This Saturday will represent a new era for the Missouri School for the Deaf Parents' Organization. Besides being the first meeting for the 2010-2011 school year, it will also be the first time that online chat will be used during the meeting.
As I have said in past blog posts, the dynamics of the organization are changing. In the past, parents, alumni, and supporters lived near the school. This allowed them to attend on campus meetings. Over the years, however, the number of parents, alumni, and supporters living near the school has steadily decreased. Work and other obligations have also made it difficult for these individuals to find the time to travel to Fulton. As a result, the meeting attendance and the organization have suffered.
Today, we live in a world that is connected. Individuals have laptops, netbooks, and smart phones. Internet connectivity is available in our homes, our coffee shops, at work, and through the air. With these options you don't have to physically be in a meeting room to participate in the proceedings.
With this in mind, the MSDPO is going to attempt to incorporate the use of chat within our meetings. Our meeting this Saturday will be using the TinyChat platform. As the meeting is being conducted, one of the MSDPO officers will be summarizing the discussions and relaying the responses and questions. It may take a little while for us to get the process running smoothly, but we really feel that this is a positive step in the right direction. In the future, we hope to also be able to incorporate the use of the new video conferencing room that is currently under construction at MSD to further increase participation.
The MSDPO meeting will be held from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm in the Eagles Nest on the MSD campus. If you would like to participate in the new chat meeting, use the following link http://tinychat.com/msdparentsorg
When you get the login screen, just enter your nickname (alias) in the blank and select "Go". You will be entered into the discussion.
The officers of the MSDPO are excited about this new opportunity to include you in the discussion. We look forward to this change and to others that are coming.
As I have said in past blog posts, the dynamics of the organization are changing. In the past, parents, alumni, and supporters lived near the school. This allowed them to attend on campus meetings. Over the years, however, the number of parents, alumni, and supporters living near the school has steadily decreased. Work and other obligations have also made it difficult for these individuals to find the time to travel to Fulton. As a result, the meeting attendance and the organization have suffered.
Today, we live in a world that is connected. Individuals have laptops, netbooks, and smart phones. Internet connectivity is available in our homes, our coffee shops, at work, and through the air. With these options you don't have to physically be in a meeting room to participate in the proceedings.
With this in mind, the MSDPO is going to attempt to incorporate the use of chat within our meetings. Our meeting this Saturday will be using the TinyChat platform. As the meeting is being conducted, one of the MSDPO officers will be summarizing the discussions and relaying the responses and questions. It may take a little while for us to get the process running smoothly, but we really feel that this is a positive step in the right direction. In the future, we hope to also be able to incorporate the use of the new video conferencing room that is currently under construction at MSD to further increase participation.
The MSDPO meeting will be held from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm in the Eagles Nest on the MSD campus. If you would like to participate in the new chat meeting, use the following link http://tinychat.com/msdparentsorg
When you get the login screen, just enter your nickname (alias) in the blank and select "Go". You will be entered into the discussion.
The officers of the MSDPO are excited about this new opportunity to include you in the discussion. We look forward to this change and to others that are coming.