A presentation delivered at the National Workforce Registry Alliance Conference, Alexandria, VA, September 8, 2017

1. 1
Weaving Webinars
into State Registry
Approval:
Balancing accessibility with
accountability and quality
Fran Simon, M.Ed.
Chief Engagement Officer
Engagement Strategies
National Workforce Registry Alliance Annual Conference
September 8, 2017
Founder and Producer
Early Childhood Investigations
Webinars

2. A little about me…
Early Care and Education | 35+ years
B.A. & M.Ed
Early Education
Child Care
Administrator
15 years
Marketing & Tech
Executive
ECE Curriculum
Publishing
Engagement
Executive
National ECE
Association
Connector |
Business
Consultant to
ECE Sector NPOs
& Companies

3. •
3
My personal mission is
to connect the
workforce with
expertise

4. About you…

5. 5
Your experience with webinars…
I have participated in and hosted webinars
I have only participated in webinars
I have heard of webinars
What is a webinar?

6. 6
Your organization’s acceptance of webinar
hours for ongoing PD…
My organization approves some webinars
I do not know
My organization is trying to decide
My organization does not approve webinars

7. 7
Agenda (my assumptions)
You want to learn how webinars can help providers in your state
and still maintain high standards for PD.

8. 8
I am a webinar advocate
but a realist with a lot of concerns.
One more thing!
A disclaimer…
1. FOFB (Fear of fly-by “training”)
2. Quality
3. Accountability
3. Engagement

9. It’s almost the end of 2017
Distance learning has been around since long before the Internet.
Internet-driven remote learning has evolved over more than two
decades.
Early care and education is behind in accepting the benefits and
accepting the challenges of using technology as a part of the solution
to workforce capacity and quality issues.
Registries are on the forefront. The decisions you make about
integration of e-learning in professional development are critical.
Let’s figure out webinars.9

10. Webinar Basics
10

11. Webinars are different than live
professional Development…
For more than the obvious reasons…

12. 12

13. 13
Your registry’s process for accepting various
types of online learning…
Great! The process works for us, educators, and
webinar providers
I do not know
It’s hard for all involved
It works for us and for educators, and that’s fine.
It is a work in progress and we want to figure it out.

14. Webinars, online meetings and webcasts
Collaboration # of attendees Purpose
Online Meeting Highly interactive
Multi-way
communication
2-20* Remote
Business meetings
******
Staff , client or board
meeting
Webinar Limited 2- way
communication
2-500 Remote presentation
******
Conference session or
training
Webcast 1-way communication
2-Thousands Remote broadcast of
information to large
audiences
*****
Keynote 14

15. Trainer to Learners Synchronous
(at the same time)
Asynchronous
(self-paced)
One to one
Coaching
Mentoring
On the job
Tutoring
Video conferencing
Reading
Researching
Documenting
Reflecting
Experiencing
Online Modules
One to many
Webinars
Live or online classroom
Keynotes
Webcasts
Online self-paced courses
Video
Books
Many to many
(Professional Learning Communities)
Chat
Video conferencing
Live or online discussions
Live or online study groups
Bulletin boards
Online groups
Where do webinars fit in professional development
15

16. 16
A single webinar can have many purposes
It may look like PD, but is it really?

17. Source Example Primary Purposes
Associations and organizations Zero To Three, NAEYC, Get
Ready to Read…
Prof dev- Topical
Advocacy, Member info
Marketing
Product Vendors/Publishers Hatch, Frog Street,
Teaching Strategies…
Marketing
Prof Dev- Topical
Product Demonstrations
Higher Education Walden, Rassmusen Attracting new students
Prof Dev- Topical
Webinar Providers EdNet (Prek-College) (MDR) Marketing for sponsors
Email list sales to vendors
Prof Dev- topical
Early Childhood Investigations Capacity building PD
Prof Dev- topical
Marketing for sponsors
Types of webinars
17

18. Everyone who plays a role in webinars impacts quality,
accessibility, accountability, and outcomes
18
PresenterHostOrganizer
Also information creators
Registrant
Information consumers
Attendee Recording viewer
Information creators
Dream Funder

19. The structure for quality, accessibility,
accountability, and outcomes
19
Supervisors
Registry
Licensing
State
The learner
Presenter
Content provider

20. Potential
20

21. Anyone with a computer + Internet
or a mobile device can participate.
Powerful capacity
building potential
The obvious!
Webinars reach people around the world who might
otherwise never be able to connect
21

22. 22
When implemented
well…
webinars can almost
replicate conference
workshops or classroom
learning.
Otherwise…
like keynote addresses,
videos, podcasts or
lectures.

23. Can be implemented
independently or or in
groups
23

24. Despite challenges,
small group and
personal interactivity is
possible with online
meetings and webinars

25. 25
• webcams
• hand-raising
• screen sharing
• drawing tools
• handouts
• polls
• Questions
• back channel- chat
• show apps and websites
The presenter and learners engage through

26. The producer or host can do more to engage:
•Send out links to participants
• Respond to comments
• Add tidbits of information
• Act as a color commentator
• Troubleshoot
•Take over in case of failure

27. 27
Online meetings and video
conferencing…
can replicate small classroom or one-on-one learning
experiences, like:
•Coaching
•Mentoring
•Remediation

28. Chat log from a webinar
28

29. Challenges
29

30. 30
• Finding training
• Compliance with registries
• Quality and variety of the content
• Ensuring attendance & participation
• Issuing certificates to qualified
attendees
Challenges for teachers

31. Challenges for
Producers/Hosts/Sponsors
31
• Presenter’s qualifications
• Compliance with registries
• Quality and variety of the content
• Ensuring attendance & participation
• Issuing certificates to qualified
attendees

32. Challenges for Presenters
32
• Quality of the content
• Personal interaction & engagement
• Gauging interest & understanding

33. 33
• Planning training for individuals and groups
• Finding qualified PD for individuals and groups
• Ensuring attendance & participation
• Compliance: licensing requirements
• Application of learning
Challenges for Administrators/Directors

34. 34
• webinar “sponsoring” organizations are credible
• presenters are credible and qualified
• teachers’ attendance
Challenges for Registries:
Ensuring:

35. Overcoming
challenges
35

36. Myth:
When learners attend webinars, there’s no
accountability for attendance and participation.
Fact:
The data collected before and during webinars
offers great potential.
36

37. 37
The value of data collect
from registrants and
attendees in webinars is
often overlooked

38. 38
Registration form-
Pre-session data

39. Attendee activity at a glance
39
In-session, real time meta-data:
Group interest and attendance

40. • Track attentiveness
• Control mics
• Send personal messages
• Dismiss and block
40
In-session
individual
participant activity

41. Interactivity: Backchannel
41
Respond to questions here.

42. Reference materials offered to
attendees
42
In-session
extensions:
Handouts

43. Excerpt of in-session and post-session
data collected from attendees
43
Interest rating factors:
(R) Registration Data -Percent of completed optional questions (P) Polling- Percent of answered
poll Qs (Q) Q&A/Chat ([The number of times an attendee initiated dialogue]
(A) Attentiveness- % of time the slide Viewer is the primary window on the attendee's screen
(S) Survey- % of completed survey questions - (L) Attendance Length

44. Actual attendance data
44~70% of absentees return to watch the recording

45. Audience activities
45
Start
Set point
Waiting to begin

46. 46
The dreaded
“Fly-by” PD effect

47. The
Healthy Professional
Development Diet
approach can mitigate
“fly-by”
On the job
35%
Coaching
15%Peer
5%
Face to Face
20%
Webinars
10%
Self-paced
10%
Conferences
2%
Reading/research
3%
47
©Copyright, Fran Simon, 2017

48. 48
Edgar Dale

49. 49
Blended strategies

50. 50
Asynchronous offline and online
Reading, researching, video, virtual
self-paced + Practical application in
the program or classroom
Face-to-face
Formal
training
Online meetings
Small group
coaching follow up
An example:
Blended
strategies in
action
Webinar
Orientation

51. 51
It’s all about balance.

52. Producing Webinars seems
52
It takes a lot to produce, promote, host, and manage
certificates and follow up.

53. And… there is nothing easy about weaving
webinars into registry processes
53

54. Think
54
Your insights, too!

55. 55Fran Simon | Fran.Simon@EngageStrat.com
Early Childhood Investigations
Webinars
ECEwebinars.com
Early Childhood Investigations
Consultant Directory
ECEexperts.com
Engagement Strategies
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