My part of the Group Leadership Project focuses on Google Forms. I have finished my 6 slides (and written a script), but may feel like revisions may need to be made sometime next week. Once everyone has finished their parts, we will put them in one presentation, and have someone do the voice recording.
I pasted my script (which is meant to accompany the slides I created) in our group's Google Document (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YwLpYaBKIUFEbWu7vrQ1bS7Wmv5yz8q322vveQafJhk/edit?hl=en_US). Christine had created a separate Google Doc for her storyboard, so I pasted hers in our group one as well. Jeff said that he will post his later today. David wasn't at the meeting, but did email the group saying that he is back in town.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
PART C - Implementation
If you cannot hear my podcast in your RSS Reader or podcatcher, or just prefer to view my blog from the regular URL, here's the link: http://db.tt/wgDHa0n
Here's a screenshot of my Google Calendar trial:
Here's a screenshot of my Google Calendar trial:
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| Google Calendar from the creator's view |
Sunday, July 24, 2011
PART A - Brainstorm Session
Web Conferencing Tools
We tried a number of web conferencing tools for this assignment. One of our group members had a hard time with three of the services, while another had a hard time with one of the services (the one that the other group member could get to work). I've included some screen shots of our attempts in this blog post. As a last resort, we Skyped for voice chatting, and kept a written record in a Google Doc.
Skype had crystal clear call quality. However, since we had four people in our conference call, we were not able to share screens or video streams. Web Huddle did let one person share their screen. Since she was the one that started the web conference, it did not allow anyone else to act as a presenter.
We used Angel's Email and Live Chat Room services to setup our initial meeting.
Due to our group's technical difficulties, and the fact that Jing only records the screen for 5 minutes, we could not record our group meeting. It lasted for a little over an hour in total.
Group Leadership Project
Our group has decided to create a tutorial for teachers that will use Google Docs. Our ~10 minute presentation will be shared via Slideshare. We will divide the work four ways: Documents (Christine), Spreadsheets or Drawings (David...he had to leave the meeting early, but will get to pick between Spreadsheets and Drawings), Presentations (Jeff), and Forms (me).
Part A needs to get done today. Part B needs to be done by July 31st. We would like to have the entire presentation done and uploaded by August 6th--a week ahead of schedule. This is still just a rough outline, but I feel it is adequate, since we have yet to begin.
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| Team 1 Web Huddle |
Skype had crystal clear call quality. However, since we had four people in our conference call, we were not able to share screens or video streams. Web Huddle did let one person share their screen. Since she was the one that started the web conference, it did not allow anyone else to act as a presenter.
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| Angel Live Chat Room |
Due to our group's technical difficulties, and the fact that Jing only records the screen for 5 minutes, we could not record our group meeting. It lasted for a little over an hour in total.
Group Leadership Project
Our group has decided to create a tutorial for teachers that will use Google Docs. Our ~10 minute presentation will be shared via Slideshare. We will divide the work four ways: Documents (Christine), Spreadsheets or Drawings (David...he had to leave the meeting early, but will get to pick between Spreadsheets and Drawings), Presentations (Jeff), and Forms (me).
Part A needs to get done today. Part B needs to be done by July 31st. We would like to have the entire presentation done and uploaded by August 6th--a week ahead of schedule. This is still just a rough outline, but I feel it is adequate, since we have yet to begin.
Web Conferencing
Free Video Chatting Services
In preparation for this assignment, I had a few friends volunteer to try out various video chatting services with me. We tried Vyew, Web Huddle, Google+ Hangouts, iChat, and Skype. While each services had its pros and cons, here are the highlights:
Web Huddle offered the best quality screen share. It was almost as clear as on the original screen. It offered very limited controls to everyone other than the person who started the meeting. Vyew had the best tutorial. It was also the best at uploading and sharing files. Its downfall was the complexity. The controls were not intuitive, and featured a cluttered display. Google+ let all of us talk to, see, and type to each other. However, the features are limited. There is no option to share screens or files (although Google Docs could be used, since this is a Google product). iChat had by far the clearest video stream. It also came with options such as backgrounds and face distortions (amusing, but not particularly useful). There was also no way to share files. While on iChat, I can chat with users on other servies (eg Yahoo Instant Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger), but one can only actually use iChat itself from a Mac. Skype allows users to share screens, video, and text chat when there are only a couple of users. When we tested it with four of us, only voice and text chatting were enabled.
Paid Video Chatting Services
Having said all of that, I have used three pay sites in classes at MSU and UNC-Wilmington. Adobe Connect is nice because users do not need to create accounts or download anything. They can simply login with any alias--no password required! (this could also be a bad thing by users creating fake names or impersonating others) The administrator can share their screen, or give that right to other users by promoting them to "presenter." Wimba is similar, but users are automatically signed in with their Blackboard accounts (if the university pays for both Blackboard and Wimba). MediaSite is different from both of these because it is best for recording with a video camera, rather than screen sharing.
All three of these services allows for recordings to be viewed later, offer chat windows, and audio. All in all, Wimba probably has the most features, but they are all niche products.
Reflections
My office is in the school's library, which I help run. The potential for video chatting in my "classroom" is video chatting with an author or another classroom (think foreign language--maybe a class in Spain learning to speak English?). Depending on how many users were logged in, I would suggest that we use either Skype or Google+ Hangouts.
In preparation for this assignment, I had a few friends volunteer to try out various video chatting services with me. We tried Vyew, Web Huddle, Google+ Hangouts, iChat, and Skype. While each services had its pros and cons, here are the highlights:
Web Huddle offered the best quality screen share. It was almost as clear as on the original screen. It offered very limited controls to everyone other than the person who started the meeting. Vyew had the best tutorial. It was also the best at uploading and sharing files. Its downfall was the complexity. The controls were not intuitive, and featured a cluttered display. Google+ let all of us talk to, see, and type to each other. However, the features are limited. There is no option to share screens or files (although Google Docs could be used, since this is a Google product). iChat had by far the clearest video stream. It also came with options such as backgrounds and face distortions (amusing, but not particularly useful). There was also no way to share files. While on iChat, I can chat with users on other servies (eg Yahoo Instant Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger), but one can only actually use iChat itself from a Mac. Skype allows users to share screens, video, and text chat when there are only a couple of users. When we tested it with four of us, only voice and text chatting were enabled.
Paid Video Chatting Services
Having said all of that, I have used three pay sites in classes at MSU and UNC-Wilmington. Adobe Connect is nice because users do not need to create accounts or download anything. They can simply login with any alias--no password required! (this could also be a bad thing by users creating fake names or impersonating others) The administrator can share their screen, or give that right to other users by promoting them to "presenter." Wimba is similar, but users are automatically signed in with their Blackboard accounts (if the university pays for both Blackboard and Wimba). MediaSite is different from both of these because it is best for recording with a video camera, rather than screen sharing.
All three of these services allows for recordings to be viewed later, offer chat windows, and audio. All in all, Wimba probably has the most features, but they are all niche products.
Reflections
My office is in the school's library, which I help run. The potential for video chatting in my "classroom" is video chatting with an author or another classroom (think foreign language--maybe a class in Spain learning to speak English?). Depending on how many users were logged in, I would suggest that we use either Skype or Google+ Hangouts.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
PART B - Application of TPACK
1. What is the TP knowledge for the solution?
Google Calendar is a natural fit for reserving computer labs in a high school setting. On my end, I will create three different calendars (one for each computer lab) utilizing the new Appointment Slots feature. Teachers will be able to view the calendars from anywhere with an Internet connection, and reserve whichever labs whenever they want.
2. What is the TC knowledge for the solution?
Google Calendar is inherently more accessible to every teacher because it would not be feasible for them to take the current reservation binders home with them. There are approximately 50 teachers and only 1 copy of each binder.
An advantage of going to an online reservation system is that teachers can plan great lessons at home that utilize technology. Rather than create a great webquest over the weekend, then wait until Monday to figure out when the computer labs are open, they can plan to use technology and reserve the lab all from the convenience of home outside of normal school hours. Google Calendar automatically blocks a lab from ever being double-booked.
3. What is the PC knowledge for the solution?
Students will be able to interact with their content at a time that actually fits what they are learning, not the time slot their teacher was able to reserve because they didn't get to school early enough on Monday morning. Let's say that a teacher wants to do four days of instruction, and a quiz on Friday. Rather than writing three different technology-based assignments that could fit for Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, teachers will be able to look at the Calendar when they sit down to plan for the week (for example, on Saturday morning). Teachers will be able to plan more efficiently, and students will benefit by having better, more thoughtful assignments.
**I realize that my responses to the three questions overlap a bit. From what I have read, that seems to be ok, and is the nature of TPACK. Am I right?
Google Calendar is a natural fit for reserving computer labs in a high school setting. On my end, I will create three different calendars (one for each computer lab) utilizing the new Appointment Slots feature. Teachers will be able to view the calendars from anywhere with an Internet connection, and reserve whichever labs whenever they want.
2. What is the TC knowledge for the solution?
Google Calendar is inherently more accessible to every teacher because it would not be feasible for them to take the current reservation binders home with them. There are approximately 50 teachers and only 1 copy of each binder.
An advantage of going to an online reservation system is that teachers can plan great lessons at home that utilize technology. Rather than create a great webquest over the weekend, then wait until Monday to figure out when the computer labs are open, they can plan to use technology and reserve the lab all from the convenience of home outside of normal school hours. Google Calendar automatically blocks a lab from ever being double-booked.
3. What is the PC knowledge for the solution?
Students will be able to interact with their content at a time that actually fits what they are learning, not the time slot their teacher was able to reserve because they didn't get to school early enough on Monday morning. Let's say that a teacher wants to do four days of instruction, and a quiz on Friday. Rather than writing three different technology-based assignments that could fit for Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, teachers will be able to look at the Calendar when they sit down to plan for the week (for example, on Saturday morning). Teachers will be able to plan more efficiently, and students will benefit by having better, more thoughtful assignments.
**I realize that my responses to the three questions overlap a bit. From what I have read, that seems to be ok, and is the nature of TPACK. Am I right?
Saturday, July 16, 2011
PART A - Description of Need or Opportunity
I am the Technology Specialist at Clio High School. One of my responsibilities is to manage the reservation binders for the 3 computer labs. The three labs are in the Library, D-4 (a classroom), and the Career Resource Center (CRC). The Library and D-4 reservation binders are in the Library, and the CRC binder is in the CRC. If teachers want to reserve any of the labs, they have to go to one of these locations, check to see if it is available, then sign up. If it is not available, they have to go to the other binder (potentially in another location), and try again.
There are a few problems with the status quo. First of all, three binders are spread across two locations. Since teachers have limited planning time due to meetings and other obligations, it is inconvenient for them to have to go to two different rooms in the hopes of reserving a computer lab. If they are at home, planning during the weekend, there is no way for them to check to see if and when a lab is available. Another concern is that a student or dishonest teacher could erase another teacher's name from the reservation sheet. While most people are mostly good, all it would take is one person to throw the binder in the trash, and the whole rest of the year's reservations would be gone.
The less time that teachers have to spend on reserving computer labs, the more time they can spend planning lessons. If there was a way for teachers to check whether a lab was open from home, they would be able to plan from home.
Google has recently released a new feature in Google Calendar called Appointment Slots. As the Calendar owner, I created Appointment Slots similarly to how I would create Events. I created two 45-minute Appointment Slots for every class period. Teachers can reserve any slots they want. The major advantage with this is that they can do it from home, their phone, their classroom, or anywhere with an Internet connection.
I would like Google Calendar to replace our current system at the beginning of the school year. All teachers will reserve computer labs using this system. The binders will be retired.
An important aspect to any change involving technology is professional development. I will lead a professional development session showing teachers how to reserve computer labs. It will be important that I justify why we are doing this, how it will simplify their lives, and save paper (teachers have been trying to use less paper at my school). I also plan to create a short tutorial (or short tutorials) on how to do this. That way, if a teacher wants to reserve a lab for the first time while they are planning during a weekend in October, they can.
Since this class ends before the school year begins, I will only be able to start the implementation for this project. I need to plan for the live and online professional development. I should have my presentation for the live one created and ready to go. I should have the online tutorial done ready to post online.
Before any technology change is implemented, it is important to put it through some kind of pilot test program. I will have a few teacher friends try this out with me. They will have various degrees of technology competency (per the questionnaire they all completed for me last year). An important early indicator for success will positive feedback on my Post-Pilot Program Questionnaire. An indicator of success once everything has been implemented will be usage logs. I will compare this year's usage with last year's. If the labs are being used at least 95% as often as last year (or potentially more than last year), then the new reservation system is at least as good as last year's or better, while also providing much better security and mitigating the risk for all of the data and future reservations being lost.
There are a few problems with the status quo. First of all, three binders are spread across two locations. Since teachers have limited planning time due to meetings and other obligations, it is inconvenient for them to have to go to two different rooms in the hopes of reserving a computer lab. If they are at home, planning during the weekend, there is no way for them to check to see if and when a lab is available. Another concern is that a student or dishonest teacher could erase another teacher's name from the reservation sheet. While most people are mostly good, all it would take is one person to throw the binder in the trash, and the whole rest of the year's reservations would be gone.
The less time that teachers have to spend on reserving computer labs, the more time they can spend planning lessons. If there was a way for teachers to check whether a lab was open from home, they would be able to plan from home.
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| Calendar from a Teacher's View |
I would like Google Calendar to replace our current system at the beginning of the school year. All teachers will reserve computer labs using this system. The binders will be retired.
An important aspect to any change involving technology is professional development. I will lead a professional development session showing teachers how to reserve computer labs. It will be important that I justify why we are doing this, how it will simplify their lives, and save paper (teachers have been trying to use less paper at my school). I also plan to create a short tutorial (or short tutorials) on how to do this. That way, if a teacher wants to reserve a lab for the first time while they are planning during a weekend in October, they can.
Since this class ends before the school year begins, I will only be able to start the implementation for this project. I need to plan for the live and online professional development. I should have my presentation for the live one created and ready to go. I should have the online tutorial done ready to post online.
Before any technology change is implemented, it is important to put it through some kind of pilot test program. I will have a few teacher friends try this out with me. They will have various degrees of technology competency (per the questionnaire they all completed for me last year). An important early indicator for success will positive feedback on my Post-Pilot Program Questionnaire. An indicator of success once everything has been implemented will be usage logs. I will compare this year's usage with last year's. If the labs are being used at least 95% as often as last year (or potentially more than last year), then the new reservation system is at least as good as last year's or better, while also providing much better security and mitigating the risk for all of the data and future reservations being lost.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
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