tipsformoderators

=Tips for Moderators=

__**For Tapped-In**__ > >
 * 1) Stay logged into the Tapped-In room throughout your skypecast.
 * 2) Use the 'detatch' feature of the Tapped-In chat room and maximize the window so you can see more of the past chat lines during the event. (found in the "action menu" in the chat box on right)
 * 1) If you have any trouble with anything at all, you can get help online at any time, immediately, from the Help Desk in Tapped In.
 * 2) If you would like a quick orientation of Tapped In and the K12Online room... please email Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach- snbeach at cox dot net
 * 3) Sheryl will be in the Tapped In room at 7pm Eastern- 0:00 GMT through the first few hours to help out in chat. Drop by then before your shift (if applicable) and she can answer your questions about how to handle chat part of When Night Falls.
 * 4) It is a good idea to have some prewritten chat starters ready to cut and paste in. //For example: I want to welcome everyone tonight to the 24 our closing event of the K12 Online Conferfence "When Night Falls"// If things like that were in a minimized notepad doc you could just cut and paste occassionally in and it saves time. //For example: Please feel free to add any resources in the links section in the navigation bar on the left you would like to share.// or //Let's take a minute to introduce ourselves since we have different folks in chat than in the Skypecast. Give us your name, school or organ ization, and location.// Just having a few prewritten things will help you multitask...once you get the conversation going in Tapped In it will take on a life of its own.
 * 5) For more about Tapped In.. click on Tapped In on navigation bar on left of this wiki.

> >
 * __For Skypecasts__**
 * 1) If you have a small number of Skype participants (less than 10) you can probably keep everyone's microphones unmuted (from your side, the moderator side.) If you have more people, you will likely want to MUTE microphones and UNMUTE when people want to talk. This makes the interaction less free flowing, but can cut down drastically on feedback and background noise.
 * 1) Encourage all participants to mute their microphones when they are not speaking, to minimize feedback and noise.
 * 2) Encourage all participants to use headphones to minimize feedback.
 * 1) If you start to have "audio bleedover" from another Skypecast not related to yours (this sometimes happens) use the MUTE ALL button at the top of the SkypeCast window, and selectively unmute and mute participants who want to speak. (Participants will be able to ask for the microphone by clicking a button, and you'll see the icon beside their username turn ORANGE when they want to talk.)
 * 2) If the Skypecast participant lists goes blank during the event, click on the MUTE ALL button at the top of the SkypeCast window, and then click UNMUTE ALL. This should restore the participant list.
 * 3) If your Internet connection goes down and you are disconnected from the skypecast, restart your connection and reconnect to the skypecast as soon as possible. If you left participant mics muted, they will not be able to unmute until you login again and do it as the moderator. You CANNOT promote others to moderate a skypecast in its current version.


 * __Prompts to Keep the Conversation Moving and Encourage Reflection When Night Fall__****s**

Add your suggestions here:
 * 1) Which session stood out for you and why?
 * 2) What was the highlight of conference in general and why?
 * 3) What surprised you the most?
 * 4) Explain any value added pieces for you personally that were a result of the conference.
 * 5) What lessons learned should conference organizers know about-- from your personal perspective? What would you suggest they change for next year?
 * 6) What topic(s) do you wish had been discussed in either the live events or presentations?
 * 7) Did any of you experience the conference with a colleague or group and discuss it afterward? What were the highlights of those discussions?
 * 8) What cool events do you know about that took place around the K12Online content?
 * 9) Did you blog about the event? Why? Any feedback on your blogs?
 * 10) Are you new to the blogosphere or Web 2.0 technologies in general? If so, please share your reactions to the conference format-- or did you talk with anyone who was a newbie, please share their reactions.
 * 11) Imagine with me-- how this style of professional development will be used in the future in K12 education.
 * 12) Building on a comment made by a participant in the Skype chat...and say... that is a powerful idea, what do the rest of you think about that? Why? Take a piece of a comment and dig deeper with participant and ask others to add their ideas.
 * 13) Share in 1-2 minutes... What you liked, What you learned, What you will use...about one sentence each ...
 * 14) As a result of all you have seen and heard from the K12 Online Conference... pretend you are in the elevator with the governor, superintendent, or a policy/decision maker in your area, district or ministry--you have 1 minute to sell them on the idea of 21st Century literacy, Web 2.0 tools, or access issues for your students-- what will you say? Remember this person gets off the elevator in 1 minute.

__**Facilitation Techniques**__
 * Key principle:* Show genuine curiosity about participants beliefs and attitudes and encourage other participants in the room to do the same.
 * Act as a catalyst:* Stimulate and prompt discussion. Do not be the center of attention-- rather pose a question and then fade into the background. Remember your role is moderator and your job is to get participants discussing the key issues and sharing their ideas.
 * Ask and ask again:* Ask each participant what he or she thinks. Ask probing questions to deepen the thinking and the quality of responses. Ask participants what they think of others responses.
 * Acknowledge, Affirm, Appreciate:* Focus on understanding deep concerns that underlie participant's views. Find out what people agree on, but do not ignore or overlook differences of opinion. There is strength in diversity of thought.


 * Your primary job* as moderator is to make certain all participants get a chance to voice their thoughts...don't be afraid to evoke your responsibility to hear all participants views and move the discussion along for the sake of time. *Relax and enjoy the conversation!*