if >they were awake or even there. It usually isn't as big a problem >face-to-face as it can be online. But it can be a big problem >face-to-face, and I have talked with online PD course facilitators who >say they get more feedback, much deeper and more personal feedback, >from students online than in face-to-face classes. > >Recently I gave a keynote address to several hundred people at a >conference. It was in a university chapel auditorium: very beautiful >but also quite formal. I was on a stage behind a podium, very removed >from those I wanted to dialogue with. And I didn't have as much time >as I needed. I anticipated this problem and came prepared with >hundreds of mini-questionnaires on purple slips of paper. These were >passed out for me at the beginning, and people were asked to list 5 top >trends in our society and 5 top trends in adult literacy from their >perspective. They passed these (purple) slips to the end of the row >where I had asked that they be tabulated. (Yellow) row tabulations were >passed up to a gracious graduate student who had agreed to tabulate the >yellow tabulations while I presented. When he was done I was given the >feedback, and I read the results back to those assembled. Then we had >a short discussion about what they and I saw as trends. (There was, of >course, some overlap.) This worked for me as a presenter, giving me >useful feedback for our discussion. And I think it worked for those in >the audience in several ways: 1) it helped them focus on the topic - - >trends in adult literacy - - by thinking about it from their >perspective first, then listening to mine in the context of what they >had been thinking about: how does this guy reinforce my thinking or >challenge it? 2) it gave them something to do while latecomers were >straggling in; and 3) it was amazing to all of us that we could get >nearly 100% participation in a large group and get it boiled down so >quickly. Maybe some of you also do this in your face-to-face staff >development classes and workshops. > >So, what's the online distance learning equivalent of the face-to-face >mini-survey? > >One thing I am planning to try, using Blackboard, is asking online >participants to do a short survey. I will ask them to rate each of the >course objectives in terms of their expertise -- from "don't know >anything about this" to "am an expert at this." Then I will post the >(automatically tabulated) results so everyone can see where the class >is on each objective -- not individuals, but the group. This gives us >all an idea of what we may need to spend more time on, and what's >pretty much in everybody's grasp already. > >I am looking for other ideas like this that are quick and easy ways for >online participants to give facilitators feedback.. Have you seen or >tried something that will give the online facilitator this kind of >feedback and also possibly the participants, too? > >David J. Rosen >djrosen@comcast.net > > >On Wednesday, March 31, 2004, at 12:59 PM, Heide Wrigley wrote: > >> >> Hi, Jackie and thanks for encouraging all of us to share our >> experience with on-line conferences and e-learning. >> >> I'd like to offer a few thoughts on my own experience and would love >> to >> hear from others. I've given several distance learning workshops >> through >> a state-wide system in Texas (thank you Stan Ashlock and Texas State >> University at San Marcos). I've also lead an on-line conference lasting >> several weeks on Youth Literacy through Literacy, B.C. in Canada (we'll >> do another one in the summer). And, I've been a "guest speaker" for a >> couple of on-line discussions on special topics, such as ESL >> assessment, >> on these here list serves. >> >> Yet I fret and worry .... >> >> I used to teach large ESL/EFL classes and enjoy doing PD workshops but >> found the distance part a bit challenging and somewhat intimidating. >> Talking into a TV camera in a studio means not being able to see the >> faces and gauge the reactions of the audience. So my usual shtick, >> including some killer lines that I borrowed (ok stole) from Janet >> Isserlis, didn't seem appropriate for the electronic medium. (If you >> tell a joke and you can't tell if anyone is laughing, is it still a >> joke?) >> >> Not being able to see people's faces made me wonder if I was hitting >> the >> right notes - did I sound too glib or too arrogant? Did I sound too >> sarcastic or too irreverent vis a vis our funders? It's easy to throw >> off a line that could be considered mildly amusing at the time you are >> typing it but may appear offensive once it appears on the world wide >> web- so the medium can be a bit constraining. >> >> QUESTION: What have been the experiences of others in that respect? >> Have you been turned off on these conferences because of tone (because >> the facilitator or guest speaker was either way too earnest or didn't >> seem to take things seriously enough?) Or perhaps (s)he was just a tad >> too preachy? >> >> When doing on-line conferences, I love hearing about the ideas of >> others >> who share strategies and resources. But I keep worrying about the ones >> who had signed on but don't talk or who only say something once and >> then >> disappeare from the discussion. Were they bored? Overwhelmed with work >> and kids and contemplating the future of the world? Or perhaps they >> ditched us for some other more entertaining conference somewhere else. >> May-be we raise expectations with our advertisements and folks end up >> feeling under whelmed because they had been expecting more? >> >> When working face to face, I generally work very hard to keep everyone >> involved, so I wonder if there is some trick I'm missing if only 30% >> of the official group participates. What's your take on these things? >> >> One more question, if there are some problems with the technology >> initially, do most people just leave in disgust never to return or do >> they work it through and are then quiet for other reasons? >> >> Cheers >> >> Heide Wrigley >> (somewhere over the North Pole as I write this) >> >> >> >> >> >> ******************************************** >> > > >
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