Week 5 - Ken and Liz

This week saw the first of our participant presentations in the virtual conference room. Ken teaches 20 Great Ways to Promote Your Business Online. Yesterday evening he showed us his very well established Profitable Hospitality website where he shares not only his own knowledge and expertise in the area of hospitality, but also that he has become adept at tapping in to the vast array of information which is available on the web. Ken is also using Google Sites as a teaching and learning tool and Google Groups as a collaborative tool. So Ken is already immersed in the world of Web2. What then, I wonder is he gaining from this program? I'm going to ask him!

Liz is new to the world of Web2. She teaches a Crash Course in English Grammar and worked with Ken to develop a resource library for her students. She decided on Google Sites as her tool of choice. Her idea is to link her students to existing drills and other grammar exercises already available online - rather than reinventing the wheel - brilliant! Her students will have the option of working independently through those exercises which are relevant for them between classes. She is also keen to incorporate some collaboration through Google Groups in the future. Liz reported that it took her about an hour to set up the first incarnation of her online space which again, is brilliant and also encouraging for others who are taking their first steps.

Last night we had webcam functionality enabled in the room for the first time. In this room only the current speaker is visible. Participants seemed to like it and I like it as well. I think that a real-time visual image of the speaker adds another dimension to virtual conferencing. It humanizes the experience and adds that bit of body language, a smile or a nod for example, which is likely to minimise any misunderstandings.

Both presenters seemed confident and comfortable in the virtual conference room. Both used web touring to share their work and both used informal discussion to engage their audience. The group as a whole are now texting easily in the room and seem to enjoy asking their questions in this way. Some are speaking very confidently as well. There were many questions for our presenters which demonstrates an interest in their topics and a willingness to learn from each other. The collaboration between Ken and Liz was very pleasing as I have felt that collaboration was missing in this project. It now seems to be emerging in small ways as the paired facilitation work begins and as they ask questions of each other.

There is a feeling, (and I can't describe it any other way), that in this group, the group dynamics are changing. This group are working independently. Apart from the paired facilitation activities, they rarely connect outside of our weekly meetings - which is the same as most of the face to face programs we offer at the college. However, yesterday I observed subtle differences in the way that people enter the room and greet each other. They know each other better now, they ask direct questions of each other. In the context of Tuckman's forming, storming, norming and performing theory they seem to have moved into the Norming stage without going through the Storming stage. I have observed no jockeying for position - in fact quite the reverse. Those who are more confident have tended to hang back to give those who are less experienced the opportunity to participate. I have seen this before in online groups and I wonder if online group dynamics develop in a different way. Comments on this would be most welcome. I'm looking forward to watching what happens over the coming weeks.