The concept of a webinar is brilliant; being able to learn from an expert in his or her field of expertise with only an Internet connection and a laptop -regardless of where you are.
Webinars are seminars on the web given by one or more individuals in an area of their specialty, are ‘live’ (in real-time) typically one hour in duration, and are usually open to anyone who is interested. The benefit of the live webinar is the interactivity; participants can ask questions (through a chat feature) and converse with other participants through chat and/or with interactive white boards.
In this post I’ve compiled a list of upcoming [live] webinars geared to educators. I’ve also included for readers that might be new to this format a list of webinar basics in ‘Webinars 101’ below.
Webinars 101
- Pre-registration is required for most webinars. You’ll need to provide basic information, [name, area of work/interest, etc.] including an email address.
- Costs vary; many are free to all, though some are fee based.
- Upon registration you will receive a confirmation email with a link [and sometimes a password] which will give you access to the webinar on the given date and time.
- Check the time zone.
- On the day of the webinar, it’s a good idea to log on 10 minutes before the start time. Usually no special software or plug-ins are required, but if you do, at this time you’ll receive a prompt notifying you of the necessary files or links required for downloading.
- You’ll need audio to hear the session. The presentation usually consists of slides accompanied by the voice of the facilitator.
- Participants can ask questions by typing into the chat box, which usually appears in the lower portion of the screen. Frequently, the last 10 minutes of the webinar are devoted to Q & A.
- Take notes or not. Listen. Learn. Enjoy.
Upcoming Webinars
Title: The Virtual and the Reality of Avatar-Based Learning
Led by one of the principal leaders in 3D learning, Ran Hinrichs, CEO of 2b3D, an award-winning virtual education company and University of Washington Virtual World faculty. Offered through ISTE, International Society for Technology in Education.
Date: August 1, 2012 – 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Cost: Non-member Price: $99.00 / Member Price: $39.00. For further details click here.
Title: Changing Mindsets, Motivating Students. Education Week PD Webinars
Renowned psychologist Carol Dweck discusses how teachers can use new discoveries in cognitive development to improve student motivation and engagement. Hear about the most common mistakes teachers make in trying to motivate students and discover detailed strategies for promoting a “growth mindset” rather than “fixed mindset” in the classroom.
Date: Tuesday, August 14, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET
Cost: $49. For further details click here.
Title: The Pervasive Wireless Campus: Creating Life-Long Learners
Sponsored by Campus Technology
Join this session to hear what digital learning means to college students. Travis Allen, a college junior and president and CEO of the iSchool Initiative, will discuss how bringing technology into the classroom opens up the world of learning for students raised in the Information Age. We’ll also talk about how institutions can take advantage of virtualization to achieve this new wireless, learn-on-the-go pedagogy.
Date: August 2, 2012, 11:00 AM PT
Cost: Free. For further details click here.
Title: Universal Access to All Knowledge
This talk will give an overview of the collections and challenges now facing those building digital libraries and end with a list of projects that might now be possible because of these collections. Sponsored by: American Library Association
Date: Wednesday, September 5, 2012, 11am Pacific | 12 Mountain | 1pm Central
Cost: Member $39, Non-member: $49. For further details click here.
Online Learning Insights 