Networking opportunities abound in the twitterdom these days. I still find it incredible that folks all around the world with common interests can spontaneously connect and collaborate – we are definitely living in a shifting world…and I love it!
So, last week Jennifer (injenuity) announced she would be developing a Google Doc presentation for her job interview as the Director of Distance Learning at Bellingham Technical College. Furthermore, she invited her network of twits to participate in a backchanneling chat which would, by the nature of Google Doc presentations, be PART of the presentation! There is no doubt in my mind that she had to have WOWed them – time will tell whether that translates into a job – but the power of immediate communication through virtual networking is a compelling tool in the world of online learning (to wit, most edutwits consider twitter a daily dose of professional development!) and she didn’t just talk about it, she demonstrated and modeled it.
Back to the backchanneled interview, there were some obvious cons with the lack of audio and archived chat – though Kristin Hokanson thought to screencast much of it. Furthermore, still fascinated by the technology itself, most chat participants were not tuned in to the backchanneling guidelines – but wouldn’t that be powerful? Imagine a discussion with a network of folks facilitated by the candidate … what might that reveal that a limited conversation with only the interviewee would not? Add in an integration of skype and/or ustream audio/video capabilities and there is potential for much needed depth to the interview process.
This would be a great exercise for our students as they get ready to interview for a job…or even a capstone experience for a senior project collaborating with a business partner. As we continue to prepare our students for the 21st century, use of these tools in such an authentic manner can build skills and confidence – doing it in partnership with the non-school community bridges the gap to “real world” and provides meaning. Another lagniappe for learning!
Photo Credits to Monica’s Dad for Open and Maurice for The Swan
Technorati Tags: GoogleDocs, Injenuity, Interview, 21stCenturySkills, connections
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Jen
// Oct 7, 2007 at 10:38 pm
Thanks for the review! I wish I could track down all the participants. I think I will make a blog post about what I could have done to enhance the experience. I originally considered including hidden audio links for the backchannel, but ran out of time. Google Presentations was not easy! It took forever to reformat and move text around because it just wouldn’t stick!
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