April 6 - 17, 2009
Presented by the College of Exploration and the Ocean Technology Foundation

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Are there regular hours for the seminar, or can I log in at my convenience?
You can log in and participate at your convenience, as long as it is during both Weeks 1 and 2 of the seminar.  At the end of Week 1, some items will be frozen, meaning they are Read-only and you cannot interact online.  The facilitator will give some notice when items will be frozen.

How will this online seminar work?
An online workshop is modeled after traditional face-to-face workshops. For example we may have features such as keynote presentations which consist of text, images, short video clips, and powerpoint presentations. There is a place to discuss classroom implementation, a cafe for informal chat and networking, a resource room, and a Credit Room for those taking the course for graduate credit.
All materials gathered and posted during the workshop series will remain accessible throughout the workshop (and remain online for some time in the future TBD). All the material created and contributed will serve as a resource for more learning programs in the future. Features are scheduled over a period of time such as days or a week, instead of hours to allow participants from all over the globe time to access and respond. There will also be a Help Desk available at all times.

Where/How do I pay for the seminar tuition?
You can get to the PayPal option on the introduction page www.coexploration.org/ohh/seminar09.html and clicking on the link that says "Tuition: $150 payable to the College of Exploration."

When and how can I join this seminar?
There is an online registration page.  It is self-registration. Go to: http://www.coexploration.org/ohh/seminar09.html 
You can join in at any time!

Will I need access to a library in order to complete the graduate credit portion of the workshop?
No.  The graduate credit questions and project will be drawn from the material in the workshop, or other online sources. An internet connection is all you need.

What about the TECHNOLOGY used here? (e.g., audio conferencing, streaming video, web-based conferencing software)
The main media used here is text-based, asynchronous conferencing where someone starts a conversation by posting (in writing) and then everyone that arrives after the posting can respond. Posts are made in order of time posted, so the result is much like a real dialogue. Discussion items are separated by subject and the person featured, so it's automatically organized and archived as well. However, we will be introducing other media such as Real Audio and Video streaming. For this you will require the FREE Real Player from Real Networks. [Make sure you click on the FREE DOWNLOAD... they have versions that cost - if they ask for payment, you clicked on the wrong one!] As well, our software (CAUCUS) allows uploading of images and other media files, so basically anything you can do on the web you can do here!


What are some guidelines for appropriate participation in an online workshop?
It's as simple as this: be thoughtful to other participants. We are building a community of learners here. We expect many diverse perspectives, experiences, and insights. This will enrich our discussions and overall learning over the length of the program. Be yourself, share your knowledge, and have fun. The only thing that your hosts will not accept is hostile and obscene language, but we're confident that participants will use their good judgment and expect this environment to be friendly and supportive to everyone involved.

What if I am interested in this topic, but don't have a thorough background in this area/content?
Any adult who is interested in teaching and learning about the particular content area(s) is encouraged to attend.

What about ACCESS to the workshop?
This online seminar takes place entirely in a password protected web site. Click the Registration link. Only those educators that have User IDs and passwords will be allowed into the site.

For those who could not "attend" a particular keynote presentation, will it be recorded somewhere?
All presentations and all the “rooms” (and all dialogue) remains on the web and accessible for the full length of the program. Participants have ample opportunity to "attend" any aspect of the program they want. As a participant, you will have full archive and plenty of time after a keynote or event to go back and catch up on areas that you didn't have time to “attend” during the actual presentation week. And, participants can continue to interact with each other at any time.

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