Online Conference Vs Face to Face Conference

Online Conferences VS Face to Face Conferences

Date: 13th August 2016

This post is actually a follow up of one of the amazing online conferences I got to attend a few days back managed online by edmodo.con where educators from around the world come together and share their experience of using edmodo and other digital learning tools to enhance the learning experiences of  their students. Its an opportunity to connect to educators around the world, discover new resources, get inspired by how others are reshaping education using technology in their classrooms.

I was able to attend three different sessions in the edmodo.con conference. Three of the sessions were extremely interesting details below. 

One of the sessions titled "Closing the digital gap"  by Karen Cator CEP Digital Promise was a very interesting and informative session, she talked about equitable access to technology resources, technology being used to support all learners, technology ensures global participation and connection etc, insight into different technology integrated projects, which included:

Drone Technology by Facebook:

Drone Technology by Facebook to connect to the whole world with internet.org, beaming internet to people form the sky, Facebooks Connectivity lab is actually building drones, satellites and lasers to deliver internet to everyone. Details in link below:

https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10101322049893211

Project Loon Test by Google:

     Another interesting project that she talked about was the Project Loon Test by Google. Most of the people around the world still do not have access to the internet, Project loon is a network of balloons travelling on the edge of space, designed to connect people in more remote areas, fill coverage gaps and bring people back online after disasters. Details in link below:

https://www.google.com/loon/

UN Sustainable Goals

Another brilliant idea shared by the presenter was about getting big ideas for different projects in schools by taking a look at the UN Sustainable Development Goals, otherwise known as the Global Goals, build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight anti-poverty targets that the world committed to achieving by 2015. The MDGs, adopted in 2000, aimed at an array of issues that included slashing poverty, hunger, disease, gender inequality, and access to water and sanitation.

Website: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sdgoverview/post-2015-development-agenda.html

Micro Credentials

Another thing that i really liked from the session was about giving mirco credentials to teachers based on their skills. Digital Promise is building an innovative system of micro-credentials that provides educators with a way to gain validated recognition for the skills and competencies they learn throughout their careers. The system allows educators to submit evidence, have it reviewed by experts and peers, and earn digital certification of specific competencies. Details in link below:

http://digitalpromise.org/initiative/educator-micro-credentials/

https://bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737

Another interesting session that I was able to attend was actually a project among two teachers who speak different languages, who had shared their experience of using technology to bring their students together, share videos using technology, share presentations about their cities, learn different languages, share traditions, skype with each other and much more. The project actually introduced two new resources that we could use in our classrooms. Details below: 

1.       Padlet: It is the easiest way to create and collaborate in the world. Padlet is a digital canvas to create beautiful projects that are easy to share and collaborate on. It works like a piece of paper.

Website:  http://www.coolcatteacher.com/how-to-use-padlet-fantastic-tool-teaching/

https://padlet.com/

1.      Linoit

It is a free sticky service and canvas service that requires nothing but a web browser only. Online web sticky note services that allows you to post memos, to do list, ideas, pictures, videos and collaborate or share your canvases.

 Website:  http://en.linoit.com/

 http://www.emporia.edu/~hollandj/it371sp13/LinoitTutorial.pdf

The third and last session I was able to attend was about using Edmodo to create quizzes and analyze data. It was an interesting session in which the presenter talked about using Edmodo for creating polls and quizzes, sharing feedback and online assessments, track progress, know about student’s strengths and weaknesses.

This was all possible because of one laptop, an internet connection and a headphone set. Sitting hundreds of miles away I was able to gather a number of brilliant ideas worth use, which surely can change the shape of learning taking place in our classrooms. The only thing missing in this conference was the interaction among peers. I was able to post questions and the moderator did try to respond and appreciated the suggestions. They will be sending a participation certificate through email. 

Now going back to the first online conferences I got to attend two years back managed and organized by Wiziq and Moodle which led to writing my own blog and actually being able to conduct an online session for students in our school. The best thing about this conference was the interaction among peers. I was able to chat online during the conference sessions with the presenters, post questions, chat with peers around the world during the sessions, share ideas and suggestions etc. I also had the opportunity to actually present an online session about one of our projects titled “Enhanced Learning Environment” which was about introducing technology in the early years. It was a great learning experience both presenting and participating in the conference. I did receive a presenter certificate through email. I had the opportunity to attend a few interesting sessions which included creating courses on Wiziq, Using ipads for engaged learning, and Action Track learning by experience etc. All details could be found in my previous blog posts. 

Both conferences led to an amazing learning experience and opened doors to more collaboration and communication among peers around the world. The best part was it involved no cost. You could sit at home, in office where ever you’re comfortable in a sofa, on a chair, on your bed etc however you want and attend the conference virtually. You do not need to be present in the same physical space as the presenter. You could also view the presentation online in case you missed the live sessions. The only thing you would miss would be the live chat or interaction with the audience and presenter. 

On the other hand one of the face to face conferences that I remember attending was way back in 2007 in Cairo organized by iEARN (International Education and Resource Network). It was a great experience, I got to interact with a number of educators around the world, got inspired by their various projects, and had interesting discussions with peers, shared experiences, learnt about new resources etc. I got to share our project based on which I was given a full scholarship to attend the conference. I did got the opportunity to join an online course about “Digital Movie Making” after the conference, my students were able to engage in different online projects etc so the experience did open new doors to learning. 

The best part about such face to face conferences is the interaction among peers and the discussion that is generated. One can read face expressions and respond accordingly. You could be involved in different live activities, group activities, pair activities, experience using a number of resources, have a hands on experience etc. Such conferences could have different exhibitions going along side and people could attend those, in online conference this is not possible. These sessions could be recorded and viewed too. Presentation and participation certificates could be sent to participants and presenters. 

The major concern with such face to face conferences is the cost attached to it. Also you can only involve a limited number of audience, take limited responses and questions, a lot has to be spent on the infrastructure, food, managing stay of guests, traveling and boarding for presenters, safety and security concerns, huge marketing budgets etc  need to be looked into etc. 

Edmodo CEO Vibhu Mittal stated in the opening remarks of the 2016 edmodo con that last year almost 27000 participants attended the online conference which is a huge number imagine the impact such conference have on the education world. 

I am ending my blog post with letting you all think of what’s more effective online or face to face conferences? My vote though is divided since both have pros and cons, what needs to be looked at is the ideas people bring to these conferences, and the resulting impact these conferences have in our classrooms.

Happy Reading J

Sheeba Ajmal