Me? An Online facilitator!

Winter is in full swing and class #2 of the Online Certificate Program has begun.
ONTL 651: Facilitating an Online Course. But what exactly does facilitating an online course entail? As a traditionally trained instructor and a media producer by training, I’m a bit concerned about my online facilitation skills. But I’m ready to learn.

As an educator, I guess I could be called a "sage on the stage," but I desperately want to become an excellent "guide on the side.” I believe the ability to guide and empower students in their education would be desirable for either class environment and benefit all teaching styles.

I enjoy the exchange of energy and ideas in the classroom setting. It’s quite an adjustment to communicate through print discussion boards and audio chats with my ONTL classmates and one day my students. But this program is an excellent way for me to begin embracing this new education interaction process.

The class articles about online facilitation have been reassuring. They prove that I currently posses some of the skills necessary to become an effective online facilitator.
I project a strong personality, I’m organized, I love engaging students and try to be sensitive to their needs and I have more than 25 years of experience in my field of expertise (media production).

I have signed up to facilitate week 9 which covers online technology. Technology is one of my main areas of interest. In class one, the educational applications of technologies such as blogs, wikis, podcasts and videos were exciting to explore. So, I look forward to learning how to properly facilitate this online session and one day, my own online or hybrid course.