C4Ta #2

      In Vicki Davis' blog ECM 150: Education Webinars: The Good, the Bad, and the Fabulous, Peggy George, a moderator of Classroom 2.0 Webinars, explained how webinars work.  Characteristics of a good webinar, including length or topics, depend on what works for the participant. A good way to begin participating in webinars is lurking, which means watching to see how it goes and what others are doing. If there is a chat log, that is the invitation to be active in the conversation. If there is only a question and answer pod, it is inviting one to the conversation. As a participant, Peggy George advised going into the webinar room early and taking notes during the webinar.
     She also had many tips for planning a webinar. Planning a webinar includes preparation and practice sessions. When she plans a webinar, she shares a Google planning doc and slides with the presenters. The goal is to guide the conversation to things that the participants are eager to hear. Make it feel like a conversation and not just someone reading. She also suggested having a back channel moderator to facilitate chat conversations and answer questions. After the webinar, have a Livebinder to share show notes.
     In my comment, I mentioned that I have not yet been involved in a webinar, either a presenter or a participant. Knowing the difference between a chat log and a question and answer pod is beneficial knowledge for anyone going into a podcast for the first time. I am much more prepared to know what to expect when I do participate in a webinar than before reading this post.

 

      Gary Dietz, an author and father of a special needs child, was the guest on the Every Classroom Matters Podcast. Vicki Davis' blog ECM 91: Undersatnding the Anxieties around Educating Special Needs Kids addresses some of the trepidation of teaching students with special needs. Davis states that one is six children have a developmental disability and one in 68 children have been identified with an autism spectrum disorder. There is a fear of talking about the issues because many do not know the vocabulary and do not want to seem mean or selfish or insensitive. Deitz stresses the fact that fathers play a different, yet very important role in the lives of their special needs child. He says that educators sometimes have a case versus human mentality, in which the student is looked at more as a case of their IEP than human and their needs. Dietz's book Dad's of Disability, which is compilation of many authors' stories, poems, and experiences, was discussed throughout the conversation.

     My comment: I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. As a future educator, I enjoyed this podcast with Gary Dietz. I may not have otherwise put much thought into the role of the father in the life of their special needs child. I agree that his book Dad's of Disability should be on every educator's bookshelf. I plan on getting a copy the book of my own and am looking forward to reading it.