My group began to get ready for our online session at around 7 PM on Tuesday. We decided to use e-mail as a means of communicating while working our way to the collaborative platforms. Initially we decided to use Vyew and I found that the server at Vyew.com was taking too long to respond at the start. I managed to get through and was able to talk to my colleagues. I used a web cam for some time, but decided to stop using it since I had problems hearing what they were saying. I have to admit that Vyew was not easy to use at the start. There were some options that I thought were hard to spot at first sight. We managed to share our desktops and that part was really interesting. This tool had an online chat window that made it easy to contact people when the sound was failing. In addition, an interesting feature of this tool is that it works as a walkie-talkie. So each one had to take turns pressing the button in order to talk to the other participants of that session.
Another tool that we wanted to use was WizIQ, but it was not easy to get it to work so we decided to try Yugma. This tool was very interesting and it allowed you to share your screen, or even a whiteboard. The only problem is that we were unable to use the microphone. We had to write messages to communicate. The only way to use voice is by using Skype. So this was a bit of a disappointment, since I thought that Yugma would also integrate voice. I haven't tried, but I think you can't have simultaneous conversations with a group of people using Skype. You would have to put people on hold in order to do that. Another feature that we found in Yugma is that you can record a session. However, in order to be able to save it, you need to pay for the service. An interesting feature of Yugma is that the "moderator" of the session can make any other person in the session to become the "presenter". This is a nice way to actively involve people in the learning process and have them share their findings or ideas to the rest of the group.
I really enjoyed the exploration of these tools with my colleagues. I find them incredibly useful in education, especially in providing assistance through e-learning programs. I was reading an interesting article on the use of Skype for teaching English. Dr. Suggata Mitra is said to be recruiting British grandmothers who would be willing to give up a few hours a week to read to the children. In the Skype sessions, a life-size image of the teacher or storyteller is projected onto a wall in the Indian school (research has shown that this makes a huge difference to how well they learn) and they can ‘interact’ with the pupils in real-time, as the class appears on a large screen in their office or home (New Castle University, 2009).
The teacher has a powerful tool to promote student participation by having them talk live to other participants or even make demonstrations. These sessions need to be short, interesting and pertinent, though, since the it is easy to lose focus of what is going on. The other aspect is the reliability of the connection to the platform. It is really hard to follow a session when the sound is broken or the window freezes. In order for all this to happen promptly, teachers need to make sure that the session is properly set. Students need to try the platform in advance to ensure that it is working. If additional programs need to be installed, it's wise to have these downloaded before the session begins and run in the participants computers. Teacher may also need to create groups or rooms so that a private session can be ensured. The idea is that everyone gets to participate and is able to leave a trace of something done or contributed.
In conclusion, there are a great number of tools that can allow people to share their knowledge. Some require no software installation and can be done fully online. Other systems require programs to be installed in your computer. Each system has its own characteristics and it all depends on what a person wants to use it for in order to convey information. Some allow files to be uploaded, sessions to be recorded, some have audio, video and text, while others lack some of these resources. In addition, some of the tools are free but have limited access. If you are looking for the complete bundle, you have to pay!
References:
New Castle University. (2009). Can virtual teachers plug the educational divide?. Retrieved February 23, 2009, from: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/press.office/press.release/item/can-virtual-teachers-plug-the-educational-divide
2 comments:
I think Miguel poses a good point that cost seems to reflect capability for a lot of these products. If you are clever in your methods of using the free versions, I think you can find some value in them. However, the value added in the paid versions of these products could make the investment worth while if utilized well. The only problem I see, as with any service that comes with a cost, is providing proof for cost justification. It may be difficult in some cases to quantify the value added to a classroom. There are alternative instances such as distance learning, where students are ultimately paying for the service, and the school is gaining profit by offering such a service.
Thanks for the example concerning the elderly woman reading to children via Skype; there are non-verbal aspects of such communication during such sessions that can also be quite valuable beyond just hearing someone read English. Thanks for the reference from New Castle University. I checked that.
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