How to Survive Week 1 and Beyond

The EVO experience is enlightening, fun, a connected endeavor. However, for many educators who join the first time, it might be scary, daunting, overwhelming at first. So, if you survive the first hours, the first days, and endure throughout the weeks, we are sure that the Electronic Village Online will be a transformative, amazing learning journey in which participants discuss, discover, share, create and play. So, bear with us, take your seat and go one step at a time. 

Here are some tips for you to start breathing again:

1. Every week, we have a weekly tasks page. They are all available in this wiki's sidebar. 

For week 1 tasks, access http://hottopicselt.pbworks.com/week1

2. Read the instructions carefully. 

3. Get lost once, twice, many times! It is part of the learning process. Your compass is our wiki. So, when you feel lost, just go back to the instructions on the weekly tasks pages. 

4. Still confused or lost? We have a Helpdesk page at http://hottopicselt.pbworks.com/Helpdesk . If you ask a question there, the moderators of this session will help you through. If you can't comment on the page, that's because you need to request access to this wiki to be able to add your comments. Requests are available on the top right of your screen. 

5. Have you checked our Frequently Asked Questions page? If you had a question, many others might have asked the same question and are feeling just like you. 

6. You might be thinking why we don't stick to just a single place for interaction, right? We try to get the best of the digital world to enhance discussions, reflection and connections. Sometimes, a digital tool is great for organizing the content, but not as good for fluid, dynamic conversations. 

So, that's why we have PBWORKS, a wiki to organize the syllabus and to be our roadmap

and Edmodo for the sharing and the conversations (though some of them will also take place here)

and your Digital Portfolio for your own reflection and organization of your content. Remember, one of the aspects of the learning process is the ownership of content and knowledge in a way that makes sense to you. 

7. You might have signed up for many EVO sessions, but experience has proved that the best thing to do is to focus on one. If neuroscience is your focus this year, don't miss the chance to connect, talk to other participants. Now, if you just want to take a sneak peak and be more active in another session, no problem. Lurkers are always welcome!

8. Some people get anxious when they "fall behind". Remember, EVO is not a course in the formal sense. It is a learning experience in an informal setting, an online session to enhance conversations, discuss a topic, share ideas and learn from one another. Thus, there isn't such a thing as "falling behind". You can come and go as you wish. You might be actively engaged and participatory in one week that interests you and not so much in another. Then, you might join us back at any point. When participants realize how flexible and dynamic EVO sessions work, it is really a liberating feeling for them!

9. Some participants have felt the feeling of disconnect and loneliness in EVO. Remember, YOU are in charge. You are the one who will actively make connections, start conversations, post your reflections. Don't expect a type of session in which the moderators pour information as the sages on the stage, and participants are simply listeners or observers. For connections to happen, we need to be willing to step forward, to make comments, to address other participants, to give voice to our own thoughts. 

10. Our session has hundreds of educators from all over the world. We, the moderators will be facilitating the whole process, but we won't be able to answer every single post, reply to every single thread, though we try to be as present as possible. Rely on other participants, ask questions to others. Remember, there's always someone there as we have a large international community of educators in different time zones. 

11. Still got any questions, comments, problems or anxious feelings? Let us know and we will be more than glad to give you the support you need to thrive and learn with this amazing #brainELT group.