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Dear Nancy,

Thank you for writing this. I find it refreshing and a positive sign in all the current "covid-19 mania". I get the impression that "everyone" is literally trying to redesign f2f settings and be online to not miss out on anything or anyone. It's paradox - while the virus forces us to slow down and shut everything down, the craziness continues online. We transform our structures and patterns to a virtual world.

So I appreciate your thoughts very much. Mixing asynchronous and synchronous as well as using different media sounds like a very effective plan.

I am hosting a group of students this coming Saturday. We would have met f2f. The university is open-minded and encourages teachers to make the most of the situation and continue with their sessions, either via distance learning or live online.

So I have decided to do a blended format. I am currently designing the agenda and I have realised that all the tech craziness and the lack of crisis management in some organisations prevent me (I can only talk about myself here) from thinking creatively. I need to really get rid of all the noise and distraction created online and focus on my group's needs, their learning goals, my goals, the topics we are dealing with etc. While tech savviness is super important - which is why I am so thankful that you initiated this exchange and that so many people share webinars, links, etc. - all of this is so absolutely helpful and provides so much support right now - I think the overall challenge for everyone, for society, is to focus on what we really need and want (to change).? I think that's the challenge for society, no matter where.

So I'd be happy to learn along here with you. As said, I am currently designing my agenda for my group of students and I will use zoom for their presentations, I have designed some quiz material with moodle, and I have set up some materials that I find helpful for them, plus some prompts that they need to work out asynchronously but in collaborative teams. For this, we use google docs, mentimeter, and probably some 365 video presentations.

I deliberately want to keep it simple technology-wise but make it complex challenge-wise. And I am curious to get students' feedback. They are currently also under pressure as everything has changed. BTW, in that case these students all have a job, they are learning workers.

Regards from Vienna,

Christina

This post is part "thinking out loud" and part action/question. So if you are interested in both, please read till the end.

One of the things that is showing up for me is people writing/calling/texting asking "how do I convert this F2F meeting to online?" (More on that in a separate message.)?

Well, last night I made the mistake of looking at FB before bed so I slept very poorly AND I had a lot of ideas swirling around in my head. One was a flashback of the online events many of us designed and hosted back in the "olden days" when most online events were primarily text based and asynchronous. There would be discussion threads rolled out over a period of days and people would generally have a 24-48 time period to read, post, and respond to others before we moved on to the next "agenda item." When we got really fancy we would add periodic telephone conference calls (yes, telephone!) and things really broke open when we could start to embed media like visuals, audio and video.?

The ideas behind this work was that we could include many more people than could fly to a meeting, and when we had to support access to local connectivity, it was very often FAR FAR FAR more economical than bringing people to a physical gathering. While those who were used to F2F meetings pooh-poohed us, those who never got to go to those meetings were deeply engaged, appreciative and brilliant contributors.?

Arrival to March 19 (it is March 19th, isn't it? How many days have we been quarantined in each of our corners of the world??) After 10-14 days of super intense Zoom meetings, my brain and body was not happy. The intensity (yes, of course, jacked up by the pandemic) was showing on our faces as we stared into our cameras, still wearing the same sweatshirt from ... how many days ago?

It hit me, we DO HAVE the ability to use asynchronous tools with our lovely synchronous tools. Many of us do it every day (yes, email, basecamp, trello, teams, slack) but those uses have been for tasking, small message exchange, and not really deeper conversation. (Yes, JonL - the ?conversation!) Set up a discussion board, parse out the things that can go slower, that don't need video, that focus on information exchange or slower, calmer (and deeper) conversations. Let people figure out how to take care of the kids and work by making some of the meeting time a slower, asynchronous time.?

Today I have two calls about meeting design and I wondered, how would I convert those meetings? What are some of those great approaches and techniques that worked so well 15-20 years ago??

So what I'd love to discuss - yes asynchronously for now on this email list - is our ideas for rethinking F2F longer form meetings (3 day strategic planning, 2 day training, 5 day intense team consultation) into synch/asynch online meetings. How do we rethink of time (believe me, we aren't going to sustain all day online meetings and raise the kids etc, folks. Get real quick!) What rhythm works well? How does this enhance cross time zone work.?

I have a lot of ideas, but they are all a-jumble. Please join in this thread and think with me. I'd like to bring together our best thinking over 3-5 days and then write it up (we can do that collaboratively too if folks are interested.)

AND THEN, I propose we do a series of redesign-shops where one org brings their old meeting agenda, and we offer redesign ideas. What do you think?

Chime in!

-- 



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