The purpose of this post is to provide more context about Global Learn Day - Voyage Number Ten. It is primarily meant for those who have agreed to “present” or who are contemplating doing so. The ultimate goal is to help “presenters” craft a conversation which the audience will find compelling and which the “presenters” will find of long-term benefit for their own use.

Please note that I have qualified the word “presenter” with quotation marks. I do this to underscore our intention to have quality speakers with an ability to capture the imagination and interest of our audience in the same way as does a good radio host.

With the exception of Keynoters, the great bulk of our “presenters” will passionately talk about a subject near and dear to them; while their conversation will be supplemented and complimented by web pages to which we will point the audience - both in real time and from our archives — the hard fact is that our wish is to create many dozens of captivating podcasts suitable for ordinary community radio…or your iPod, MP3 player, tape recorder. If we do this right, during the bulk of our 24 hour non stop event, we have a good chance of reaching several million listeners. Please keep that intention well in mind.

When you are preparing your “presentation” — and please note the quotations around that word because the “presentation” should be more conversation than blaw, blaw, blaw — the key drivers to how you prepare should center around:

– Am I engaging the audience with something unique?
– Am I doing it in a few, memorable sentences?
– Have I gathered “friends” who will engage me with questions either by questions in a text chat room, by email in advance, or by them being “on the phone” when I am also on the phone?
– Have I prepared the moderator with enough background so he or she can help me make the points I would like to make?

– Do I feel that audiences who normally listen to public radio broadcasts — like those from the BBC, PBS, Canadian, Irish, Australian, New Zealand public radio — would such listeners like to hear what I have to say? And can I tell it in a way that is compelling?

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Please keep in mind the chief reason we want you to talk on the phone is because the phone is the friendliest, most user friendly communication device ever invented; (with the possible exception of two tin cans tied to a string). If you can be passionate while talking on the phone, and have something worthy to talk about, you will do just fine.

{No, the phone is not expensive! You can talk for free on Skype; or you can acquire telephone calling cards that can make your participation cost just pennies per minute. And, if all you want to do is listen, you can do that over the Net.}

The context of this particular Voyage

The event is organized both by geographical Region and by five major topics. The Regions are organized by way of the “route of the Voyage” — from east to west, opening in New Zealand, (where the planet begins the New Day) then proceeding west through Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas and ending in Hawaii and the Central Pacific.

The Major Topics

– e-learning for Kids
– e-learning and training for Adults
– English Language Training
– Improving Access for the Disadvantaged
– Tools and Tips for Virtual Events

The Schedule and the Time Table and the drop dead deadline

The extent of the event, the fact that it is organized by a combination of passionate volunteers, an eclectic crew, extraordinarily busy “presenters”, all this makes for an enterprise that some say is like herding cats, and, harder than that, asking them to all meow delightfully.

We never, ever get the schedule up perfectly; but we try very, very hard to get everyone on board by a “drop dead” deadline of 15 September. Please help us meet that deadline by providing me, John Hibbs — – prompt responses to my emails to you. In return, I promise to be just as prompt.

The Major Players

The “Major Players” will come from these organizations

The Commonwealth of Learning

e-Pals

Eduventures 

Webheads - Our English Language Instructors

Challenged Communities -
Talking Communities
Easi
Hadley

Questions?

You will have many, and most of them can be answered by wading through the posts here on this blog — and on our companion blog. But don’t be afraid to email me your questions, as detailed and as precise as you can.

Theme?

The official theme of this event is “Chart-making for the next ten years“. That’s the official them. The unofficial theme is “The Thrilla in Manila“. If with to know more about that, and promise not circulate except with discretion, then please click here. Then, write to me with your thoughts about “the unofficial theme”. You can reach me, your make-believe captain, here - skipper AT bfranklin dot edu.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, August 13th, 2006 at 11:57 am and is filed under Cargo Manifest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.