Brain Rules Exploration Activity in Adobe Connect

The TLT Group hosted a book discussion focusing on Dr. John Medina's book "Brain Rules." Steve Gilbert, Penny Kuckkahn and I developed the following activity in our attempt to help people connect to the book and model one of the Brain Rules, in this case #12, Exploration.  The activity took place in Adobe Connect.

We asked participants to chose one Brain Rule and then take 5 minutes to explore Dr Medina's website or any other resource. After reviewing material on the Brain Rule, identify one app or activity that connects with the Brain Rule in some way. We set up a new chat pod in a new layout for participants to post their contribution.
Below is a picture of the AC layout used.

After the activity we asked for feedback. In general participants liked the activity and the array of resources that were shared. They suggested we use music during the 5 minute exploration and no conversation. They liked the minute reminders we put in the chat. All in all it was a great success. This link will take you to a summary of the resources shared during the activity. This was a small group of 16 participants.

The image below illustrates the ideas offered by Brain Rule.  It is interesting to see the focus on Memory and Exercise.  Stress and Vision had the next highest votes.

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

Experimenting with Game Boards in Adobe Connect

"Games can be used to test prior knowledge when introducing a topic or they can be used to test understanding", (p. 25, Dailey (2011). Robins (2010) explains that games are a good way to learn for these reasons:

• they involve intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, 
• have clear measures of success and feedback
• have reduced stakes
• help student translate various skills, concepts and ideas;
• involve both collaboration and competition
• usually include a tutorial or clear instructions for play; and 
• facilitate reflective thinking

This experiment involved taking a game board activity and adapting it to Adobe Connect.  Every webinar has unique functionality.  In Adobe Connect only presenters can use whiteboard tools, so volunteers are needed and their status changed to presenter for the duration of the game. I hope this recipe will help you give it a try.  It was a fun and engaging experiment.  I very much appreciate those who volunteered to help. I had a much smaller group than anticipated and plan to try it again with a larger group to see how it goes.

INGREDIENTS

1. Game Board. There are a variety of free templates for developing question cards and game boards.  This link will take you to a very simple PowerPoint game board. You can customize the game board by adding images to the board relevant to the topic.   Below is an image of the Adobe Connect layout.
2. A Set of Multiple Choice Questions. The site above also has a template for making question cards which could be use in a face to face setting.  I used PowerPoint to create a slide for each question with the answer animated to appear with a click.
3. Tokens. There a few symbol choices available using the whiteboard tools in AC.  I created two symbols and filled them in with a different color.
4. Die. I used a digital die from this site, http://www.random.org/dice.  I rolled the die off camera and told them the result.  It would have great to roll the die within Adobe.

DIRECTIONS

• In preparation for the game, the questions need to be developed and the PowerPoint or card set created. In addition the game bard can be customized.
• Obtain two volunteers willing to move the token for each team.  Change their status to presenter.  Participants are not able to use whiteboard drawing tools. I then gave the volunteers directions on how to move the token using the select drawing tool. 

                   

• The selected token will then appear as below and they can then click and drag the token
  throughout the game board.  Give the volunteers a chance to practice.

• I divided the participants into two groups based on their last name and reviewed the following directions which were on a ppt slide
  
  
  
  
• I revealed the question and then allowed anyone on the team to answer.  If they all have mic access this could take place orally if not, then the answers could be shared in the chat pod.  If the team did not have the correct answer, I allowed the other team an opportunity to answer.
• Below is the Adobe Connect room layout during the game.
  
  
  
  
  
  

REFERENCES
Dailey, B.A.M. 2001. Creating Significant Deep Learning Experiences: The Cross Papers Number 14. Phoenix, AZ: League for Innovation in the Community College.
Robins, S.S., Eisert, D. and Kelton, A.J. (2010, October 14). Games: The Best Way to Learn, Period. Retrieved from Educause http://www.educause.edu/annual-conference/2010/games-best-way-learn-period

Adapting Ordered Sharing for Adobe Connect Breakout Rooms

TLT FridayLive participants shared their thoughts on the Fundamental Questions related to using ”breakout rooms” in online sessions.

What do you most what to gain:

• providing the shy / quiet folks with a smaller group to talk
• less pressure to speak in front of everyone else
• brainstorming and planning for sharing back
• Giving folks the opportunity to contribute in small groups when they don't feel comfortable sharing in large groups

What do you most cherish and not want to lose:

• still allow the kind of dialogue that emerges in f2f small groups
• communication and relationship...  
• Ability for students to feel connection and responsibility for their ideas and contributions to a community understanding - weaving back into larger class/group.
  
  

Breakout rooms offer an opportunity for dialogue. “Through critical discourse, students convert surface knowledge to deep learning by connecting new ideas to their existing framework, creating new patterns, dissecting principles, and ultimately constructing meaning for themselves” (Dailey, 2011, p.21).  Helping students learn at a deeper level is well worth the effort. Ordered Sharing, offered by Caine Learning Center,  is one instructional strategy that can be used to that end. Below are the some ideas for adapting this strategy to an Adobe Breakout Room environment.

First we applied the lessons we learned in using Adobe Breakout rooms in general, see this blog post for more information. Three key elements for success are:

1. Allow more time than you think for the activity.  
2. Practice makes Progress, each web-conference platform is different and has it’s own operational nuances.
3. Verbal and Written Instructions; review prior and have visible in the breakout room.

Image created in Stipple

http://stipple.com/photos/53901134

PREPARATION

1. Identify a participant who will serve as the group’s time keeper. Make them a presenter before starting the breakout rooms.
2. Set up the breakout room layout. In the layout below, a campfire image was uploaded into a share pod. Directions were created in PowerPoint and uploaded into another share pod and the reflection question was upload into a third share pod.

Ordered Sharing Breakout Room Layout

PARTICIPANT ORIENTATION

1. Introduce the slide drawing tools and allow participants time to practice.  This could be done as an icebreaker at the start of the session.
2. Introduce the topic.
3. Review the directions: visual and verbal. Explain the reason the ordered sharing activity is being used. Ordered sharing is another way to listen and think together through dialogue. Encourage participants to listen fully without commenting in any way, observing their thoughts and the thoughts of the group, suspending their assumptions, refraining from imposing their views on others, and avoiding suppressing or holding back their thoughts.
4. Give participants an opportunity to reflect.
5. Change to the breakout room layout and explain that this is the layout they will see in the breakout room. Review directions including how to activate their microphone in the breakout room. Explain that the campfire image provides the context, a setting for the group to talk together. Identify the time keepers.
6. Evenly distribute participants into rooms or manually move participants.
7. Provide a warning that they will soon find themselves in a breakout room. Start breakout sessions.  

DURING THE ACTIVITY

Check in on the groups and assist with any technical challenges. Based on progress, determine when to close the breakout rooms.  Give the groups a 2 minute warning, 1 minute warning and then announce that they will be returning to the main room.

WRAP UP

You might decide to ask the groups to report out in some way and or to debrief the Ordered Sharing strategy.

Resources:

Caine, R. N., Caine, G., Kimek, K. J., McClintic, C. L., & Costa, A. L. (2009). 12 brain/

bind learning principles in action. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.

Dailey, B.A.M. 2001. Creating Significant Deep Learning Experiences: The Cross Papers Number 14. Phoenix, AZ: League for Innovation in the Community College.

USING ADOBE CONNECT BREAKOUT ROOMS – LESSONS LEARNED

This is a collection of the lessons I recently learned when preparing to use Adobe Connect breakout rooms in preparation for a small group activity which was part of the TLT MOOCOW, Teaching Online for Beginners, tlt.gs/TOL4B (10/18/13)

Three very general pieces of advice. One, give yourself lots of time for group work. Two, practice several times before using this feature. Three, take time to clarify instructions at the onset: verbal and visual.

Preparation Strategies We used breakout room facilitators.  We met several times:

·         Went over the small group activity, directions and various individual group member roles.

·         Practiced moving from the main room layout to the small group layout.

·         Work with the facilitators so they also know how to send the host a chat message while within the breakout session. 

NOTE: The best way to get the facilitators into groups is for them to be presenters before moving breakout groups. Adobe will distribute each to a different breakout room.

Participant Orientation to New Features/Functions  Include some practice activities and or demonstrations  using features that may be new to participants such as writing on the Note Pod and activating microphones. Participants become presenters when moved into breakout groups.  This gives them the ability to use the microphone.  You may also want to develop and review guidelines for regulating conversation especially if the group is large and if many have mics such as raising your hand when you want to speak.

Activity Directions and Breakout Room Functionality    Review activity directions with the large group in addition to including a slide with those same directions which will display in the breakout rooms.  Explain how the groups were formed, random or selected.  Random is the easiest and fastest way especially for large groups. Warn the participants before sending them into groups. 

Breakout Room Layout  I like creating a separate layout for the breakout room activity that   You will need to use very large font (30 -32, at least) because the pod will be small.)  The chat pod was used to facilitate discussion for those without microphones.  The Note Pod was used for the note taker/reporter to capture the highlights from discussion.  If you include a place for the reporters name at the top it will be quicker during the report to assign mic privileges to the correct person. I am still experimenting with how to get the timer to work.  I think a countdown timer will help the groups manage their time.
matches

what the groups will be doing.  Below is the format we used. In addition to the chat, attendee and note pod, I included a share pod where I uploaded a slide with activity directions and participant roles.

Moving into Breakout Rooms

The first step is to select the breakout view from the Attendees Pod. You will then see the number of breakout rooms.  Three rooms is the default. You can add additional rooms by clicking the  button.

       

The second step is to move people into the rooms. The easiest way to do this is to evenly distribute them from the main room.  To do so press this button

You can also click and drag individuals to different rooms.  This can and should be done prior to starting the breakouts.

Step three.  If you have a specific breakout room layout bring that layout up BEFORE moving into groups.  The groups will experience the layout applied before moving into groups.

Step four. When you are ready to move to breakouts, give a heads up and then press the 

button. The hosts will remain in the main room and can move themselves into various breakout rooms.  It is good to check back in the main room periodically.  If someone comes late to the session, they will enter the main room and you can then move them individually into a room.

Breakout Room Activity You may want to have a back-up reporter and several back-up facilitators just I case.

Ending the Breakout Session You have the ability to send a broadcast message that will be viewed simultaneously by all groups.  It is good practice to give a five minute and 1 minute warning.

Group Report Out When the groups report out you can open their white board while in the main room so they can refer to their written summary.  You will need to give mic privileges to the reporter.  If the reporters names is at the top of the Note pod, this will be faster.

NOTE: If you are sending the participants back to the same breakout groups, simply press the Start Breakouts button.  If you want them in different groups then press the random button.

Some Resources:

Adobe Connect Breakout Rooms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT1sUzmUA6I

***Adobe Connect Tutorial: Breakout Rooms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKDlRt3PC9s

All Things Adobe Connect Get Connected http://allthingsadobeconnect.blogspot.com/2012/09/what-are-best-practices-for-connect.html

Connect Guru: Adobe Connect Pro Breakout Rooms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZjPaj49x7g

Using Adobe Connect 9 (pg. 61-70) http://help.adobe.com/en_US/connect/9.0/using/connect_9_help.pdf