It’s Sunday night, you’re mentally checking off your ever growing TO DO list to make sure you’re ready for Monday morning: make lunch, review lesson plan, pack worksheets, bring new whiteboard markers, load new PowerPoint into LMS … and that’s just to get you through Monday. Your mind starts to wander and you realize it’s time…
The Webinar Experience
The webinar you signed up for weeks ago is now open. The topic PBLA caught your eye. You know you need to learn more about it, but how can you get training when you’re in class all the time and you don’t have a lot of funds to get to face-to-face training sessions or conferences. This webinar came just in time for you. You log in.
You don’t recognize any usernames, but the moderator says “Hi” and says your name. You smile from the welcome, but you’re still a little shy here, so you type “hi” back, but your speaker lets you hear the chatter that is happening between the presenter and the moderator. Soon you see others type in the chat box and you begin to find some common ground saying “I was wondering that too!” The session begins and over the next hour you find yourself nodding or typing “YES!” all the while making some notes for yourself.
You go to class on Monday filled with some new insights and motivation to try what you learned in the webinar. Or is it just me who gets like this? I don’t think I’m alone though, and it’s all because of our amazing webinar team!
A Big Thank You
The TESL Ontario Webinar team is celebrating their 50th webinar next Wednesday, and the TESL Ontario Blog team would like to say THANK YOU to the moderators, presenters, and participants for this amazing PD platform that makes life long learning and community of practice accessible and engaging.
Engage
If you haven’t watched a webinar yet, I strongly encourage you to try it out. If you haven’t found a topic that interests you, suggest one to the webinar team or offer to present one.
Subscribe to the TESL Ontario YouTube Channel for archived webinars!
Join us in congratulating the team on their big 5-0!
5 Comments
The webinar team is incredibly talented and dedicated. Lucky to be working alongside such seasoned pros. Thanks to the entire team for continuing to produce relevant, interesting and generally cool networking and PD opportunities.
The technology has had its bumps along the way, but the more we use the webinar platform in Tutela, the more we get to know it, and make use of its functions.
I’ve gotten to know more than a few talented presenters since we launched in 2014 – John Allan, Anna Bartosik, in particular, both of whom have delivered multiple webinars, and I am continually impressed with the talent and passion that our presenters bring to the virtual table.
I’m looking forward to our next 50 webinars. Much appreciation and gratitude to the entire team, and in particular to the creative minds working behind the scenes at TESL Ontario.
-Jen Artan, Webinar Manager…
(BARTAN Productions)
Thanks for the kind words Jen. It has been great working with you and seeing the fruits of your labours as they appear on social media. 🙂
This whole experience has been incredible. So many of our members have risen and created a wareghouse of contemporary resources that have strengthened our community All of this on a voluntary basis. I am honored to work with such talented, dedicated and motivated professionals.
looking forward to the next 150,
John
Allow me to reiterate what Jen and John have said. Having the dual perspective as a TESL webinar presenter and manager, I am proud to be a member of this professional community with a broad vision for future engaged teacher development. Our mutual and diverse interests fuel creative products on a shoestring budget (if shoestrings were free).
Connecting outside the classroom with educators beyond my local community has provided me a new perspective on our field in a Canadian and global context. My thanks to the Social Content Committee and the TESL Webinar Team for your generous sharing and support of professional development, redefined for the 21st century.
Anna
(The “B” in Bartan Productions)
Thank you very much for this reminder! It has taken me two missed webinars that were on my calendar and for which I had signed up but which, when the time came, simply slipped my mind before I realized that I am not going to get a reminder email; the onus is on ME to set all the alarm clocks around my house, on my smart phone, etc.! It’s wonderful to know I can go back and watch archived webinars.
My hat is off to the professionals who give of their time and expertise to put these on.
… and let me add a few more qualities – tenacious and professional.
Congratulations Team!
Many thanks,
Lynn Doherty