Guidelines for iNet's series 4 online conferences

Who can participate

Education professionals who are either from schools/institutions affiliated to iNet, or have registered to participate in this conference.

Is it compulsory to contribute to the discussion?

No, but the online conference is very much a process where everyone’ professional development benefits from everyone’s willingness to contribute to the debate.

There are no rules on what constitutes a valid contribution, but your comments could include:

  • Criticism of ideas expressed by others
  • Accounts of work at your school that complements/contrasts with the paper under discussion
  • Suggestions of work that could be undertaken to further develop others’ ideas

It’s generally a good idea to jot down some notes while you read the discussion papers so you can refer to them accurately in your comments.

Do my comments have to relate to the discussion papers?

No. There are also discussion forum threads set up for more general discussion around the conference themes.

If you think the structure of the forums isn’t flexible enough please contact Debra Brydon (brydon@cybertext.net.au) – your feedback will help us improve future conferences.

How much time should you spend on the discussion forums?

There is no maximum or minimum time, but it is generally a good idea to return to the forums several times during the week (participants from other countries will be online at different times to you, so to get feedback from other countries you will need to return the next day).

Be respectful to other people

Remember that all the papers and comments on the online discussions have been provided by well-meaning fellow professionals, who have taken the time (and sometimes the courage) to publicly share their views and information.

If you disagree with what you have read, either mildly or strongly, the tone you use should imply an intention to politely debate, rather than personally attack. Uncollegial, unfriendly or rude remarks will be removed, without notice.

As all messages are checked before going live, it can take a short time for your messages to appear on the site.