Online events on Google Meet and Zoom

Google Hangouts Meet

These past few weeks I have been a part of several online events and in different capacities. First, I was invited to speak to Eunoia JC students for their Deep Dive Day on servant leadership and explorations in STEM through Google Meet. Next, I was the Zoom host of an annual networking event for my workplace during which I assigned colleagues from schools manually into groups with the breakout room features. Most recently, I was a guest for my alma meter's (Millennia Institute) Institute day and I was so proud to see the extent of tech usage for the event which was done using Zoom webinar features.

The prep meeting online when the planned session was supposed to still be a physical one.

A warm welcome to EJC for their DDD 2

Was not used to the silence from the muted participants (felt like I was talking to myself)

Q&A with the EJC participants

The one good thing about Google Meet which is the premium alternative to Google Hangout is that there are special new features including noise cancellation and automatic closed captioning. However, speaking to muted participants tested my comfort levels with absolute silence (luckily teachers are trained for awkward quiet wait time) and I was sad that I could not really engage in deeper discussions and interact with the audience in the middle of the sharing due to the online setting. This is the unfortunate reality that we have to live with due to the Covid-19 situation and the Safe Management Measures (SMM) in place to keep us all safe. 

Zoom logo

As for the 3 hours Zoom event that I helped plan and coordinate as part of my work event, I realised that it was pretty stressful backend to ensure that the event went on super smoothly. It was the inaugural online version of the event and I did not want to be part of the planning team of a failed MOE HQ (ETD) online event so the pressure was real. Besides using the breakout rooms and assigning of co-hosts for my colleagues, I double hatted as a facilitator for the small group discussions and encouraged conversations between colleagues of different schools so as to maximise the learning for the participants.

We did a poll on the digital tools which we would be discussing further too.

Also, the participants gave feedback that they were generally satisfied with the event.

GovText analysis of the qualitative feback

The last event that I would like to share about is MI's 17th I Day. I must commend the staff and students' efforts in putting up a well organised online event which was pretty comprehensive too with the media designs, live segments and even a virtual gallery as part of its programme.

The elaborate itinerary

The main backdrop and design for the event

The MI artwork leading up to the video interviews

Managed to catch up with some MI staff before the session.

A rainbow over the school

I was invited to the event as I was awarded the IAC Disctinguished Alumni Award for my continued contributions to the institute and the community ever since I graduated from the Institute in 2009. In the next few months, I will be organising several other online community events as part of my service and contributions as part of Mendaki Club Exco and the Young NTUC/ Young STU Taskforce too. I will share more about those events especially if there are notable events and learning points.  

Won the IAC Distinguished Alumni Award