Web+Conferences

=EDLD 5370 Educational Technology Leadership Internship=

May 19, 2011
My experience during the web conference was very helpful. The conference group was large and many contributed in several areas. Dr. Abernathy answered questions but also asked several questions which helped jump start the participation level. It seems as though many are very nervous about the amount of work to cover during the next five weeks and so am I. I think some of the issues stem around just not knowing where and how to start. Dr. Abernathy is great at diffusing nerves and offered many times to help in anyway and also provided email and cell phone information. Due to many outside obstacles it is very difficult to meet all of the pre-scheduled conferences but I intend to make as many as possible. If I cannot make the conference live I will make certain I view the chat log that Dr. Abernathy provides after the conferences conclude.

June 1, 2011
I was unable to attend the scheduled web conferences during week 2. Dr. Abernathy promised to post chat logs and a recording of each session for those unable to attend. I download the chat log and used the posted url for the recording. The web conference I would like to use for my reflection is June 1, 2011. The conference lasted approximately 47 minutes with 7 participants. This is a relatively small group but provided a lively conversation. It is my observation that classmates are more apt to ask questions when there is a smaller group of people connected to the conference. Another item to note concerning this web conference is the lack of sound so that all dialogue was conducted via typing. This can be an advantage and a disadvantage in my opinion. First is from a visual aspect by having everything typed which takes longer but you can review the instructions. Also, we lose the interaction from the tone of voice and expressions. A special note about the conference is the collaboration between classmates and the ever present offer from Dr. Abernathy to contact her via email or cell phone. The web conferences are vital to personalizing the courses and building relationships with the professors.

June 11, 2011
My web conference experience this week was unique. I was traveling out of town on vacation and connected from the hotel room. At first I was hesitant due to setting up the hotel internet connection. I of course did not want to take time out of my vacation schedule either. All in all this was a great experience for me. The connection at the hotel was easy enough. The laptop I used connected effortlessly to the wireless and the link popped right up. I connected very early to give myself time to address issues. The extra time allowed me to relax and prepared for the meeting. Dr. Abernathy connected early and posted a message she would return at 10:00 am ready to chat. Approximately eleven people connected to the conference meeting. At first there were not many questions by Dr. Abernathy did a great job pulling everyone into the conversation. This session represented great collaboration as one of the participants shared her eportfolio site with us. The greatest advantage to attending this conference was the encouragement from the professor. She constantly serves in the capacity of cheerleader always offering her email address and cell phone number.

Dr. Abernathy is very diligent in opening the conference early. She signs-on and opens the discussion for early questions. I find this very beneficial because we can post questions to anyone. This morning’s class had about 12 people connected. At least one person used a web cam and another person used a mobile device. It was very helpful to learn about the mobile device. We are utilizing some of the new web 2.0 tools at work. The experience this week was valuable as we are nearing the end of the course. The work load is overwhelming at this point and the visual and vocal aspect is very reassuring. During this conference we were able to discuss at length the TK20 requirements. We received our email notification with the invitation to post in the TK20 this week. This is a new site supported by the college and there were a number of questions concerning the assignment. The closing question posted by a classmate open a new thread of questions and concerns. Even though Dr. Abernathy was close to ending the conference she held it open for the late question. The web conferences are very valuable to the success of this program.