Edublogs Serendipity webinar overview – pros & cons of online courses

Introduction

This session was “buzzy” right from the start and throughout! If you missed all or part of this session then the recording is well worth a watch and listen.

The Session

We had five potential topics very quickly and on polling the clear winner was “Online courses – benefits/cons”.

To start with we used a whiteboard to share our various understandings of “online courses”. This is something we often do at the start of a Serendipity session to establish our own awareness of the possible different perceptions of the topic we plan to discuss.

We then moved on to some lively discussion. Initially we brainstormed the  positives and used these as springboards to talk about and share our own personal experiences of online courses. We then did the same for the negatives. With only a short time left we took a very brief look at working with different student “levels” in an online context.

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As is usual we finished with a whiteboard for our best “Take-aways” from the session, and as often happens in the best learning situations some humour crept into the “take-aways” 🙂

Conclusion

This was a great session and was definitely one of those where we just didn’t have enough time to talk about everything. I left resolved to investigate several tools that were new to me – although the available time for that is extremely limited at the moment!

Our Next Session

FineFocusSmallOur next Webinar is an Edublogs “Fine Focus” session. This week a chance to find out a little more about Elluminate’s capabilities for you as a presenter in “Can I really do that virtually?”  Join us on Thursday June 30 th at 23:00 GMT/UTC the time for you will vary depending on your timezone (check yours here) Thursday afternoon/evening in the USA, late night Thursday in Europe, and Friday morning in Australia – in the usual Elluminate room

Edublogs webinar overview – “Show & Tell”

Introduction

This session was a little different –  discussion in a previous Serendipity session gave rise to the idea of taking a brief look at how individual teachers use a tech tool of their choice. Thus the “Show and Tell” session was born. We had three fantastic short presentations from Rodney (@techyturner), Tracey (@mmebrady) and Sandra giving us great insights into exciting ways to use technology with our students.

The Session

The session was recorded as usual – including some preliminary chat about the wildlife in our respective backyards. Please let me know if you access the recording.

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Rodney started proceedings by telling us about “clickers” and the many applications of these in his classroom. He explained that he is able to get instant feedback on student understanding and how much the students enjoy using the clickers. This prompted text chat discussion and questions about the range of activities that can incorporate clickers.

Tracy told us how she has used GoogleVoice in her classroom and has utilised the students’ own mobile devices – a great solution for someone who has little technology available in their classroom. Because Tracy teaches French the oral dimension is critical and Tracy has used GoogleVoice to enable her students to respond orally to questions posed by her Voki.

Sandra finished off the session by telling us about how she has used “Max’s Toolbox” with very young students. This is an interface that is used within an MSOffice environment and has icons and tools that are simple to use. Sandra showed us how Kindy students have created simple slides on themes relevant to them.

Conclusion

This session was excellent – it was a fantastic way to share teaching strategies and tools, without the pressure on one individual to fill a whole session. Three seemed to be just the right number of presenters and we had lots of discussion and questions around the topics. “Show & Tell” is definitely a theme to repeat!

Next Webinar

SerendipitybsmallOur next session is an Edublogs “Serendipity” session on Thursday June 23rd at 23:00 GMT/UTC (Afternoon/Evening USA) or Friday June 24th at 7am West Aus, mid morning Eastern States Aus depending on your timezone (check yours here) – in the usual Elluminate room. This is one of our fortnightly unconference sessions where we invite you to bring along your “hot topics” and “burning issues” for our poll on the topic of the day.

Tweeting the word to the world from #ere2011

Introduction

Just over a week ago I spent three days attending an awesome online conference “e-learning a Realit-e”. The Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework)  http://www.flexiblelearning.net.au/ has been holding these conferences online twice a year for a number of years. The focus is primarily on the vocational education and training (VET) sector although the innovative projects showcased are relevant across all sectors.

I have been a regular attender at the Framework’s online conferences ever since they began and have seen them grow from having only a few people registered (mostly from the South Eastern corner of Australia) in the early days to this most recent conference with nearly 1,000 registered participants. These events are the highlights of my professional development each year. Because they are online through Elluminate they offer great opportunities to network, ask questions and discuss the presentations through the text chat as they happen. Over the years the sessions have become increasingly participative and interactive as people become more familiar with the virtual room platform and its tools, and also with other ways of including interaction in an online context. We were even sent away from the final session with Sue Hickton with a challenge to use QRcodes (demonstrated in her session) in a competition published on her blog – the prize for the winner is chocolate! Visit Sue’s blog/ and enter the competition if you were at “e-learning a Realit-e” or if you didn’t attend visit the blog and find out how you can vote for your choice of winner.

Tweeting from conferences – why do it?

Since I joined Twitter about three years ago I have tweeted intermittently during various online conferences, including the Framework ones. I was so excited to be asked by the conference organisers to tweet “officially” from this one using the hashtag #ere2011. During the three days I sent around 450 tweets of around 20 words each (like doing a 9,000 paper in three days!), and was retweeted or favourited about 150 times.

Extracts from my #ere2011 Tweets TwwetCloudResize

You may ask why tweet from a conference at all? In my opinion the main reasons from the conference organisers’ perspective and that of the presenters are:

  1. Raises the profile of the conference and presenters thus encouraging people to register and join sessions. this is probably more pertinent when the conference is online, free and unlimited in numbers, as people can register and join throughout.
  2. Providing a skeletal summary of sessions as they happen – from personal experience I have found this useful when others have tweeted from conferences. I have accessed links, proceedings and/or recordings of conference sessions (both live and online) that I have not attended purely on the basis of interest generated by tweets about the sessions.

From the tweeter’s perspective (at least when that tweeter is me) there are several reasons for tweeting from online conferences:

  1. Doing those instant encapsulations is a fantastic strategy for internalising the information and learning from the sessions.
  2. It is a way of putting something in that might be useful for my PLN – I often feel I am always taking information out but don’t put much back.
  3. Save the tweets and I have a summary of the conference including many of the links.
  4. The saved tweets also provide evidence of active participation in professional development activities, although this is not yet recognised as part of a PD record in my current context I think it is only a matter of time.


Challenges

There are certainly challenges in tweeting live from a conference!

  • Actively participating and networking at the detail level through Elluminate text chat while simultaneously summarising the broader view for the Twitter backchannel poses interesting issues not least of which was typing in the right box!
  • Continuing to tweet while also taking part when the presenter includes a high degree of interaction such as frequent polling or whiteboard activities is also a challenge.
  • Remembering to tweet when the topic was of particularly absorbing interest to me (as with disengaged youth and Twitter) was also difficult.
  • My tweeting fingers felt as though they ran red-hot at times, unsurprising with 58,000 characters over 3 days (not all typed I hasten to add – links & hashtags were usually copy/pasted)
  • Getting it right – names, content, quotes! It is instant and not easily rescinded if you make a big mistake.


What made it easier than it might have been


  • My familiarity with Elluminate – I use it all the time in my teaching context and in the weekly webinars
  • The capacity in Elluminate to set up the screen view to suit my own preferences eg I always work with a large text chat box in Elluminate – this helps me avoid missing what people say in text
  • Having two screens so I was able to have everything easily visible at the same time
  • Having the Elluminate room, the conference programme and Tweetdeck all open and visible on my screens at the same time enabled me to copy/paste some text rather than typing


Will I do it again?

The answer is a resounding YES! I enjoyed it immensely and got so much from the experience. I was exhilarated if somewhat exhaused at the end of the three days. There was just so much buzzing around in my head that it has taken me until now to blog about the experience of tweeting so much from one conference.

Edublogs Serendipity webinar overview – Tools we use most & why!

Introduction

This session was fun with lots of tools shared and discussed. Also I started the recording at the proper time this week, there was a lot of audio discussion as well as text chat and the recording is well worth catching if you missed the session.

The Session

Our chosen topic was “What tech tools do you use the most and why?” We put the title on an empty whiteboard and then each added the tools we use most.

ToolsWordleResizeThis gave us a great selection to talk about! We only managed to discuss a small number in the time available, and even then we scarcely touched on the “why” of using particular tools. Because we all found this session both useful and interesting and felt that there was so much more we could have discussed we are going to try something a little bit different in the upcoming Fine Focus session, by continuing the theme of tools we use most and inviting YOU to tell the group about your most used tools.

Show and Tell Invite resizeWe already have one volunteer who DM’d me after the session. Please join us and add your voice to the session. Let me know if you would like to “Show and Tell” and what tool you plan to talk about (so we can avoid doubling up).  My Twitter ID is @JoHart or you can use the Contact Form on my “About Me” page

Conclusion

This was a great session and was definitely one of those where we just didn’t have enough time to talk about everything. I left resolved to investigate several tools that were new to me – although the available time for that is extremely limited at the moment!

Our Next Session

FineFocusSmallOur next Webinar is an Edublogs “Fine Focus” session. This week in “Show and Tell” We invite volunteers to do a 10 minute “Show and Tell” about one of the tools they teach their students about. Check out the Invitation above – let me know if you would like to “Show and Tell” If you haven’t used Elluminate before we can help with anything you would like to do.  Join us on Thursday June 16 th at 23:00 GMT/UTC the time for you will vary depending on your timezone (check yours here) Thursday afternoon/evening in the USA, late night Thursday in Europe, and Friday morning in Australia – in the usual Elluminate room

Edublogs webinar overview – e-learning jargon

Introduction

This was a great session – Phil (@philhart) got us all thinking as we discussed our ideas and opinions about the jargon we all use in an e-learning context and how this jargon may impact on those new to the field.

The Session

The session was recorded as usual (please let me know if you access it) for those who were unable to attend.

Phil started us off by getting us to share on the whiteboard our understanding of “jargon”

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Then we moved on to sharing some of our own experiences with “jargon” and looked at how we teach this for our oun subject areas.

Phil then asked if anyone had used a “Jargon Buster” and if so had they found it useful. One of the common problems with these is that they may often use “jargon” in defining “jargon” – very frustrating for the user! Phil has started a wiki experiment developing a dictionary of e-learning “jargon” where he is trying to use definitions written in plain language. We all had a go at trying to define a few given e-words in a simple easily understood way and also took a look at some of the “jargon” we ourselves have trouble with.

Phil moved on to look at the implications of “jargon” for those new to e-learning (both students and teachers) and thence to what we might do to try and help those new to the field. The wiki was started as an experiment but with collaboration has the potential to grow and could perhaps make a contribution to “unjargoning” the “jargon”. Phil invited all of us to join and collaborate whith him in building a “Dictionary of e-learning Jargon”  If you too would like to join this collaboration and contribute some definitions to the dictionary then ask Phil for an invitation. You can ask him by sending him your email either by DM on Twitter (@philhart) or by filling in the contact form on his blog

Conclusion

This session was fascinating, it certainly made me think again about jargon and how I use it and teach it. Like several of the definitions given in our look at some meanings I often use analogies that come from a (hopefully) more familiar context to my audience. I know I am sometimes guilty of using jargon without being sure that my audience understands this. I find this often happens when I am short of time or “characters” eg on Twitter where I often assume incorrectly that Tweeters will automatically be very “techie” people.

Next Webinar

SerendipitybsmallOur next session is an Edublogs “Serendipity” session on Thursday June 9th at 23:00 GMT/UTC (Afternoon/Evening USA) or Friday June 10th at 7am West Aus, mid morning Eastern States Aus depending on your timezone (check yours here) – in the usual Elluminate room. This is one of our fortnightly unconference sessions where we invite you to bring along your “hot topics” and “burning issues” for our poll on the topic of the day. If you want to propose a topic in advance then visit the Serendipity Wallwisher and add your topic.

Serendipity webinar overview – MLDs in class?

Introduction

This was a great session! Unfortunately not all captured in the recording as I was late starting it. I have tried to  fill in the gap by writing a little more than usual at the start.

The Session

Our chosen topic was Mobile Learning Devices (MLDs) in the classroom. Use of the acronym has incidentally given rise to the next Fine Focus topic – see later in the post for details.

We started with a brainstorm on the whiteboard to share our thoughts on what we saw as MLDs. there was quick agreement on cell/mobile phones, tablets, PDAs, netbooks, but a bit of discussion around laptops, digital cameras/videos and e-readers. The following were suggested as criteria: light, portable, internet capable and also having both input and output capability.

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We were very lucky in that one of our number Tracy (@mmebrady) has recently started using MLDs in class. Tracey gave us a great run down on how she is using  PollEverywhere with her students so they can use their own cell/mobile phones in class and can answer questions online. A great motivator for students who are normally not allowed to get phones out in class! Tracy also told us about how she is exploring QRCodes and placed one for her blog on the whiteboard. I have since downloaded a free QRCode reader for my phone & visited Tracy’s blog from my phone via the QRCode on the whiteboard – very exciting! Access the recording and try it for yourself!

The discussion about QRCodes was great piece of  Serendipity – I had come across them but hadn’t really thought about ways I could use them, but this really helped to get me thinking about some possiblities. I can see lots of potential for enabling students to access links through mobile devices directly from written resources by including a QRCode.

We finished with a diversion from the main topic into a short discussion about designing a “learning experience” and what would be important to include in such a design.

Conclusion

This was a fascinating session and has certainly encouraged me to look at more possibilities for mobile devices even though in my region we have many areas with poor coverage.

Our Next Session

FineFocusSmallOur next Webinar is an Edublogs “Fine Focus” session. This week in “Come hither, all ye victims of (e-learning) jargon” We will: take a look at some of the jargon we use unconsciously; and ask does this put educators off exploring e-learning and if so what can we do about it. Phil will invite you to collaborate on a “dictionary” of some of the e-jargon we all use regularly. Join us on Thursday June 2 nd at 23:00 GMT/UTC the time for you will vary depending on your timezone (check yours here) Thursday afternoon/evening in the USA, late night Thursday in Europe, and Friday morning in Australia – in the usual Elluminate room