LTGR Ep. #29 - “Real Time Online Learning, CSTP, and Ocean Portals”
In this episode, Susan and Dan learn how the Smithsonian is using real-time online interaction to prepare for a new Ocean Portal exhibit, and get a first-hand account of the synchronous certification program offered by LearningTimes on leading effective online events.
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Show Notes:
Stephanie Eskins joins us from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History where she works as a consultant on the Ocean Portal, an upcoming online electronic outreach arm that will help the public learn about aspects of the ocean. This portal coincides with a new exhibit that will open in September 2008. You can learn more about this and increase your “ocean literacy” at http://ocean.si.edu/
Stephanie enrolled in the Certified Synchronous Training Program (CSTP) through LearningTimes based on the expertise of the instructor (Jonathan Finkelstein) and his book. We asked her about her experiences.
Great, practical advice came from the book! Through the learning community, Stephanie was able to see alternative approaches. Used real examples from work.
Stephanie took the most creative examples and created a personal toolkit for future use.
The team of Smithsonian staff, NOOA staff, and leading oceanographic institutions come together regularly via synchronous online meetings, so she has been able to incorporate at least one activity per meeting. Eventually this might be applied to real people, too, as the general public interacts with the site and experts.
What was it like to return to the learner’s chair? Stephanie reflected on how enjoyable Jonathan and the other learners made the program. The two key points she took from the course: 1) Focus on active learning and not just presenting; and 2) learning to adjust the complexity or level of the material on the fly. Great skills!
We’d like to know from listeners whether they’d go to an online portal and how do they interact with natural history museums?
You can respond using the “Comments” link below or talk to us in LearningTimes. Or call us at 1-800-609-9006 x8055 (US and Canada) or 678-255-2174 x8055 (outside US and Canada). Join us!
