FOR-PD Fundamentals of Facilitation (FFF) eNewsletter

March 2008, Issue # 61

What's New

Literacy Symposium Preparation Underway

Preparation is now underway for the 10th Annual Literacy Symposium, to be held on Friday, April 4, 2008. This event is organized by Dr. Vicky Zygouris-Coe and held at the UCF College of Education (Gymnasium & Teaching & Learning Academy). The symposium runs from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM. You can pre-register online or register the day of the event from 8:00 AM to 8:30 AM in the Education Complex Gymnasium.

This is a free professional day for teachers and is sure to be informative and enjoyable! The focus this year is Literacy Now and Beyond: Celebration, Inspiration, and Innovation.

The following experts are the keynote speakers:

Douglas Fisher - Comprehension is More than Strategies: Reading and Thinking Across Content Areas
Douglas Fisher is a Professor of Language and Literacy Education in the Department of Teacher Education at San Diego State University.

Edward Bloor - Young Adult Literature (for grades 5 and up)
Award-Winning Novelist, Editor & English Language Teacher
Edward Bloor is the author of five critically acclaimed young adult novels: Tangerine, Crusader, Story Time, London Calling, and Taken.

If you would like to be a presenter you can submit an application on the website. The deadline for proposals is Saturday, March 15, 2008.
For further information, please visit:
http://education.ucf.edu/litsymposium/

New Professional Development Courses Planned

Two new professional development courses are planned! Each will be a short, two-week course.

The first, Personalizing Your FOR-PD Online Course, will cover how adding the personal touch helps to engage and connect with participants. The course will also offer tools to accomplish that goal.

The second, Managing Time Online will provide facilitators with tips and tools for managing their courses in the most time efficient ways.

The schedule for these course offerings is as follows:

Personalizing Your FOR-PD Online Course
Registration will run May 12 – June 2, 2008. Courses will begin on June 16, 2008.

Managing Time Online
Registration will run September 29 – October 20, 2008. Courses will begin on November 3, 2008.

In Technology

Recently, many of you attended or viewed the facilitator chats that were held in Elluminate. The feedback from these events was very positive. The use of the technology that allows for groups to gather and share real time visual and audio transmissions really makes a difference in the experience!

Toward that end, we thought you might find this article in ELearning Magazine on the Next Generation of Web Conferencing an interesting read. It discusses the pros and the cons of web conferencing and what is on the horizon.

Feel free to share your thoughts on the discussion board!

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