Webinars as a Solution for Interactive Live Online Learning

Editor's Notes

• #2: Live and Online! Webinars as a Solution for Interactive Online LearningWebinars are rapidly becoming a norm for library staff development. But what sets apart a "webinar" from active, engaged learning? In this session you will learn how to assess whether online training is a viable solution for your library, how to select the right synchronous learning platform for your library, and tips for creating engaging content that promotes quality learning.\n
• #3: \n
• #4: \n
• #5: \n
• #6: \n
• #7: \n
• #8: \n
• #9: http://www.flickr.com/photos/garethjmsaunders/2065891945/sizes/o/\n
• #10: These days everything is about the bottom line.\nHow do you calculate the cost of training? \n
• #11: \n
• #12: \n
• #13: \n
• #14: \n
• #15: \n
• #16: \n
• #17: \n
• #18: \n
• #19: Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/clearlyambiguous/50048014\n\nEarly days of e-learning there was a lot of bad e-learning. Reading.\n\nThis may be all that staff/admin have experienced.\n
• #20: http://www.flickr.com/photos/meddygarnet/3459415984\n
• #21: The bottom line for presentations and demos is that your audience actually has to care about the subject. Since presentations and demos usually have very limited interaction, these are situations where you really need to be explicit about WIIFM. This, of course, naturally pre-supposes that you’ve done some leg work to assess what topics prospective members of your audience need or want to learn about.\n\nYou also need to be explicit about the learning objectives and audience. So many of these webinars focus on a snappy title, and then the learners attend and get nothing from it. Too many buzzwords, not enough focus on objectives.\n\n \n
• #22: Make a note to yourself that this may be a person’s only experience with e-learning.\nThis includes staff AND admin!\n\nOr they may have had no experience or worse heard rumors!\n
• #23: \n
• #24: Flip chart or whiteboard\n
• #25: Use a virtual white board – this is one of the reasons to keep class sizes small\n
• #26: http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2010/11/georgia-s-innovative-webinar-series.html\n\nWe had success at Gwinnett using virtual presentations and demonstrations for continuing education, but by far the best example of webinars for CE I’ve seen is the Carterette Series Webinars, named after the late Pat C. who died of cancer in January. \n\nThis series of free, bi-monthly webinars, established last July through a joint partnership between the GA Library Assoc. and Georgia Public Library Service, focuses on sharing innovation and best practices in libraries of all types. Recent topics range from effective change, open source software, and teaching financial literacy. Speakers have included well-known librarians like Buffy Hamilton, Cliff Landis, Bobbi Newman, and yours truly, Jay Turner. But the organizers of the webinar series have also sought out up-and-comers, or anyone with something of value and relevance to share. Attendance for these webinars has ranged from 50-150.\n\nThis is a great model and something that a consortium like TBLC could emulate for continuing ed.\n\nIn June, some Georgia librarians launched something new. The Georgia Public Library Service and the Georgia Library Association’s Professional and Continuing Education IG started the GeorgiaWednesday Webinar Series. The purpose of these bi-monthly webinars is to provide free continuing education opportunities for librarians and to highlight some of the wonderful things going on in Georgia’s libraries. Webinars are not new, but the focus of the webinars, Georgia’s innovative libraries and libraries, gives Georgia a chance to shine while sharing information inside and outside the borders of their state. Attendance is open to anyone who wants to attend which means that this webinar series has become an outreach and marketing tool, though this was not the original purpose. Speakers have included well-known librarians from Georgia like Buffy Hamilton, Cliff Landis, and Bobbi Newman. Topics are varied and touch different aspects of librarianship in different kinds of libraries. Recent topics range from effective change, open source software, and teaching financial literacy skills. The Georgia Wednesday Webinar Series is an ongoing project. It has been very successful, with 50-150 attendees per session, and the planning group intends to continue the series into the future. Pat Carterette, one of the planning members, recently said that the group has discussed branching out to include a webinar series that would highlight innovation in each of the 50 states. I think this idea is a great model for how a small idea can lead to big ideas in the professional field. One of the best things about this series is that, not only can anyone join in a session, but all sessions are available in a free archive. I love free archives!Here are some other ways to use this information and the model of the Georgia Wednesday Webinar Series in your library:Publicize this series to your staff. The speakers are excellent, the topics timely, and the archives free. Facilitate a brown bag or online discussion for people who have watched ones that are of particular interest to your library.Host your own Webinar Series. Think big and find some other group in your state to partner with you, find some librarians doing cool stuff, and go! Think smaller and highlight things going on in your community. If you are an academic or school library, you could highlight innovative teaching, technology, or research happening on your campus. If you are a public library, you could produce a series on local events or groups doing amazing community outreach. Creating your own series is a different way to produce valuable content while also publicizing your library.Take the basic idea and change it to meet your needs and community. Instead of a webinar, start a podcast or a video blog. Make short clips. Choose a format and length that will suit your audience. Being able to adapt a basic idea, especially when it comes to technology is an important skill because so much about technology innovation and implementation depends on audience and needs. Do not be afraid to try new things. Keep your eyes on the Georgia librarians. I have a feeling they have more great ideas up their sleeves.\n
• #27: Providence Public Library offers public webinars for job seekers\n
• #28: Providence Public Library offers public webinars for job seekers\n
• #29: In this example the vendor is providing the webinar.\n
• #30: \n
• #31: Example of collaboration webinar for the public…this was the Turning Pages Book Club who interviewed Garth Stein author of The Art of Racing in the Rain. \n
• #32: \n
• #33: \n
• #34: \n
• #35: \n
• #36: \n
• #37: \n
• #38: \n
• #39: \n
• #40: \n
• #41: \n
• #42: \n
• #43: \n
• #44: \n
• #45: Headsets, power outage\n
• #46: \n
• #47: What if you get sick, lose your voice?\n
• #48: \n
• #49: \n
• #50: \n
• #51: How often?\n
• #52: How often?\n
• #53: How often?\n
• #54: \n
• #55: \n