knowWEEKS Series

knowWEEKS is made possible by knowplace – a family of sites with participants and sites all over the globe - which help individuals and organizations build online courses and communities in moodle and other open source environments and freeware tools. knowplace is the innovator that created knowSCHOOLS, knowCOACH and knowMOODLE that provide learning opportunities for you to discover how to successfully transfer what you do to the online world. All three sites are currently offering online courses and workshops, all of which feature high touch, high facilitator contact which actively models best practices in online asynchronous facilitation. 

The knowWEEKS series has been renewed for 2008. Check the calendar for the sessions occurring from Jan through June. As evidenced by the participants from the 2007 series, knowWEEKS is one of the best ways for educators already involved with distributed learning to upgrade their knowledge and skills, get introduced to new tools and discuss new trends and practices to use for developing and delivering learning experiences in the virtual world. For educators who are new to the online environment, knowWEEKS is an excellent way to get started. You’ll discover how to participate, what tools and resources are at your disposal and learn how to start using technology to assist learning. Best of al, you’ll get immediate access to experienced educators who can help you.

Participants in knowWEEKS are K- 12 teachers from the BC public and private school system, about half of whom are brand new to the online environment and have never taught online. Approx 90% of these newcomers believe that they will teach online in the near future. To ease the trepidation experienced by many of the participants the knowplace team of professional online facilitators, coaches and knowMATES (former participants) support the participants quickly with an informal welcoming tone. For example, when you first join a knowWEEKS session, support is provided through an initial description of offerings, site access, and system nuances. This is followed by intensive support when you participate in the online discussion area.

Assistant facilitators are available to support the facilitators and the participants. Their role is to stimulate discussion, follow-up with people who haven’t logged in or posted and assist the facilitator as required. The numbers of assistants vary according to the number of participants and their entry skill level.

Click the picture to view a description by Frances Long, President knowplace, about what knowWEEKS is and how it can help educators get involved with teaching and learning online.