Tools of Engagement

A great site with information about 

instructional technologies 

and ways to enhance your skills

https://sites.google.com/site/sunytoep/

Discovered during a TLTG FridayLive webinar.

http://www.tltgroup.org/

Presentain Experiment #2

Thanks Penny Kuckkahn (@pkuckkahn) for your feedback and participation as the audience for Experiment #2!!!! Here is what we discovered:

1. The recording audio worked GREAT. Switching to the "Rotate remote" option setting on the app did the trick.The audience question feature worked. I also like the slight vibration when a question comes in and then being able to display the question at the most appropriate time. The vibration does result in a light sound on the recording.
   
2. One thing that did not work as I anticipated, I displayed a poll which resulted in some conversation. This is probably atypical, but my audience did not respond and I think that may be why the poll did not show up on the recording.
   
3. I like the dashboard results especially the poll results. It might be nice to be able to export this information.

Below is the experiment recording


DRAFT WORK FLOW

1. Design presentation: outcome, assessment, activities, slides, polls, etc
2. Upload presentation slides into Presentain: pdf or Google slides (It takes time for this process, longer for longer presentations.)
3. Select presentation on your handheld device.  This too takes a few minutes to launch.
4. Bring up presentation on Presentain website and enter presentation pin number displayed on handheld device
5. Start presentation from handheld device, when ready.
6. Show audience website URL for their access to the presentation.
7. Your handheld device now becomes a remote control to advance the slides, receive audience questions, select poll questions, and record your audio.
8. The audience can down load select slides, ask questions, answer polls, request additional follow-up information.

Join us for Experiment #3, Friday, April 25, 2014, 1:30 PM ET tlt.gs/login

Experimenting with Presentain

I was first introduced to Presentain through a post from Michelle Pacansky-Brock. She shared her first experience using Presentain and used it as an example of vulnerability while presenting "Teaching in the Dark: Learning to Love What We Fear." Thanks Michelle.

This led me to my own experiment with Presentain during a pre TLT Group FridayLive event. Presentain is designed to help manage face to face presentations. The setting for this experiment was a little unique in that it took place using Adobe Connect, with participants in various places throughout the US, so not your typical presentation setting.

A big thank you to the my fellow TLT Experimenters and to Neek Kuat from Presentain for his quick response to my post experiment questions.  Here is what we discovered so far:

• AUDIO on the RECORDING. One of the cool things about Presentain is that a recording is created. In my experiment, the audio did not turn out. I had my phone sitting on the table next to me with the mic against the table. According to Neek "Best way to record the "slidecast" (presentation recording) is to switch on "Rotate remote" option in settings of the app (on your smart device) - this will allow you to turn your smartphone upside down when presenting - and hold it in your hand during presentation." The mic quality of your smartphone will impact the result as well.
• POLL RESULTS.   Poll results are designed to be displayed only on the main screen not on the handheld.  Neek's response: "Good point on poll results - will consider showing results on audience devices when making a next batch of updates to audience dashboard.
• AUDIENCE QUESTIONS. I should have been given a signal on my smartphone when a question from the audience came in.  I did not. This should have worked so, I will do some more testinDg as I really like this feature.  In theory, I should see a prompt on my smartphone and can then chose to display the question on the screen and address it live.  The questions also appear in a session summary so I could address them afterward as well. Response from Neek: "You are absolutely right about the incoming question notification. Originally we wanted to notify the speaker about incoming question with a short vibration of the smartphone, but technically it is not possible yet since Apple doesn't allow to use vibration feature while using microphone (I think they are trying to avoid noises in the phone calls or when recording an audio).
• DASHBOARD: The other cool thing about this app is the information available to you after the presentation, see diagram below: slide requests, lead captures and poll results.

One of the experimenters wondered if Presentain would replace clickers. In essence, the smart device does become an audience response device. I think answering a Presentain poll is more seamless than Poll Everywhere. The audience does need to go to the website to access the presentation on their smart device.  Once at that website, they can see the slides, ask a question and answer polls.

Someone asked how similar or different this was from NearPod. I have zero experience with Nearpod but did discover that it is an iPad app, similar to Presentain with a few more bells and whistles for in class instruction.

My next step is to run the experiment again to check the recording audio and the audience question feature. I will also write up the steps for setting up the presentation.

Experimenting with Stipple

I have been experimenting with Stipple. Ilene Frank connected me with this resource as a way to cite photos.  It has many other uses as well.  In the example below, I created a Stipple to promote an new TLT event, "Seven Futures of American Education schMOOC." Please let me know what you think of the Stipple I created and with Stipple in general.

This link will take you to the Stipple site (http://stipple.com/photos/53833588)

Designated Learner Experiment Continues

The Designated Learner Experiment continues.  Irene Knohk taught me how to use JING to capture a screen and to create a video.

Below are Steve Gilbert's thoughts on our next steps:
This was a GREAT step forward.
Irene, would you be willing to do almost the same thing with Jing again?
I'd like to try it with 2 or 3 very small, very specific tasks/projects identified in advance and the goal of trying to get the learner to succeed on those 2 or 3 as quickly as possible... with enough time left at the end to discuss other features of Jing that people might find relevant and/or to respond to audience questions.  I think we should also continue to identify the list of tasks/features that we will NOT address during our session...
I also wonder if the model of TV cooking shows has some relevance...  some steps can be omitted or condensed because someone has taken  care of that in advance....
For example...

• We list the prep that we would help our designated learner do in advance.  We make  a bigger deal in advance about the "worksheet" Irene prepared
• Open Jing & Screencast accounts
• Download Jing
• Identify a location on the learner's computer where any Jing files will be saved and avail immediately
• Identify a location (folder?) on the learner's Screencast account where any Jing files uploaded will be saved and avail immediately

What else could be handled this way in advance  AND WE COULD TELL PEOPLE THAT WE WERE DOING SO AND THAT THEY WOULD BE EXPECTED TO TAKE CARE OF THESE IN ADVANCE THEMSELVES IF THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO FOLLOW ALONG IN REAL TIME...
What do you think?
Steve

I love Steve's cooking show analogy.  I am also thinking we may want a place for people to be able to go after the session for more information and to view the recording, in other words, "to get the recipe."

One other thing we could add, either ask the participants for what they plan to do next and or suggest some things that they may want to do next that will help support and reinforce what they have learned in the session.  For example:  I want to go the JING and create a screen capture on my own so I don't forget what I have learned. Below is my latest achievement in that regard.

Designated Learner

The TLT Group has been experimenting with real time learning using a designated learner. The context for our experimentation is Adobe Connect web conferencing. The content is an online application, in this case Google Forms.  A designated learner learns "in front" of others and serves as the voice of the learner for the other participants. 

These are the questions we are addressing through our experimentation in this area:

• How can we make these "TRAINING"  sessions more useful to YOU and your colleagues?
• For which conditions, context would this new approach be especially helpful?  Not helpful?
• What should we try in this way next?

Gloria Hofer, Instructional Technology Resource Specialist, Santa Clara University, needs to be recognized for her bravery. Her expertise, patience and positive persistence during the session was a model in and of itself.

Here are the lessons we've learned so far:

• PREREQUISITE INFORMATION - Include a link to the prerequisite information in the workshop announcement such as: background information or set-up information.  
• In the case of our topic on Google forms that would include: establishing a Google Account and accessing Google Drive. We also wanted participants to open a second window on their computer and then be able to size the Adobe Connect window and the new window so they could be viewed side by side.  This information could have been provided as a screen cast.
• Include a handout with the steps of the process.
• BRIEFEST POSSIBLE ORIENTATION:
• Very very brief recap from the pre-session info
• How to make the Adobe presentation window full-screen and back to normal view. Chat is in normal view.
• How to signal the presenter using emoticons: raise hand, slow down, etc.
• Give the participants some options on how they might want to participate:
• resize the Adobe window and a second browser so they can see the demonstration at the same time as they follow along
• Toggle between the Adobe room and their browser as they listen and follow the instructions.
• Use two computers or an iPad and a computer.
• Use two monitors.
• PART 2, DEMONSTRATION: Designated Learner is guided to RAPIDLY  produce something to completion - if very rudimentary
• PART 3: instructor goes through more features  and responds to questions
• Figure out how to manage the windows in Adobe in advance. This may vary based on the content and instructor preference.
• NOTE: The variations between how things look if you are using a Mac versus if you are using a PC need to be taken into consideration.
• How much should the designated learner and the expert communicate before the session.  Someone suggested that the questions from the designated learner be scripted to help move the content along.  On the other hand, the designated learner and expert would have no contact and the reactions and questions from the designated learner would be spontaneous.
• During the demonstration, when the instructor is sharing their screen,use full screen.  Need a way for presenter to be able to see chat or hear to monitor what's going on.  Check this out.
• Be careful about allowing unanticipated questions.

Our plan is to apply these lessons to a series of Member Exchange Workshops related to Social Media/Networking Tools/Resources. planned for January 9, 23 and Feb 13th. This link will take you to the registration page

Claire Dailey

Vocaroo + Wordle + e-mail + LMS

I asked Penny Kuckkahn, Instructional Designer/Faculty Development Coordinator, for the easiest way to produce a voice recording and she referred me to Vocaroo. This is truly a simple application.  You don't need to sign up and you immediate get a URL and can even embed the recording. Below is the recording I made summarizing the work we had been doing in a blended learning course I am teaching, Academic Mgt. 101.

Voice Recorder >>

I sent the voice recording to my students via e-mail with a word cloud image created from the script.  I used Wordle to produce the word cloud. Developing the script was the hardest part of the process.



Thanks Penny!


Beth