On Wednesday, May 4, I attended an online meeting from WebJunction entitled "Winning Library Grants" with Stephanie Gerding. The meeting was a PowerPoint Presentation with narration.
It was very easy to connect to the site. The presenters gave all the directions about 10 minutes before the actual conference began, including how to connect, audio tips, technical support, etc.
There were several people attending from all over the country. There were opportunities to write in questions on the chat board which were answered in a timely manner. I have attended some online meetings before and always find them to be good experiences. What I find helpful compared to large in-person meetings is that it is easier to post questions and have them answered as opposed to being in a large audience where you may not have the opportunity to even ask the question. Another thing I liked about this meeting is that it is archived and available for downloading or printing for handouts. It's a good alternative to traveling to a meeting when time and travel might be a constraint.
I think it would be easy to set up our own online meetings for students or instructors for instruction in using library resources.
Interesting that you thought it was easier to post questions during the online meeting. I know in academia, professors have discovered that email, social media, and so forth have lead to greater participation by newer students. Possibly it feels less intimidating than asking a question in class or vising a professor in office hours.
ReplyDeleteThe nice thing about posting questions is that other participants can read them, whereas in person it is often difficult to hear questions without a microphone.