Adobe Connect 9.3 Whiteboard Tool - The Basics and Ideas for Use

On October 17, 2014 the TLT Group FridayLive webinar focused on "What's New in Adobe Connect 9.3." One of the tools featured was the whiteboard.  Below are some of the highlights from that session. This short video describes the basic whiteboard features and introduces a whiteboard activity.


Some of the ideas shared during the session on ways the whiteboard could be used.

1. The white board could be overlayed on a video and the annotation tools used to highlight key points.
2. You can ask students to place an X on a line to illustrate their experience or comfort level with something you are about to introduce.
3. As an ice breaker you could put up a wall image and invite participants to create graffiti before the start of a live session.
4. The whiteboard can also be an overlay on applications such as Access, Excel, etc.
5. Use the whiteboard for a chalk talk activity and then export it as notes for the participants.
6. Use for brainstorming activities.
7. Use it for exporting notes for student review.
8. Develop a slide deck loaded with images of walls, maps, squares, etc.that can be used on the fly for the whiteboard.
9. Use animated gif's on the whiteboard.

Whiteboards can be printed.  There are also two ways to export whiteboards: they can be saved as png or sent as a snapshot.

It is always valuable to be logged in as a participant so you can see how the screen appears to the participant. Another great piece of advice, spend time practicing with the setting and learning new techniques.

Next steps:

1. I plan to continue to add to the list of ways the whiteboard can be used in Adobe Connect.
2. I plan to test the whiteboard feature in breakout rooms

My VoiceThread Learning Journey Continues

I am continuing my VoiceThread learning journey using Michelle Pacansky-Brock's book and am loving the discussions taking place about the book using VoiceThread.








I created a survey using VoiceThread and the Doodle tool, see below.  I gave people the option to use VoiceThread or a standard survey. Most people chose the standard survey.




Some take aways from Chapter 2:

• For VoiceThread activities, it's important to provide instructions that are: clear, specific, and accessible, I think it works best to have the instructions in writing on the screen in addition to providing them verbally.
• I would like to use Tackk to create a web page when designing a larger project. A VoiceThread could be embedded where participants could ask questions about the project.  Include sample projects and chunk the project into steps with dates and specific deliverables.  This approach could be used for TOL4B.
• I also like Michelle's suggestion of scaffolding the use of VoiceThread in a course by first having student leave comments, then move to editing and commenting and finally creating their own VoiceThreads.

In Chapter 3 Michelle provided examples of 8 different slide types. I like the idea of creating a consistent look and feel to the design of VoiceThreads that are used in a class. I also liked how Michelle added little reminders like "Comment Here" and "Just Listen.". I also like the way Michelle uses the check-in slide.

In Chapter 4 I gained a better understanding about why Michelle had so many different feedback identities. You need to use different identities if leaving multiple feedback in the same VoiceThread so you can reorder the feedback next to the comment being made.  Michelle also shared that she turns off the comments after the week assignment concludes.  Students still have access to view the ViceThreads and have reported value in doing so,

What I am learning about VoiceThread

I am participating in a TLT Group book discussion around Michelle Pacansky-Brock's book, "How to Humanize Your Online Class with VoiceThread. The discussion is taking place using VoiceThread.

Here are some of my take-aways from Chapter 1:

1. Create different identities such as one for when I am when I am inserting a text transcript of my voice comment and one for when I am providing feedback.
      
2. Survey students at the beginning of class regarding the the method they plan to use for creating a voice comment: mic, webcam, mobile app, phone.
3. A low risk ice breaker at the beginning of class which requires the use of voice.
4. It looks like there is a way to use the Doodle tool so that it does not fade away.  I want to experiment with that.
5. I'd also like to experiment with uploading a video into VoiceThread and using the Doodle Tool to comment.
6. I'd like to experiment more with leaving VoiceThread comments using a mobile device. 

Here are some things I want to further explore or questions that were raised for me from Chapter 1:

1. I would like to better understand Voice Manager.
2. I would like to create/adapt some collaborate learning activities using VoiceThread with some of my content.
3. I would like to further explore the various ways we, as teachers, can and should construct our presence online.  
4. Instead of using a survey regarding the up-coming TLT Cognitive Science Book Discussion Series, I would like to create a VoiceThread as a way for members to react to the books and talk about how they may want to contribute to the discussions.