How to Include Meaningful Interactivity within Live, Synchronous, Online Learning Sessions

DRAFT

When constrained by common adverse conditions(i.e., How can good old Classroom Assessment Techniques be used online when…)

• Online meeting time is VERY LIMITED
•  (e.g., Only 1 
• or 2 sessions; 
• “too much to cover”)
• Learner and leader locations:
• Learners are not in the same physical space as leader/facilitator/teacher but are all in the same room.
• Learners and the leader are all in different locations.
• The leader and some of the learners are in the same room and some learners are in other locations.
• Cannot ensure that ALL the learners
• will use Internet via the same combination of device, operating system, user interface, …
• will be fully ready to use any single designated tool for online interactivity before the first session begins.
• Internet access
• The teacher can not see the participants.

Some lessons learned from other situations that have SOME similar characteristics and SOME significant differences

• Have BOTH A "voice of the room" ( a person who serves as an interface between distant learner and group) AND a "voice of the vote" (a person who serves as a counter/summarizer of the results displayed visibly via some physical devices for voting (eg. thumbs up/down; 5 fingers; colored cards)
• Determine the extent to which participants have the same devices, they know how to log into the device, updated flash, etc
• Have a back-up plan or continuity plan such as record the event, email the participants, leverage TodaysMeet, Kehoot activity, scavenger hunt activity,
• When meeting more than once, introduce something during session one that you will use in session #2)
• Send a recording with instructions on how to log into the application prior to the event.

Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning

Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning by James M. Lang

I just started reading this book. My plan is to capture at least one idea from each chapter and incorporate immediately into my teaching.

Part 1: Knowledge
1. Retrieving. The idea here is that retrieval practice will help learners retain foundational material. Frequency matters, align practice and assessments and require thinking. The opening and closing of class are good places to add retrieval activities. 
I could close the training event with a short quiz or  solve a problem. I could also close the class by asking learners to write down the most important concept from today. 
Example of a problem. Your student needs to work online for 60 minutes during the week. How might you weave that time into your weekly schedule?

2. Predicting. Predictive activities prepare your mind for learning by driving you to make connections. Predictive exercises may also reveal gaps in our knowledge. Stay conceptual, provide fast feedback. Induce reflection. Curiosity.
Ideas. Begin the session with a pretest. When presenting a case or a problem, stop before the conclusion and ask the learner to predict the outcome.
Example: after reviewing the action tabs, ask participants how long they think it will take to check this information. After reviewing auto placement information ask participants to predict how long a 1st grader placed in level 2 will be asked to work online each week.

3. Interleaving. Spacing out learning sessions over time and mixing up your practice of skills you are seeking to develop.
If we used spaced learning to allow some time for forgetting to set in, we are forced to draw from our long-term memory when we return to it. A little forgetting has the effect of retriggering consolidation, further strengthening memory.
The time that intervenes between spaced learning sessions allows our mind to better organize and solidify what we are studying.


More to come.....

9 Fundamental Digital Skills for 21st Century Teachers

9 Fundamental Digital Skills for 21st Century Teachers

Recording and editing videos
Create interactive video content
Create info graphics and posters
Create PLNs, connect, discover, create new content, and grow professionally
Use blogs and wikis to create participatory spaces for students
Create engaging presentations
Create digital portfolios
Curate, organize and share digital resources
Create digital quizzes

From  www.educatorstechnology.com - December 14, 12:08 AM

Book Discussions

Offering and facilitating a book discussion using a form of reciprocal teaching.


On December 7, 2017 the TLT Group offered a book discussion for members.  The book,  "How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens" by Benedict Carey. 

I invited TLT Members to chose a chapter in the book to read and then share at least two ideas that were most significant to them. Sharing could take several options: attend the session or submitting a summary in writing or via video or audio. I created a Google doc sign up sheet. "Sign Up for a Chapter." 

I then prepared a slide representing each chapter using Haiku Deck. 


Book Discussion "How We Learn" - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

The approach was a form of reciprocal teaching in that each person shared information from their chapter.  The summaries took different forms, from verbal, to slides, to a document to a audio recording.  We had a small group of 7 people and we used ZOOM video conferencing platform to connect. 

Some of the lessons learned from this experience:

• Most people only read their chapter not the entire book
• Reading and summarizing one chapter was more manageable.
• Participants who read one chapter were able to come away with insights from the entire book.
• Participants who one chapter had more information and then could decide if they wanted to invest more time in reading the entire book or other aspects.
• We needed a little more time structure to ensure that all chapters were given time. so setting a limit for each chapter would be good.
• Add a few minutes at the end for debrief, what went well, what could be improved and next steps.
• Provide more time to promote and describe the expectations in better detail. 

Next steps

1. Decide what book to discuss next by surveying the TLTG Members. See survey below.
2. Determine what approach to use. Link to Google search on book discussion questions

Using apps to study and learn: Quizlet and Kahoot

https://quizlet.com

Study Sets

I first started using Quizlet in March 2016. I created a set of questions and used them as a review at the end of a training session.

Next I used Quizlet for my own learning and created study sets to assist in my study of wine. I really liked being able to access the Quizlet app on my phone and study while I walked. 

Here is a link to a Quizlet study set I made while reading the book "Make It Stick."

I most recently used the Quizlet Learn activity as I worked to learn RAPID. I haven't used it fully as it has more long term planning and reminding features.  I plan to use this as I study for the WSET Level 3 certification course. Mire about this later.

Quizlet Live

Next up with Quizlet has recently been the new classroom game, Quizlet Live.  This is a team collaboration game. It works best with terminology. The first time I used it with a group the energy level went from 20 - 1000. It took me a little while to understand the collaboration piece.  When team members sign in they each see 4 different possible answer choices. This is important to explain as you start the game.  For some reason it wasn't intuitive to me.

Diagrams

You can also incorporate diagrams into Quizlet.  Here is an example, Tongue Taste Areas

https://create.kahoot.it

I have used the quiz feature in Kahoot and love it as an in class review activity.  I would like to learn more about the Discussion, Survey and Jumble as well as the team aspect of the quiz game.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/living/food-drink/article153706719.html

April in Minocqua, 2017

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Notes and Ideas from "Liberating Structures: Including and Unleashing Everyone"

"Liberating Structures: Including and Unleashing Everyone"

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/

Ideas related to facilitating learning in a webinar environment

I have the wonderful opportunity of facilitating web workshops for Lexia Learning and in helping to facilitate learning for the TLT Group. Most recently The question I have been exploring of late is this. Why and how is facilitating learning different in a webinar environment versus in a face to face environment,  My first step in answering that question has been to read a book titled "Great Webinars: How to create interactive learning that is captivating, informative and fun"  by Cynthia Clay. I first read this book when I was working as a Faculty Development Specialist for EDMC.

Below are some of my notes and ideas from the book. This is not yet in any coherent order but what I will say is that reading this book has helped me generate ideas that I have already put into practice. In addition I continue to add to this list as I learn new things along the way.

The beginning
My colleague Lisa Casto shared these adult learning characteristics:

• Adults who do not summarize new learning lose it within one hour! -Bob Garmston
• The average adult forgets 25% within one hour and forgets 85%within one week. It takes 21 attempts at something new for an adult to establish a pattern and 100 times for something to become automatic. (A child – 10 attempts and 85 times to be routine.) - -Judy Ann-Krupp
• Adults formulate their impression of a learning situation within the first 90 seconds. The number one turnoff is, “It’s time to begin.” - Bob Garmston

All of these factors are worth exploring in depth.  The last bullet point is of interest to me especially as it relates to a webinar environment. I am not sure when the clock starts. Is it when the participant enters the room? Is it when we are ready to start? Is it before or after we have participants sign? Maybe all of those factors contribute to the impression we are creating for the learner.  The question I am now wrestling with is this? What kind of impression do I want the learner to have? Here is my thinking so far:

• The content will benefit me, will be directly relevant, the trainer is flexible and will adapt to meet my needs.
• The trainer is knowledgeable and organized
• The trainer is enthusiastic and friendly
• I, the learner, anticipate being challenged to learn new things.

The next question is  what can I do to influence that 1st impression in a web workshop environment? For me, this is where paying attention to detail will be important and of course, there will be things that will be out of our control, but what are the things we can control and or influence. I think there are things that we can do in a webinar around these parameters.

• Attention to the appearance of the room, 
• the organization of the day,
• the behavior of the presenter is imperative as participants enter the room.

What are the things we can control and/or influence as it relates to "attention to appearance of the room?"  Here is what I have come up with so far:

• Be sure there is a screen to project the webinar image.
• Work with the onsite person to maximize the webinar window.
• Project a welcome message.
• Ask site person to post links on the board and assist people in logging in.
• Be sure each participant has a computer.
• Be sure each participant has a handout.
• Have my live image (the facilitator) visible when participants enter.
• Understand the type of room: is it a library, a computer lab, a classroom, a cafeteria.
• Enter the room 15 minutes ahead of time with on site person so audio and video are ready to go when participants enter.

The ending
I have been disappointed in how I have ended webinars so I have made it a point to improve the ending, No matter how the time and expectations may fluctuate, my goal is to reserve 2-5 minutes for some sort of ending. Ideally I want to have time for a short reflection on next steps, a review of the session goals, thank you and the survey.

One idea that I have not tried yet is to use the white board in WebEx to capture the next steps ideas
generated at the end.

My colleague Susie Evans, shared this tip on March 17th. She has been setting an alarm to go off with 15 minutes until the end.  She gauges where things are at and may then give participants some options on how to spend the remaining time. Considerations: Size of group, what transpired earlier,

Miscellaneous
I have decided to use the phrase "web workshop" versus webinar. I think it implies a more interactive learning environment. The word webinar more reflects a passive environment.

One thing I would like to do more of is to encourage participants to tell their stories.

I would like to improve the type of open ended questions I ask. Such as "Does anyone have an example of a time..."

Remember to breathe and to smile and enjoy the experience. Jane Pfau puts a picture of her daughter by the camera. Matt builds in praise and customization. Chris creates a conversation rather than a one sided presentation.

Lipstick and glasses help the audience focus on the presenter.

Housekeeping
The beginning of a webinar involves some housekeeping activities and I plan to start calling it that. For example: getting participants logged into myLexia and TodaysMeet, being sure they have the handouts, talking about how we will communicate, introducing myself, talking about the survey at the end, etc. This is still a work in progress and does change given audience factors.

Pre webinar assignment
I do like the idea of providing a pre web workshop assignment but it would need to be very simple. I am thinking something like this for a launch: log into myLexia, find the training on demand videos, view one and answer one question.

I think we could do more related to a self assessment prior to a data coaching session. This would be fun to develop..

Getting to Know Participants
Getting to know participant names is something else I am working on. For a large group that is more challenging but for a small group, I have been using a bold marker and a large post it note and capturing names from the myLexia site and attaching the post it to the side of the computer screen. In cases of a large group I capture the name of a few key people only. Short video 

Getting to know participants

Ideas for handling slides with dense information
Instead of just presenting the slide related to research on at risk and usage, I have created a question
and asked the group what they think the result might be and then present the slide. The research data slide is very dense with information and asking the question first helps in focusing.

Slide Format
I have added an affective goal. So in addition to the overall goal of implementing Lexia with fidelity, I have added "Get excited about implementing Lexia." I have been thinking about adding a polling question where I ask the participants how excited are you to implement a Lexia. I am still working on this idea. Balancing the getting started tasks with audience technology comfort ability is an important considerate. The poll question could also be something very simple like asking yes or no about experience with Lexia.

You actually need more slides for a webinar and slides in general need more graphics and less words. With that in mind, I have modified the slide I had been using with the 5 keys to implementation fidelity and created 6 separate slides. I also refer participants to the training guide.

I want to develop a slide at the end where I summarize various post webinar support resources such as the Help desk, the training guide, training on demand videos, Twitter, lead is website, onsite experts.

Two of my webinar colleagues use a cursor that blinks when the control key is pressed. I plan to check it out.  Here is how you activate that function.

• Go into your Computer Settings
• Select Devices- then choose Mouse and Touchpad
• Choose Additional Mouse Options
• Go to the Pointer Options tab at the top
• Click the box for "Show location of pointer when I press the CTRL key"

Check in frequently with participants and in different ways:

• Korrie Skibinski shared this activity she called 1-2-3
  1 - In the beginning she asks the group to share one word to describe how they are feeling and then addresses those feelings.  For example, if the group says they are feeling overwhelmed, she might say, Lexia has some featured that will help you easily see how yours students are doing.
  2 - After the experimentation with the student program she asks the group to share 2 words describing the student program/
  3 - At the end of the session she asks for 3 words describing what you have learned today or your next steps.
  
• Kathy Broderick suggested asking specific questions versus always saying "Do you have any questions?"  For example, I am looking for 3 people to share what they like about Lexia.
  
• Suzy Evans asks participants in a Data Coaching event to identify 5 students they would like to discover more about and then she takes them through the various reports. At the end she asks them to narrow this down to 3 kids and to identify what steps they plan to take.

There is a way in WebEx to make the chat box disappear for the participants, it's called "clear view mode." You activate it by hitting Crtl, Alt, Shift and H.  You bring it back by hitting escape.

"Strange Inspiration" (CC BY 2.0) by jijake1977

Learning more about Twitter from Susan Beardon on TLTG FridayLive! 11/20/2015

Learning more about Twitter from Susan Beardon this week (November 20, 2015) with the TLT Group on FridayLive!

Prior to the webinar Penny Kuckkahn shared an interesting dialog that took place between her son and daughter regarding Twitter. This short interchange sums up polar views about Twitter. Twitter may not be for everyone. I need to decide if it is for me and if so, in what regard. Thanks for allowing me to share this Penny.

Lainie and I subscribe to a service which allows us to watch all National and International skating throughout the world live streamed.  As we watch we usually follow the hashtag on twitter for the competition.

Conversation between my 17 year old son and 14 year old daughter

Philip: What is Twitter?

Lainie:  It this thing that you can post your thoughts and ideas using less than 160 characters

Philip: Why would you do that?

Lainie:  To let people know your thoughts and ideas

Philip:  That's just dumb

Lainie:  No it's not.  I can see what the coaches I have worked with think about the skater I am watching

Philip:  My first tweet - "Twitter just another form of gossip"

          My last tweet "So long Twitter I do not even need 160 characters"

Below is a mind map of my notes from the webinar.  Link to the mind map.
Also below is the transcript of the FridayLive! Twitter "conversation."

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.

Todoist - cloud-based task and project-management

I have been experimenting with Todoist to help me manage my tasks for the day.  I like that you can create your own projects and assign tasks to those projects. One of the things I would like to do with this project feature is to create a project that represents the breakthrough goal I am working on.  I think Todoist will help me see what kind of progress I am making toward this goal, help me keep the goal front and center.

I also like that you can collaborate on projects using Todoist. All people involved in the project must create an account. Once added to a project all people involved can add, assign, and modify tasks. Creating an account  is free.

Below is a short "How To" video.

Collect Ideas, Discuss, and Vote Using Tricider

The TLT Group has been exploring the app, Tricider for the past few weeks, thanks to an

introduction by Penny Kuckkahn. Tricider is an easy tool to collect ideas, discuss and vote. So it facilitates brainstorming and voting all in one. It also facilitates debate.

Tricider works great for teams in the work place and for students as a part of a class.  The app is free and no registration is required.

Here is an example of a Tricider we used at the end of a webinar.  We used it as a space for participants to reflect on this question "What advice would you share with students or colleagues based on the readings and today's discussion?  We were also experimenting with the Tricider app.

We used the voting feature the next week to encourage people to share their ideas for the webinar around this question "What is one tool or strategy you or your institution uses to support student learning?"  The idea with the largest number of votes was the recipient of a prize. 

Tricider addresses many of the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education:

• Encourages active learning.
• Facilitates contacts between students.
• Emphasizes time on task
• Respects diverse ways of learning

The TLT Group shares something from "the Bleeding Edge" and a Low Threshold Application(LTA) each week prior to the start of FridayLive! This information is also available for TLT Members after the session.  See the up-coming FridayLive!  lineup here.

Exploring QR Codes

Exploring QR Codes

http://www.qrstuff.com/qr_codes.html

More information thanks to Penny Kuckkahn

Installed my 1st QR Code Reader - Norton Snap, so I could retrieve the information above.

Now to create my own QR Code and then figure out how to incorporate into my teaching.  More to come

My first attempt at creating a Tackk and embedding it in a blog

Using Quizlet to "Make It Stick" and Other Random Ideas

I have been reading the book Make It Stick and have come away with SO many ideas. I highly recommend the book.  There are also some shorter ways to connect to the content here. 

I love this quote from the book "Learning is deeper and more durable when it is effortful. Learning that's easy is like writing in the sand, here today and gone tomorrow" (pg. 11). I think this is one to the key misunderstandings about learning.  By making mistakes and then correcting them we strengthen our learning. As teachers there are ways we can use the information presented in this book to help our students become better learners and to deepen their learning.

Testing is a learning tool and according to cognitive science research practicing retrieval is key.  Practicing should be spaced, varied and interleaved to to be most powerful. So using quizzing before a lesson, after a lesson and students creating their own quizzes should we used more often.  To that end, I reconnected to Quizlet. There is even an apple and android app.  Below is the set of flash cards I created to help me learn the concepts in Make It Stick.  I will continue to add to this.




Now for just some random ideas and examples of things I would like to incorporate into my teaching.

1. Write down 10 facts you didn't know before reading the chapter. I was thinking about adapting this and asking participants in a webinar to write down 3 things they did not know before the webinar.
2. Retrieval practice that involves short answers and essay is more effective for long-term learning than multiple choice and true/false.
3. Practicing via flashcards is super powerful.  I would like to develop flashcards and provide a link to the set for participants to use after a training session.
4. Mixing up the practice is important. Provide some space between practice sessions, interleave practice sessions with different content. Important to note that this will feel more effortful but will actually produce better learning.  Also interesting is that even presented with this information will tend toward mass practice and rereading as ways of studying.  I love this quote "Practice like you play and you will play like you practice" (p 52).
5. Reflection involves both retrieval practice and elaboration. A good practice is to take a few moments after an experience to ask yourself a few questions: what went well, what would I do differently, what does this experience remind me of,
6. Embracing difficulty is a key to learning.  I love the idea of generation, being asked to supply an answer or a solution to something that is new to you. Give students some problems to solve before coming to class.
7. Explain a concept in your own words.
8. After a mini lecture, ask the class a few questions, but ask them not to refer to their notes.  This way they need to think harder about the answer and thus strengthening the pathway to that new knowledge.
9. Repeated retrieval is important to long term memory.
10. Listen to an audio recording and explain one key take away in your own words. Could be shared in a small group.
11. After listening to a recording, present students with some conceptual questions to talk about in small groups.
12. Reflecting on one's own learning and making it into a story strengthens learning.  This could be related to the role that structure building has in learning.
13. The focus of dynamic testing is identify what areas you need to strengthen, refocus and then retest.
14. The most powerful learning happens when wrestling to solve a problem.
15. Elaboration involves finding additional layers of meaning in new material. Examples of this are in the use of metaphor and creating a visual image. In essence you are relating new material to something you already know, explaining it to someone else and describing how it relates to your life.

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.