Online curriculum centre Faculty member training, April 2009

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 IB networks OCC Public site IBIS Oracle database

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 What is the OCC?  A service designed to support teachers of the IB curriculum in all three academic programmes  A 24-hour Internet service available in English, French, Spanish and Chinese.  A database of educational resources that uses the power of the Internet to give IB teachers the platform to share and exchange their knowledge and expertise.

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 The OCC allows teachers to:  view the contents of curriculum materials  exchange details of useful resources (eg web sites, books, magazines)  exchange teaching ideas  discuss curriculum issues with other teachers from around the world  have active input into curriculum developments  read the latest IB news and information  take part in online training.

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 The OCC allows teachers to:  But most importantly… It enables teachers to become actively involved in a growing and dynamic online learning community

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 Growth of registered users (Mar 03 to Apr 09)

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 OCC users by programme (total = )

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 OCC users by language (total = )

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 DP Film (total = 108)

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 PYP (total = 18429)

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 OCC statistics Resources  There are resources available on the OCC Discussion Forums  There are messages posted and topics in the discussion forums.

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 Role of the online faculty  Two key areas Discussion forums Managing resources  Faculty member competencies.

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 Faculty Member Competencies – Am I? Quality Characteristic 1. Confident2. Constructive A. Understanding of online processes B. Technical skills C. Online communication skills D. Content expertise E. Personal Characteristics Recruitment Confident in providing a focus for discussion groups, can intervene and judge participants’ interest. Is an online role model. Confident in operational use of OCC software; good keyboard skills; good internet access. Confident in being courteous, polite, and respectful in online communication. Confident in having knowledge and experience to share, and willing and able to add own contributions. Confident in being determined and motivated as a faculty member. Able to build online trust and purpose; to know and understand their curriculum area’s target audience and what they can do to add to the OCC knowledge product. Able to appreciate the basic structures of the OCC, and the WWW and Internet’s potential for building online communities. Able to write concise, energizing, personable online messages. Able to encourage sound and relevant contributions from others. Able to establish an online identity as a faculty member.

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 Quality Characteristic 3. Developmental4. Facilitating A. Understanding of online processes B. Technical skills C. Online communication skills D. Content expertise E. Personal Characteristics Training Ability to develop and enable others, act as catalyst, foster discussion, summarise, restate, challenge, monitor understanding and take feedback. Know how to use special features of software for faculty members, such as editing, archiving etc. Able to engage with people online – not the machine or software. Able to trigger debate by posing intriguing questions. Able to adapt to new communication concepts, methods, audiences and roles. Know when to control groups, when to let go, how to bring in non- participants, know how to pace discussion and use time online. Able to use features of software for faculty members to explore user participation eg. message history. Able to interact through discussion forums and achieve interaction between others. Carry authority through helping with misunderstanding e.g. the interpretation of assessment criteria. Show sensitivity to online relationships and communication. Faculty Member Competencies – Have I?

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 Quality Characteristic 5. Knowledge construction6. Creative A. Understanding of online processes B. Technical skills C. Online communication skills D. Content expertise E. Personal Characteristics Development Able explore ideas, develop arguments, promote valuable threads, close off unproductive threads, choose when to archive. Build on the OCC knowledge product. Able to create links between discussion forums & OCC resources. Able to value diversity with cultural sensitivity, explore differences & meanings. Is able to summarise active threads. Knowledgeable about valuable resources (e.g. on the Internet) & refers teachers to them. Able to show a positive attitude, commitment & enthusiasm for online community building. Able to use a range of approaches from structured activities (e-tivities) to free wheeling discussions, & to evaluate & judge success of these. Able to use software facilities to create & manipulate conferences & to generate an online learning environment, able to use alternative software & platforms. Able to communicate comfortably without visual cues, able to diagnose & solve problems & opportunities online, use humour online, use & work with emotion online, handle conflict constructively. Able to enliven online discussions through use of multi media & electronic resources, able to give creative feedback & build on teachers’ ideas. Knowledgeable about how to create & sustain a useful, relevant online community. Faculty Member Competencies – Am I?

Knowledge sharing & interactivity Knowledge taking Teacher-resource facilitation IBO publications and resources Access and motivation Setting up system and accessing Welcoming and encouraging = OCC & technical support = WSL & FM functions Online socialisation Bridge building Posting and responding to messages Knowledge product construction Eliciting resources Facilitating exchange Development Supporting, sharing Going beyond curriculum area The OCC – ‘growing’ online communities