Lost Connection

Lost Connection
Originally uploaded by Lulú De Panbehchi







 
Web-conferencing and Live Streaming: My Experiences and Near-experiences

I'm glad I have participated either first-had or second-hand on web-conferencing and live streaming. I have to say that everything you have read about web-conferencing, webinars, online classes and teaching is true: it is difficult, but it can also be fun and very productive in many ways.

This time, instead of making reference to articles, I will tell you a little about my experiences with this type of technology.

1. Chat room office hours – 2001

Back in 2001, I tried to have my office hours online. I set up a chat room in my website and told my students that I was going to be there for an hour. Nobody showed up. I asked “why?” and everybody mentioned that chat rooms were for chatting, not for office hours. I gave up after two tries. I was actually pretty scared because a lot of people had the idea that chat rooms were only for rated-R conversations. By the way, my last adventure in chatroomland was around that year, when I got scared while in room apparently having a discussion on Spanish grammar. The chat was from Spain and it made me think that I was in the wrong place. I left and never went back there or any other chat rooms.

2. Professional 2002 – synchronous delivery
A year or so after the failed attempt to hold office hours from home, I decided to take an online class related to copyright law. It was much more demanding than I thought. But it also gave me the opportunity to observe other students and the professor, who always gave us several articles and cases to read before class. The technology was very impressive, it can actually be compared to the current (late 2010) version of Wimba. The professor always had a multiple choice question at the beginning of the class, and every five minutes or so, there was another question/quiz.

When I was taking this class, I had to close the door of my office, have one cup of coffee and one glass of water ready, my textbook, a law dictionary, a regular dictionary, the computer with at least three programs open—two browser windows and my word processor. I always had headphones and microphone on while taking the class, and had the telephone ready, just in case I got disconnected. It was a lot of work and preparation, but the lectures were very good and I was always happy after class.

3. VCU Online training 2003-2004 – asynchronous delivery

VCU used to have a self-paced series of online training classes. Students and teachers had to be proficient in Word, PowerPoint, etc. The courses were provided by Thompson. There were different areas: desktop and personal computing, project management, programming, and other areas that I don't remember now. I took as many desktop classes as I could. It was very nice to see what I had completed, what I had started and never finished, etc. The disadvantage was that I didn't share this experience with any other VCU teachers or students. I have not checked if VCU still has this service, which in a way offered the same or similar classes to the ones the CTE offers now.

4. Spanish classes at 2007-2008 – synchronous delivery
In 2007 the School of World Studies at VCU decided to offer Spanish 101 online. The teacher is a great and very hard working educator—one of the more hyperactive language teachers that I know at the university level. She reported that preparation was very time-consuming and that teaching online was being available 24/7/thewholesemester. She left VCU and went to work on her PhD in education at Georgetown University. Before she left, she trained another teacher who had experience tutoring online. The textbook companies had done a very good job with the books and the self-paced lessons, but the students still needed to have a lot of contact with the teacher. The other problem was the engagement of the students. They were online constantly, emailing, calling, visiting the professors at different times. One of the problems was the “face-to-face office hours.” Since most of the students took the online class due to hectic schedules, it was difficult for the teachers to say, “I'll be available at this hour every day, only.” Due to lack of funds and the amount of work, it was decided that the online classes were going be put on hold, until there were enough funds. However, the first teacher came back to teach during the summer, but she offered an intermediate Spanish class via Wimba and Skype. This year it was the third year she offered the class completely online. It seems that an intermediate language class works much better than an elementary one, since students already know the language and the only problems they have are related to the technology.

5. Chat with French university 2008 – synchronous delivery

In 2008 I used “Chat,” the Mac program to connect with a French university in Haute Normandie. They were trying to show that this was a valid way to hold conferences and interact. Apparently, the university paid for the MobileMe Apple service and trained the teachers. It was an early chat for me at 5:30 AM. I was in my pajamas. I didn't know that my friend—who works at this university, and recruited me for this project—was in a very formal meeting, while I was half asleep, in pajamas, and almost crying for a cup of coffee or tea. I was able to enter the hard drive in their computer, and they did the same with my computer. I demonstrated how I had used Photoshop to work on a photo, etc. It was a great experience.

6. French class 2010 – synchronous and sometimes asynchronous delivery
Currently, I'm taking French 101 online at VCU with Dr. Murphy-Judy. She has told me and I have seen it: teaching an online class is a lot of work. I am a students and I have to prepare a lot: textbook, word processor, browser, something to drink, headphones, microphone if the place I am is noisy, and my notebook. It has been a roller coaster with Wimba: sometimes it works beautifully, sometimes it's a little slow. The times I have missed the class, I have used the archives (asynchronous delivery) and it is true that silence is not gold, but a big distraction. It is easier for me to stop paying attention when I am using the archive than when I am interacting with the class synchronically. The class is very small. It has less than 10 students, which makes it easy to participate, contribute, have fun, and form meaningful relationships. We care a lot for each other and care for the teacher as well. I have worked with two of my classmates on two different projects, and we have done most of the work using Google docs and email. If everything goes well, I will take French 102 online next semester.

7. Spanish 201 via Skype – synchronous delivery

Three weeks ago I had to stay at home due to a family emergency. My students had class: they went to the language lab and started and finished a conversation project, while I was at home giving instructions and answering questions via Skype. For some reason, Wimba didn't work that day, so my students were fascinated that I was able to hear what they were doing. At the end, they posted their conversations on the wiki. Everything went fine, because I had planned to use Skype in case Wimba didn't work. I had also all the instructions ready: I posted them on Blackboard, sent them by email, and posted them on the front page of the wiki. I had a browser open with Blackboard on one window and email on another; on a different browser I had the class wiki, and had Skype and my cell phone ready to call the language lab in case of an emergency.

It was a great experience. Every student finished their work.

After all this, I feel like I'm still not prepared to teach an elementary language class 100% online. Perhaps an intermediate class, which still means a lot of preparation, but at least I do not need to teach pronunciation and technology at the same time.

I remember when I was watching Ashton Kutcher win the race to one million followers on Twitter against CNN. This was the first time I realized how smart Kutcher is. He was using new media to broadcast his race against old media. He used ustream, and that was the first time I used ustream too.

Screencasting

I made the following screen recording in class last week. It's a screencasting of "Box Office Mojo."  I believe that the information is not only for show business people, but it also serves as a reference for an ice breaker activity. 

[This post will have a second part]

This is the entry for a podcast:

[Audio made with an iPhone, image made with my right index, mixed with Keynote, saved as a QuickTime movie file. This is how it looks--more or less--on an iPhone. ]

And this is the screencast [I had to remake it. For some reason, the audio was very bad in the first try.]

Gardner Campbell's Podcasting Article, “There Is Something In The Air.”

Article can be found at:

http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Review/EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume40/TheresSomethingintheAirPodcast/158014

There are three topics in Campbell's article that got my attention.

1. the world he paints at the beginning of the article, in which a student listens to podcasts before going to class;
2. the concept of “the explaining voice;” and
3. archiving issues.

1. The world in which students listen to podcasts before attending class.

First, I believe that the beautiful world in which the student has access and listens to several podcasts is still a dream world, at least in most universities and perhaps in most adult education classes.

One of the reasons, probably the main reason, is that professors need to produce these materials. Even when textbook companies produce podcasts, the professor still has to decide if those materials will be included in class, how the students will have access to them, how the use of podcasts will be graded, etc. Now, professors are kind of like octopi: they need to handle a lot, just like Campell mentioned in his article. They need to be up to day with what they teach and how to teach it, they need to create their own materials, write and publish, give lectures and attend conferences, etc. I will not mention names of people or institutions, but three years ago I happened to be present when a professor was asking a secretary, “can you type this for me, please?” Per the conversation, I learned that this professor and one of his/her colleagues never typed anything related to school. I still don't understand how they can live without typing their own exams, for example

But when professors get together and are willing to collaborate, students benefit a lot. Collaboration, which is still a dream in several departments, would also empower students. Because if students see that their professors are convinced that something something works for teachers, the latter would feel more comfortable teaching with new tools, like podcasting.

2. The explaining voice

Campbell says,

“There’s also considerable value in what I call “the explaining voice,” the voice that performs understanding. The explaining voice doesn’t just convey information; it shapes, out of a shared atmosphere,an intimate drama of cognitive

action in time. The explaining voice conveys microcues of hesitation, pacing, and inflection that demonstrate both cognition and metacognition. When we hear someone read with understanding, we participate in that understanding, almost as if the voice is enacting our own comprehension. In other words, the explaining voice trains the ear to listen not just for meaning but for evidence of the thought that generates meaning.”

I'm a sound/audio person. I believe that my ear is very good. I can hear a lot of what my students say in class, and sometimes I hear a sound that most people will not notice. “The explaining voice” is, in my opinion, one of the best points in this article, because if an individual doesn't have a convincing, pleasant voice, he or she will have a few listeners. Our best voice is produced when we don't think about our voice, and sometimes we don't like to hear anybody reading monotonously for us, but rather having a conversation with us. Reading and talking/conversing are different. Talking/conversing/explain will definitely get my attention faster than reading.

3. Archiving issues

I tried to listen to the supplementary audio files, but I was not able to find them. One of the problems with online only publications is that systems, servers, and code change and sometimes something is lost. The life of new, online materials sometimes is shorter than the life of old, offline documents and references. In this case, the author was responsible for keeping the archive, since the link goes to his site. A lot has changed since 2005, when the article was published. In Internet years, that's perhaps the equivalent of a decade or more. I do not get mad anymore, because materials got lost, or because the file formats are not rendered by my Mac. I have learned to accept the fact that archiving is one of the downsides of the Internet.

Screen Recording

The article, “7 Things You Should Know About Screencasting,” makes a very good observation:

“Screencasts capture the feeling of personal connection that podcasts provide, with the added benefit of video to see what is being discussed.”

That “feeling of personal connection” may be the reason why these videos are easy to understand. This can also be the point that we can use to engage our students more: it's the instructor's voice, her computer, and her own words. I believe that this can help adult students be less afraid of new software, for instance.

I have used screen recording for a few semesters now. It is very helpful when students need to learn how to use software or an online service, like a wiki for example.

 

∞∞∞§§§§∞∞∞∞

I have used screen recording for a few semesters now. It is very helpful when students need to learn how to use software or an online service, like a wiki for example.  Here is a link to four of the videos.

The first software I used was Camtasia. It is very good, but also very expensive. Then, I used Apple's QuickTime, and lately Jing. Apple's software is free with the purchase of Snow Leopard®. The problem is that the resulting files are very large. And, for some reason, I need to run them first on QuickTime and save them again in order to upload them to Vimeo.com. Jing is different. The free version is good enough to upload videos and just send/post the links.

In my opinion, this is one of the best software inventions. But even with this great tool, some students still need help. The reason? They say that they cannot open two windows at the same time, or that it's difficult to follow the video and use the video at the same time. However, the adult students in my classes have told me that they like this type of video. The advantage, they say, is that they can see these videos as many times as they want to.

Wikis - part II

I have used wikis for a few years now.  I think that they have a few advantages for me:

1. I don't have to carry papers -- I live in Williamsburg, so this is a big help.
2. I don't need to carry and possibly lose a memory flash drive.
3. I can correct papers on Word or other word processor and the wiki keeps most of the colors, fonts, etc. used on Word.
4. Students don't lose their papers, dogs don't eat homework, even if the sick grandma or dead grandpa lives in other state, students can still post something. They cannot say that they cannot afford a flash drive, because they can post anything on the wiki.
5. Students are able to add PowerPoint®, Word®, and several other files without having to change anything.
6. I write once and just link it to a different wiki/class.
7. I can post the notes I type during class, or other general notes, and students can print them or just copy them.  They may also add extra notes.

Everything I mentioned above can be done with Blackboard.  However, I can correct homework without having to pull any documents from "My Content System" or the Drop Box or File Exchange.  For some reason, I have never been able to use the last two without any problems.


But the great advantage is that after the students graduate, they still have access to their work.  Usually, Blackboard closes the student's account three months or so after graduation.


I have used wikis for the following activities:

1. Portfolios
2. Group or partner compositions
3. Class compositions (during the summer I have smaller classes and the whole class can write a composition)
4. Student presentations (they don't forget them at home!)
5. Compositions
6. Audio and video introductions - students introduce themselves with video or audio
7. Class notes
8. I post videos how-to videos

I like wikis, because they are simple, easy, and fast.

Wikis - part I

From the historical perspective, Brian Lamb's article (2004), “The Way It Was Meant To Be” or

“TheWayItWasMeantToBe,” 

 provides a few points that perhaps a current article cannot. For example, it informs of how people he know use wikis—first hand information, or at least it sounds like it; hee explains what wikis are in a way that anybody will understand; and he gathered so many, diverse quotes that he can get a very broad number of readers to keep reading and looking for the next citation. The illustration is also compelling; it looks like it was influenced by Bosch's  or Varo's  style.

There are two points from Lamb's article that I would like to talk about; one, Berners-Lee, and second, using multiple and diverse quotations.

One

Every time I read Berners-Lee's or Ted Nelson's opinion of the current state of the Internet, they are disappointed or mad, or they just say that the Internet is not what they wanted it to be. Ok. That's fine. Gutenberg, Edison, Ford or any other inventor would not be that happy with what their inventions are doing today. Hey, not even Jesus would be happy with so many of today's Christians. However, both Berners-Lee and Nelson have a better opinion of wikis than they have of plain linked web pages. The French government bought the rights to the invention of photography, so that humanity would enjoy taking photos without having to pay royalties. Ted Nelson's designs and dreams on “Dream Machines” became the bible of software designers, who by the way don't pay any royalties to him. Berners-Lee has practically given us HTTP, HTML, URL, and web coding, which makes the Internet look easier and more interesting. He only gets to be part of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), be famous, etc., but I don't think he gets any royalties.

I know a few developers that are somehow mad at Berners-Lee for inventing HTML, the language for the graphic, eye-appealing Internet. These developers argue that HTML has made the Internet more democratic, but it has also produced less skilled users.  In other words, they argue that with the Internet being so easy, there is more stupidity. Before, people had to learn a few tricks in order to participate in a collaborative project taken place on a series of networked computers. Now, ANYBODY, well, almost anybody, can use the Internet.

Two

The use of so many quotes indicates to me that since the topic was new, Lamb did not have that many sources to consult. Therefore he decided to pepper his article with the words of Berners-Lee, Bob Dylan, and, my personal favorite, John Cage. However, by the time I finished the article, so many quotations became similar to a dozen or more links that I'm pushed to click on. In other words, it was like John Cage piece: all I heard was the noise made by the other people (Dylan, Ibsen, etc.), and Lamb's words were like Cage's piano's keys on 4:13, silence.

I will post a second part on wikis later.

A Tweet Here and a Tweet There

I have been using Twitter regularly with my students, but there are a few problems. One, not everybody has a Twitter account; two, they use Facebook more than any other social network; and three, some students believe that adding Twitter to their social network activities is just too much.

But most of my students are between 18 and 24. From the current semester, only a few follow me. I wrote my Twitter username on the syllabus and explained that, since I live in Williamsburg and need to drive everyday, I may be need to inform them that I will be late. Or that I'm canceling the class due to traffic. However, most students act indifferent to this medium. On "If You Twitter, Will They Come?" Charles Hodges mentions that Facebook may be a better route to keep in touch with students. I agree with him, because this is the same situation I am experiencing with my students.  But I don't want to befriend my students, or at least not all of them. Hodges also mentions that Twitter users are middle-aged, or at least older than college students. This demographic fact can be an advantage for adult education. It may be that Twitter is also much easier to use than Facebook.

In "Horton Hears a Tweet," Dunlap and Lowenthal mention that,

“We wanted a tool that would enable us to establish an ongoing sense of being present at the current moment and able to receive and respond to students immediately, forming a real-time online dialogue and forum for sharing.”

I don't believe that the dialogue is in “real-time,” because not all the users are connected to Twitter in the same way. Some users access their account using a computer, and never read the Twitter timeline from a phone. It may be easier and faster to communicate via Twitter than Blackboard, but it is not a 100% real-time conversation. Now, if we ask students in a large class or a conference—who have access to a computer or a cell phone—to tweet their opinion on something, then we will have a real-time group conversation.

When students are at home and have a problem with their homework, or find resources that might be of interest to the class, they can send a message to their peers or their professor. They can use Blackboard or any other LMS, Facebook, or Twitter. Personally, I prefer Twitter, because it's easier to access Twitter than Blackboard, and because Facebook means a lot of distraction. Also, on Facebook I need to accept someone's friendship, and “unfriending” may be embarrassing, or uncomfortable to say the least. While on Twitter, the worst situation is to “block” a follower, which doesn't have as much baggage as “unfriending.”

The video presentation, "Point/Counterpoint: Disrespectful and Time Wasting"

This presentation resembles a Twitter conversation. It's possible to express a thought in 140 characters or less, but in order to say something more meaningful we have to write several tweets, and read other people's tweets in between. What I learned from here was not that much about Twitter and using it in class, but rather how to present something popular and make it interesting.

== After thought ===

I used to tweet only about school, some links on funny stuff, or just photos of something crazy I saw on the street.  But then, I realized that not too many people see the photos on third party services, like yfrog.  When I stated to tweet my photos from Flickr and with a different URL (short, mysterious URLs), people clicked on the link and saw the photos.  In general, people (the general public, not only my followers) are more likely to click on a general link two or three times more than on a photo link in yfrog or a similar service.

This information is not scientific, but I have learned it by experience:

 1. People will read any tweets and click on the link if the word "CAT" is included.

2. The title of a photo is more important than the topic and/or quality of the photo.

3. I tweet the photos from Flickr, with the "blog it" feature. By the time I finish tweeting and click back to see the photo, up to 5 people may have already seen the photo.

4. The best time to tweet a link to a photo is from 10 PM to 1 AM.

5. The worst time is between 11 AM and 2 PM.

6. People will only see one photo if the link goes to the page photo, the one with the GPS, tags, and other information. This is an example: http://www.flickr.com/photos/notascari/5068931619/

7. People will see the photo and the photostream, if the link is for a slide show.  This is the same photo in a slide show format: http://www.flickr.com/photos/notascari/5068931619/#/photos/notascari/5068931619/lightbox/