Session+Six

= __**SESSION SIX: REFLECTION ON TIME MANAGEMENT**__ =

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As you think back to your previous facilitation experience, what has been your biggest struggle in terms of managing your time or organization. Share your challenge in the table below and offer suggestions for dealing with the struggles others have listed.=====


 * ~ Challenge ||~ Strategies ||
 * // Use the rows in this column to describe challenges you have faced with time management or organization when facilitating. //

(Cynthia Nesselroade) Managing time as I facilitate can be a problem at times. My family sometimes says that all I do is check my email or look at my phone. I have tried to set aside just a certain time each day but I just hate to not respond in a timely manner to a question or request. I have kinda gottened tied to messages I receive for my full time job and the facilitating. I am doing much better but sometimes things are just better off taken care of asap. || //Use the rows in this column to suggest strategies for the challenges posted by others.// Cynthia Nesselroade. Handling distractions is something we just have to do. Last summer I was on vacation in California, dealing with my father being hospitalized, and facilitating a course. I made sure that still spent an hour online each day because I had commited to helping with a course that needed covered. I was very up front with my participants and tried to keep everything as usual. It was hard at times. We were in Yosemite State Park with very limited internet access. I had to pay 10 dollars a day for the hour access but it was worth it because when I got home to other family issues the course was right on track.

I also let my participants know when I will be traveling. It is nice for them to know I may not be able to answer quite as fast as normal. I am usually respond rather fast so if I am off a little bit it can cause some stress for participants who want to get everything just perfect.

Typically I eat my lunch at my office and check my course each day. I try to make a mental note of what I will need to take care of after my boys go to sleep. I do think we need to be visible online each day. I have found that I want very much to know what is going on in the discussion area and keep the course with a positive tone. || (Marianna Leone) I don't think there is an exact time during the week to resond in discussion, I think the discussions drive the responses. For example, if there are things posted that are inaccurate, such as in the social studies course, it is important to tactfully correct or redirect the discussion. Also, I had the incident of comments that were "politically incorrect" to state it nicely and that needed to be addressed. That's why in my experience it is very important to check the discussions frequently, daily if possible, but I try to let the participants respond to each other and take ownership. The biggest challenge with time management for me was being away for a day or two with no computer access. I think if you agree to facilitate a course, then you should do so when time management is NOT going to be a problem. (Lisa Teeters) I believe it is best to interject comments as often as possible. I believe this can guide the discussion throughout the week. It also allows for time to build in the higher order thinking questions. || (Nada) I think you should check the site daily, if possible. That doesn't mean you have to respond each day to the site, but you need to check the site to ensure that your participants are not having problems or asking for help. I like to wait too and give the other participants a chance to respond to each other before I offer my replies. I have learn something new from this course about how to respond to participants. I like the way that Valerie would ask a question for us to respond to instead of giving an answer. I plan to do more of that in the furture in courses that I facilitate.
 * (Betty Salvatore) Time management is an issue because we both have a compulsion to make sure that we respond to all participants each week. Instead of setting aside one or two eveinings a week for the purpose of responding, we both are online EVERYDAY and several times a day. We both are exteemely organized so that is never an issue. We spend days prior to a course making sure everything is in proper order. When we do that, our course comes across as organized and comfortable for partiipants to participate (or that's what the evaluations have indicated). || (MaryJane) Ditto to Betty's comments. We learned to do this as we were developing the course. Because we use a collaborative process for most of our work-many heads are better than one-it is natural for us to work through a process before we teach it. The challenge with facilitation that we overcame was the need to be constantly available to participants and provide participants with acivities that maximize their own learning. For example, if one of our sessions has an important reading that will enhance the participants ability to complet an activity, we supply the participant with a graphic organizer to use while completing the reading. If an activity involves completing some work with your class, we provide a video of how students can do the work in order to demonstrate how valuable it is to complete the activity. ||
 * (Donna Landin) I have a question for which I would like you to respond. In terms of responding to the postings by course participants in the discussion board---when do you feel it is best to respond or to interject a discussion topic? (throughout the week, at the beginning of the week, wait until the end of the week)? What are your thoughts and your rationale? Is it "o.k." to take the week-ends" off from facilitation duties?

(Mickie Richardson) Interjection of a discussion topic should occur as the need arises, perhaps from a posting. If the facilitator feels an area of discussion has not been addressed, then the topic might be introduced toward the end of the weekly session. When teaching school, weekends are by far consumed by facilitation duties. Even if I went out of town, I utilized Sunday evening (or Friday prior to departure) to address discussions/course work.

(Mary Ann Triplett) I believe one should attempt to be on the site every day; however, I know that sometimes other obligations prevent this. I try to check the site first thing in the morning before anything else gets in the way. I try to check the site throughout the day if time permits, but that is not always possible with my job responsibiliites. I also try to check the site again at the end of each day. When interjecting questions, I agree with Mickie that it should be done as the opportunity arises (teachable moment). As for responding I agree with Nada about the importance of giving other participants an opportunity to respond first, so I usually don't respond until the week-end unless it is to help someone who is having technical difficulty. As a facilitator I work during the week-ends because I usually have more time and this is something we agree to do in addition to our "real" job responsibilities. Also, because many participants are busy teachers, I suspect they do most of their work on elearning courses during the week-end.

(Sue Alkire) I believe that the others have already expressed my thoughts which are that you should check in everyday unless you absolutely can't and then you inform your participants ahead of time that you will be unavailable on that day. Or if a small emergency arises that keeps you away for a day, you apolgize and explain as soon as you can. While checking in each day (perhaps several times) is prudent, it is not always necessary to comment unless there is a request for help from a participant or you notice some misconception or see that the participants are going way off topic. Also, make sure everyone has your email if they really need help and if possible, have your email sent to your phone/pda so you can access it away from the computer. Otherwise, sometimes it is better to let them get started and to follow the conversation for awhile to see how it is developing (except in the Orientation) so that you get an idea of what they are thinking without your thoughts influencing them too much. You can interject your ideas a little later and steer them to greater depth of thinking by your comments and leading questions starting about the middle of the week or toward the end. I never take the whole weekend off because that's when have more time to work on it myself. I also notice that Sunday nights are when many of my participants are online. One thing that I sometimes do is to post a leading message for the week at the beginning clarifying some points that I want them to address and I "pin" this message so that it stays at the top of the discussion topic for all to notice more easily. || (Marianna Leone) I do everything humanly possible to be able to work in the course. I was at a conference at the Marriott years ago and did not have computer access - there public one was tied up, so they let me go in the back and use their computer. It was interesting, but I got the work done! || (Myrtle Holland) Before I went out of town I let my participants know that I was going to be away but I gave them my phone number in case of problems. I also made time to go to an internet cafe (this was before free wifi!) to check and reply to the discussion. Now with almost all hotels having internet, I would think it very easy to keep up with the course if you had to be away. I would still let participants know that I was away on business or whatever and tell them that my contact could/would be possibly small during that time. I also did all my News Items ahead so that when I was away they were already to go so that I did not have any administrative tasks to worry over. As to distractors... I know that that I cannot work at school while facilitating. School is way too distracting.
 * (Donna Landin) My second question has to do with "distractions" that pull facilitators away from their weekly course responsibilities. Emergency situations occur--for participants and facilitators. My question has to do with the lack of responsiveness of the facilitor due to "distractions" rather than the emergencies that are infrequent and are typically resolved by supplying a "substitute" facilitator. Question---how do you as facilitators minimize or deal with the "distractions" that present themselves to you while you are facilitating a course (I.e.How do you continue facilitating your course while being out of town two or more times during a course session?)

(Mickie Richardson) I believe Myrtle has “hit the nail on the head.” You inform participants when you are out of town and if at all possible, communicate online from your hotel. I have taken only one short out of town trip, which I did not take my computer with me. This was a teaching assignment, where I was laden with carry-on equipment and totally involved in teaching the entire time I was away. News and discussion items were set to open, I e-mailed my welcome a day early, and I reviewed my e-mail and discussion forum prior to departure and immediately upon return.

​ (Nada) Did anyone find that when they told their participants that they would be away from the computer for two days that there were few posting for those two day?. That happened to me once when I was at a conference out of state and I wondered if it was just that group or if it has happen with other facilitators?

(Mary Ann Triplett) When facilitating a course I try to stay wired all of the time, even when I am out of town; however, I do tell participants that I am out of town and may have difficulty with connectivity. All of the things participants need to carry on their work is set to open for them before I leave.

(Tanya Sinnett) Nada - yes that same thing happened to me once. I have facilitated from Myrtle Beach and from Disney World without any problems. I simply told my participants that I was going on vacation but that I would still be checking in each evening. It really didn't seem to be a problem. I didn't check in as much as I would have at home but I had all discussions and news items set to timers so they would automatically be there.

(Sue Alkire) It's a matter of priorities and time-management trade-offs when you have distractions. You just make time and get creative about sneaking a few minutes here and there to catch up. When traveling, I always check to make sure that my destination/lodging place has Internet. I take my laptop and also use my Blackberry to keep in touch. I am lucky that I no longer have small children at home but if there is a family function when my kids/grandkids are visiting, I work early or late and sneak-in time on the computer when the family is busy with other things. I feel strongly that if you commit to facilitating, then you make the time to do it right. If I know I am going to be away and/or have too many irons in the fire during a certain season, I ask to not be assigned for that session if I know that I can't give it my best effor || My question is how to facilitate and also work in your classroom during the school year. When at school I barely get to look at my own email once during the day and usually not til I get home. I usally always have something to grade and lessons etc. When I do get caught up it is usally right when grades are due etc. And then comes the home duties too! Any strategies here? || (Mary Ann Triplett) When I was still in the classroom as well as in my position now, I log on to the course first thing each morning. (I am an early riser.) I would also check on the course during my planning period if possible. The bulk of responding was done at home in the evening and on the week-ends. ( Tanya Baldwin) I try to check in on the class every evening, after the family has been fed & kids homework has been finished. This works pretty well, except during midterm/final project time. THis is my trouble spot. ||
 * (Myrtle Holland) I facilitated during the summer session, so I really did not have problems keeping up with the course duties. I did have participants who went tn vacation and became very behind in their work which caused my some problems near the end of the course.
 * (Nada) I'm an organized person (I have my welcome letter, News items, spread sheet for basic information, etc ready before class begins), but I still find the first week of the course hectic. I want to get to know the participants right away so I can respond to their questions and/or needs. It's kind of like the first week of school where you are trying to get to know your kids and anxious to get started with the course. I also seem to always have a few participants who take forever to send in their basic information or have decided to drop the course and not inform anyone. Now that we have a drop date of Sunday evening, this problem has greatly improved. || (Mary Ann Triplett) Nada, I understand what you are saying about the first week. I kept a spreadsheet of who had completed what during the Orientation Session, so I would know exactly what to say to whom in a private email. I believe it helps having a separate grade for each of the components during Orientation Week. ||
 * (Mickie Richardson) During many courses I have facilitated, I find participants do not read and follow directions. This is especially true for posts placed in the discussion forum. I think participants often do not spend time in the content area and therefore are not able to relate to the discussion question. I also spend too much time referring participants to information which they should have read, links which are located in the content area. Even if I do not answer their question, it takes my time to locate the source (content reading/link) to which I refer participants. || ( Myrtle Holland) Perhaps Mickie you could give helpful hints of things to watch for as participants read. You could do this in the News Item. I know the News Items should be short and sweet but it is just one more way of checking for understanding.

(Sue Alkire) I know what you mean. I make sure that I have emphasized the directions and key points in my weekly welcome letter and in my news announcement. I also sometimes post a brief message in the discussion with some focus questions related to the readings/activities if I think that they need clarification (based on previous experience with that course) and I "pin" this message so that it remains at the top of the discussion area for all to see instead of getting lost in the middle of all the other messages. || In the my current position, I must be available to respond to issues within the school on a real time basis. In addiion, I find that we are extremely reactionary versus planning and communicating. In this environment, time management becomes quite difficult. || (Joe Paolo) Donna: I believe that i is appropriate to respond or interject a discussion question anytime during the week. The question, in my mind, goes to the core of what OPD is. That is, the flexibility of participating on the individual's schedule. With that being said, if a question is being posed as a result of a post, the individual may want to indicate that in the subject area so that participants recoognize this. Also, those that post on the last day, may want to be considerate of the those who completed the weekly assignment on a timely basis. The weekend may be th bulk of the available time for participants. Other than unusual events, the facilitator needs to make themself available on weekends. Again, this goes to the core of OPD, the flexibility of participating on their schedule. In my mind, when a facilitator signs up for a course, they recognize that the course runs over weekend. Donna: For your second question, I think that most areas have internet access. I have actually experience this and blocked out time during the evening to continue to facilitate the course. If internet service is not available, I would inform the participants and you of the problem. At a minimum, I would pick the course up as soon as I returned. For other distractions, I spend time before retiring for the night. In the words of Chuck Knoll - "Whatever it takes" and Richard, Rebecca DuFour, and Robert Eaker ||
 * (Joe Paolo) The key issues for me are those participants who provide non quality posts or projects at the end of the week just to satisfy the requirement. Some, knowingly, post after the week is up.
 * (Mary Ann Triplett) My biggest issue in terms of time management is that there is not enough time in the day to accomplish everything I want to do. I try to be well organized by frontloading my course. Therefore, all I have to do is read, respond, and evaluate projects which was a problem when seeing all of the projects for the first time at the end of the course before we put in the mid-course check. Now, with a section of the project submitted each week, participants get more feedback in terms of quantity and quality from me, and I don't feel as overwhelmed at the end of the course. || (Nada) I think it's great that in the courses now that participants will be posting their course project each week. I think this will help me (and other participants when it's appropriate) to give more constructive feedback.

(Vickie) I agree! While frontloading the course helps, posting the project areas all along does help, however, it does seem to be so repetitive though for participants. I like it because I follow along and watch the entire lesson unfold. ||
 * (Tanya Baldwin) One of the biggest challenges for me is managing to grade the midterms/finals in a timely manner. I typically am able to get through those who post early quickly, but for those that post towards the deadline is where I start to feel bogged down an slowed down . || (Nada) I think that by participants posting their course project each week that this problem will be less of a factor, for which I am thankful.

​ (Vickie) I try and grade as many as possible when they are submitted. This helps some but you still have that rush at the end. || Donna, in reaponse to your question about gfacilitaor substitutes, I am able to take a laptop wherever I travel and very few places do not have internet access for the facilitator to keep up with the class. Of course, there will always be a possible major problem that might require a substitute. On your first question, I have responded in the discussion board after I read the posts throughout the week. I fell that this gives the participant a chance to respond to my comment or question during the session. ||
 * (Emil Whipkey) I found when I was facilitating and working in the schools that it was difficult to keep up with the discussion board. I didn't check the class during the school day. Evaluating Midterms was also a problem at times because of time consumption. Now that I have retired I am able to check the discussion board several times a week anytime during the day and have more time to evaluate participant projects. || (Emil Whipkey) I think that the posting of project sections each week will be a great help to the participants and the facilitator.
 * (Sue Alkire) Although one of my pet peeves is that some people never post before the deadline and I have to be contantly reminding them, my biggest challenge is getting the mid-point projects/templates checked and giving good feedback in a timely manner. Even the final projects do not seem to be as difficult to evaluate because by then I know more what each is doing via the discussion and have already created a rubric for each with their feedback to date on it and I just have to add to the mid-point rubric and edit it to reflect changes and additions that they have made.

I do check the finals as soon as they are submitted and let them know ASAP if they need revisions due to the time constraints of getting the grades done at the end.

I think that perhaps having some little bit submitted each week or every other week would permit me to see the project develop over time and be better able to give constructive suggestions more quickly - only I don't want t do the whole rubric thing and attach it to the Dropbox feedback each week. That would be too much of a burden on me and the participants. || ( MaryJane) I think that it is very important to respond often and thoughtfully to participants. This would be really difficult if you have long lapses from the class due to interruptions/emergencies. It would be beneficial in these cases to have a stand-in. If you do not have someone consistently responding to the learning within each of these courses it is a wasted experience. It is analogise to having a different day to day sub in a block scheduled class. If I need to be out of town, I simply access the internet from where I am. I think that if you make an obligation to be a facilitator that you must be responsive during the entire period of the class. || My biggest struggle with time management is that I not only facilitate the world language course but at the same time I am teaching virtual school Spanish to middle schoolers. Sometimes I feel as if I am on the computer the entire evening. It is difficult to divide my time efficiently between the two tasks and still complete all of the other chores in my life that need to be completed. || (Marianna Leone) Sometimes it is difficult for those of us in this course to say "no" to facilitating a course or to do most anything because we are workaholics, but if we have other obligations that would prevent us from putting the time and effort necessary to do a good job facilitating then we must take a step back and think what is best. This course has been great with all of the tips and organization ideas, etc. that have been presented from the veteran facilitors that have made me think about how I may be a better facilitator and allow for my students in the courses to learn and grow. ||
 * (MaryJane) One of our biggest challenges was the fact that some of our participants were unresponsive for long periods of time. Some of these lapses turned out to be necessary, but others were just due to a lack of commitment to the course. I think that we dealt with them well, emailed, phoned, encouraged, supported, but sometimes it did not work. || Mary Jane, I know that this is a concern for all of us and that it is difficult to figure out what to do. It sounds to me as if you did everything possible to keep them involved. I found in my course that the encouragement and support were the most important issues. I had a few people who were just overwhelmed and seemed to always be running behind. I would encourage them to at least submit what they could when they could and they would catch up slowly. It is very difficult to encourage some but I think that persistency pays off as well. ||
 * (Debbie Nicholson)
 * (Lisa Teeters) The biggest struggle I have faced is determining which threads to respond to. When I started I tried to respond to all postings and that was an everyday all evening thing. I think determining what to posted to has been a challenge. || (Lisa Teeters) One way of dealing with this is that i have started to posted to all original postings and then going back and reading the additional comments. I feel that I can pick and choose between those but the original postings need to be responded to. ||