Monthly Archives: August 2009

Goals for 2009-2010

Lori inspired me with her blog post with goals for 2009-2010. So I thought I’d share mine.

School hasn’t started for us yet. In Michigan, by law, due to economic reasons, we don’t start school till the Tuesday after Labor Day. So I still have a few days of planning left! In addition, my schools are busy prepping for MEAP in October, so the videoconference schedule won’t get really busy til Monster Match the last week of October. That gives me time for planning. I also front load my school year with professional development.

So, here are my goals for 2009-2010:

  • More meetings via videoconferencing. This is being encouraged by the organization, so I need to be ready to help make this happen.
  • Systematize and streamline my projects. The discussion on work flow helped me a lot; and I’m very pleased with how my project wikis are turning out so far.
  • Work with low-use schools. For the last three years I’ve been focused on my RUS grant schools. Now I want to work with those who haven’t been using their systems as much and weren’t part of the grant.
  • More people in CAPspace. This is the year I want to get all my VC coordinators and active VC teachers in CAPspace. They can arrange their own VC projects and holler when they get stuck!
  • High School English. I have 4 high school English teachers from 3 districts who really want to VC. I plan to do two projects for them this year in Feb & April.
  • Blog my research. I still have a few more series on videoconferencing research to share with you!

Now it’s your turn! What are your goals? Post them on your blog, or if you want, post as comments here. What do you hope to accomplish with videoconferencing in your area this school year?

Still Thinking about VC in the Classroom, Skype etc.

The saga/conversation/thinking continues…..

Mirial: Desktop H323 VC from Italy

This morning I downloaded Mirial, a 30 day trial version, (recommended on a comment yesterday) and got excited about the possibilities of getting VC in our “21st century classrooms” around the county. We have several teachers with “tricked out classrooms” who also love VC but want it in their classroom. I haven’t tested too much yet, but so far:

  • The download and install was easy.
  • I didn’t have to make any network or firewall changes and it worked. But I can only dial out (so far).
  • It’s 165 euros which seems to be about $250 US. Now how to buy it?
  • It registered to my GK, and can do H.239.
  • It connected fine to my Polycom endpoints and my Tandberg bridge.
  • It doesn’t work with a firewire camcorder on the Mac yet (bummer).

I’m seriously thinking of getting a classroom to try this out for a year….

Teacher: H323 is better than Skype

Then this afternoon, in a collaborations workshop for Tech Camp, I had a teacher who has Skype and has connected to Mexico. But she says “this is way better” pointing to our VSX7000 set up. She doesn’t have access in her building, but plans to bus the kids here to participate in VCs!!!

So there’s another perspective to compare to yesterday’s.

Bottom line as a VC coordinator for my schools, I need to be able to have a variety of solutions to meet their needs!

Skype from a Teacher's Point of View

Today I got an email from a teacher in local school that doesn’t have VC (H323) equipment in his school. The teacher explained why he plans to use Skype instead:

I received my classroom upgrade and I have a [laptop] and [interactive whiteboard] which does allow me to utilize Skype for videoconferencing.  I will likely go that route this year because there are some opportunities from sites like Skype in Schools and Skype An Author.  [Tech name deleted] is so swamped in our district just trying to do tech support, it makes it hard for teachers to set up special projects that require extra hook-ups and equipment.

Now, how can I pull this teacher into doing all the programs we offer? I thought of Polycom PVX, but he has a Mac. I’ve played with XMeeting for the Mac, but I think it might be too annoying and unreliable. If I could get low cost software on that computer that is connected to the [interactive whiteboard], we could be up & running for all the other content available via H323 as well as the Skype content.

Intriguingly, a superintendent asked me for this a year ago – see my VC in every classroom post.

Videoconferencing as a way to enrich the curriculum will never be mainstream until teachers can innovate and implement easily on their own like they do with Web 2.0 tools. It has to be super easy and not require much, if any, tech support. Teachers ask, “Does it have to be formal and complicated?” It’s a good question and we have to keep working towards making it way easier.

We need something very low cost that has no peripherals and extras, no complicated and unreliable H.239, etc. and can be installed on the computer that is hooked to the interactive whiteboard. Who will make it????

What do you think? Am I off base here? Please comment!

Calling Other MCU Conference Rooms

One of the conundrums of my videoconferencing life is how to make calls work with weird dialing. Since 60% of my calls are with schools across the country (off my network with various dialing policies of their own), I run into these a lot.  Please, please, please vendors, when will it work like a phone?!

Yesterday I received additional training on TMS from SKC. We spent pretty much two hours trying to figure out how to make TMS in conjunction with my Tandberg MPS 800 dial conferences on other MCUs that are off my network. Since the results are obscure and undocumented, I thought it would be helpful to share. This was tested with TMS J12.2 and the MPS J4.5.

Codian:

Create a Participant Template. Enter the MCU IP as normal. In the DTMF box, enter the extension this way:
,,,numbers#

Polycom MGC:

Create a Participant Template. Enter the MCU IP as normal. In the DTMF box, enter the extension this way:

,,,,,number,,number,,number,,#

(Apparently the numbers come too fast for the MGC. The commas slow it down.)

Polycom RMX

Create a Participant Template. Enter the MCU IP as normal. In the DTMF box, enter the extension this way:

,,,numbers#

Tandberg MPS

This needs the alias@IP format, however you can’t enter this in the participant template. If you put the alias@IP in the IP field, it strips out the @IP.

So, instead, use the phone book to enter alias@IP.

This solution works for a Tandberg endpoint behind a Border Controller as well.

Your Turn: If you have additional tips for making MCUs dial conferences and extensions on other equipment outside your network, please comment!!

Future of VC in Schools

Today I’m pulling another comment out to make it a full post. This one is by Craig Mollerstuen from GCI, Alaska. Craig has been involved in VC for as long as I can remember, champions educational use in Alaska, and has served the NECC sessions with VC support for several years. He commented on my question, “what do you see as the future of VC in schools?” Here’s the full comment:

There are lots of different ways to look at this, from community, technology, equipment, pedagogy and other perspectives.

1) Community: Individuals vs. Groups

Skype isn’t optimized for groups where H.323 systems have been. One can connect a good camera (firewire camcorder) and echo canceling speaker/microphones (Phoenix Duet, etc.). But that have very low usability compared to an integrated appliance with high quality, pan/tilt/zoom cameras and good quality microphones with echo canceling built in.  Group ease of use goes to the incumbents.

Individual ease of use goes to Skype (and other desktop solutions.) This is because of the H.323 protocol. It is easy to make a high quality H.323 application (for Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.) but the protocol sucks. It dies across firewalls.

Individuals are also looking for low bandwidth and high quality solutions as they are often “on the move.” Such solutions typically use adaptive encoding which H.323 doesn’t (easily) support.

For groups we accept high bandwidth requirements because we want significantly higher resolution (larger rooms) and we can typically afford to put more bandwidth into a limited number of fixed locations.

2) Protocols – Standard vs. Proprietary

In general, schools would do well to use VC equipment that supports open standards. Standards eventually lead to wider adoption, greater choice and lower cost. However it takes FOREVER for standards to develop and often we can’t (or don’t want to) wait.

Because of it’s reliance on proprietary protocols, there has been many fewer devices that support Skype. And it is hard to find a Skype MCU.

3) Point-to-point vs. Multi-point

We need to be able to do both point-to-point and multi-site conferences. Solutions that are only point-to-point don’t provide sufficient flexibility for education.

Multi-point conferencing needs to be easy to use. Today’s audio conferencing is a good model, dial a number, enter a code and you’re in the conference.

4) Pedagogy – Video conferencing vs. Web conferencing.

This isn’t really pedagogy, but I’m using the term to describe the gulf between “on-line” conferencing and “video” conferencing today.  We need video conferencing to support some of the really great tools that are available in “on-line”/web conferencing environments (chat, polls, forums, breakout rooms, etc.)

And “on-line” environments need to support better and higher quality audio and video, more video and audio streams and group environments.

So… What is the future of live Conferencing in education?

Long term, I can foresee technology that supports the gamut of teachers and teaching styles, learners and learning styles and content types.

Eventually we will have a conferencing protocol that will replace H.323, SIP, Skype and the rest. It will support multiple audio, text, video and content streams from each endpoint.

We’ll see conference servers that support the new protocol (and that can transcode the old protocols) and support a variety of endpoints (analog, wireless, audio, digital, video, room, desktop, appliance, etc.)

Care will have been given to the user interface, ease of use and to pedagogy. We’ll be able to have multiple PTZ cameras in the classroom, audio mics for teachers and students, content from multiple sources (computers, lab equipment, off-net, etc.) so that we don’t have to limit what we are sharing from the “classroom”.  (Develop an open API so that people can develop content widgets.)

Responsible learners will be given the flexibility to choose the streams that they want to view and hear. Learners who need more direction can be given fewer choices and more structure.

And we’ll get all this in a low cost, easy to use, high bandwidth environment with good professional development.

In the near term, we need:

  1. open standards and protocols
  2. conferencing that adapts to low and high bandwidth environments
  3. transport that traverses the net as easily as HTTP
  4. professional quality equipment for content providers, appliances for theatres, classrooms and desktops and software that runs on our computers (fixed and mobile) as endpoints.
  5. We need academics to study and solve the technology problems
  6. We need practitioners to study and solve the practice problems
  7. We need industry to build high quality and low cost solutions

Products like Elluminate, Mirial and Vidyo are good “next steps”. There is still lots and lots of room for improvement and advancement.

Cheers, -Craig-

To Schedule or Not to Schedule

Last week I received a good chunk of TMS training as I try to get up & running again with scheduling our VCs. I’ve been connecting them on the fly, but 900+ a year is getting too many! Too easy to forget to dial! Now I have to rethink my policies and strategies. You can think with me! 🙂

VC Like a Phone

Chris, the trainer from SKC, suggested that to increase utilization, we must train endusers to think of VC like a phone. You know how to dial your phone, and you know what to do if the call drops. If the endusers know how to dial and redial, they won’t be so afraid of it.

With that in mind, a few questions arise!

To Schedule or Not to Schedule

  • What calls should be scheduled?
  • Schedule: Multipoint projects and meetings.
  • Schedule: Connections to content providers where my school needs me to connect.
  • Not Schedule: Connections my schools can do on their own (i.e. their own projects, content provider connections where they can dial)

To Bridge or Not to Bridge

  • Which calls should be on the bridge? For some unknown reason, my schools get better quality when calls are off the bridge.
  • Bridge: When I need to actually facilitate, watch, or record the VC.
  • Bridge: Multipoint collaborations like MysteryQuest.
  • Not bridge: Point to point calls (now TMS will let me monitor their success)

To Dial Out or Require Dial In

  • Should I dial out to my schools or require them to dial in?
  • Since I’ve been scheduling on the fly, I have preferred to have them dial in. I can’t do 6 calls out at a time easily.
  • Dialing in puts the responsibility on the enduser. They can easily hit redial if the call drops (if trained).
  • I think I still prefer dial in.

Your Turn: What do you think? How do you decide these questions?

Standardizing Projects: Evaluations

Still continuing the discussion on project work flow. Since I did quite a bit of thinking on evaluation in July, I’m convinced I should add evaluations to all of my projects and improve the evaluations in the current projects. They can’t be too long, but they do need to collect some important information. See what you think of this list:

Evaluating the Process

  • Registration
  • Materials (did you use them; were they helpful?)
  • Facilitation (if applicable)
  • Communication re the project
  • Would you recommend the project? / Participate again?
  • What else?

Evaluating the Learning

  • Did your students’ communication skills increase as part of this project? (ISTE NETS standard #2)
  • Did your students’ collaboration skills increase as part of this project? (ISTE NETS standard #2)
  • Did your students [insert expected curriculum outcome here] understanding increase as part of this project?
  • Did you & your students learn from the other class? (yes/no & comments)
  • What else?

And of course, always ask for additional comments.

Your Turn: Do you evaluate your projects? What do you include in the evaluations? My evaluations have been in FileMaker Pro or Zoomerang, but I’m switching to GoogleForms for this next year due to quicker summaries. What tool do you use?

I think this is the end of the project work flow discussion. Did I miss anything? Now it’s time to start tackling the prep for my fall projects!

Standardizing Project Email Confirmations

Still continuing the discussion on project work flow. Let’s think now about confirmation letters. What should be in the project emails? I send at least three: a confirmation, a preparation reminder, and a test call reminder. I want to start adding the post email letter that includes the evaluation link.

To make this list, I looked at my MysteryQuest confirmation templates, my individual teacher project confirmation letter format, Down in the Deep confirmations, and Read Around the Planet emails.

Confirmation Letter

As I work through this list, I think it’s time to tighten up my confirmations so they aren’t so long & wordy — that’s Roxanne‘s influence and wisdom!

  • Project title, date & time
  • Test call date & time & connection details
  • Preparation information
  • Action Items: what to do next

Other optional components:

  • Information about recording and video releases (if applicable… I’ve been trying to record more to get examples to put online)
  • Contact information for partner teacher (for exchanges)
  • Suggested agenda (if not already determined/facilitated)

Test Call Reminder

Sometimes I combine the test call and preparation reminders.

  • Project name
  • Test call date & time
  • Connection info: IP, dial direction, trouble # to call

Preparation Reminder

Not all projects get a preparation reminder. MysteryQuests do for sure. Lots of reminders about presentation preparation and teachers really appreciate that!

  • MysteryQuest projects: don’t forget to send in your city-state / city-country / history-mystery
  • MysteryQuest projects: Tips on making clues, presenting clearly, making sure all the clues are included, a reminder to make a visual for revealing the answer
  • Encouragement!!
  • What else?

Post-Project Email

  • Thank you for participating
  • Stats on the success/participation
  • Link to evaluation form
  • What else?

By the way, if you’re reading this project work flow discussion and you don’t run any projects for your school(s), are you getting inspired?! I hope so! Remember Linda’s 3 questions for your teachers!

Your Turn: What do you think? Anything missing? What info do teachers need? What is too much? Where is the best balance? Content providers reading this – what do you think makes a good confirmation email? Do you do reminders? What do you include?

MysteryQuest Teacher Story

I’m cleaning up my MysteryQuest World site (to meet the new standard), and so I need to archive these on another site. Here they are for your enjoyment!

By Jeff Gaynor, Clague Middle School, Ann Arbor

I did Mystery Quest last year, with the idea that risk taking is good, and found it a fabulous experience. Besides being on the forefront of technology, having this live experience really did sharpen my students’ motivation and performance through the whole process. I put the responsibility on them – my job was to keep the project manageable and the kids relaxed – but they really did much of the work – with more effort and resolve than they usually put forth. Plus we had a good time and felt pretty special.

Know that we are all in it together – and there is no real pressure the day of the videoconference. Everyone will be understanding and supportive. It is not a competition – just a cool event. There were people with whom I couldn’t do this without. Janine, of course, was supportive the whole way through – and will go above and beyond, to make you comfortable. We had to bus to our local ISD and the tech guy there was incredible. He had me out beforehand and showed me just what would happen, made fantastic suggestions to make my job easier, and then ran the show, from the tech side, during the conference. The tech person should be able to give you specific guidelines too – depending on the set up and equipment available. I couldn’t have handled that and the class too – so check out how your end of the video conference will go. You need to have confidence that part is handled. (Oh there were glitches, but we dealt with them – and it was a big thing that they weren’t MY responsibility. 🙂

I have 2 groups for 2 classes (World Geography / Math) and I took each class on separate days. Each did it’s own country, which kept things interesting and we came up with a different ‘plot device’ for each one too. One class we did a ‘jeopardy game’ format, and the other a skit where a group of explorers crashed on the shore, not knowing where they were – they went on to ask questions of the people they met. I jazzed this one up by showing a video clip from unitedstreaming.com of a sailing ship going around Cape Horn – but that was just silly fun. Someone suggested we could have done jeopardy with a Powerpoint set up – but I just juggled 30 sheets of papers with the questions -and that many sheets for the answers, and placed them under a document camera (which the tech guy showed me :). For 4 classes you might want to keep things simpler though – come up with a format to use for each class – though a different country so YOU won’t get bored. Each class would present to a different group of kids, so THAT doesn’t matter.

We spent about a week, divided up into groups of 4-5 doing research on sample countries – to get a feel for the questions and answers, and the resources and web links we had. This also helped during the research time during the video conference as we knew where to look for different kinds of clues. Then a week researching and setting up the presentation for our chosen country. We wish we had twice as much time, but again, nothing gets stale and kids know they have to use every minute wisely.

I felt this was a great project at the beginning of the year to introduce students to resources they’ll use a lot during the year – encyclopedias, almanacs, and various web sites.

And if you are worried you don’t have enough time to participate, join the club – we all feel that way – but we’ll manage it the best we can. I think maybe what’s most important is to guage your class. Sell it well, but then ask them if THEY want to do it, explaining carefully that it means no free rides, and every single person will be on camera and has to do their share.

Good luck – go for it.

MysteryQuest World Student Comments

I’m cleaning up my MysteryQuest World site (to meet the new standard), and so I need to archive these on another site. Here they are for your enjoyment!

Kids’ Comments

Lance Middle School, Kenosha, WI

  • I learned that you can have a video thing with people in other places.
  • I learned how to look up facts and have fun at the same time.
  • I learned about teamwork.
  • I learned how to use all kinds of references.
  • I learned how to use an atlas and other resources better.
  • I learned how to work with other people in a group. It was nice to see the people in my group helping each other.
  • I liked the TV talk. I thought it was amazing.
  • I think the best part was researching because it was fun using all of the clues.
  • The best part was the camera because we got to talk to different states.
  • The best part was when we got to see the other people in different states.
  • The best part of it was our whole group working together to find answers.
  • It was fun because we got to use maps, atlases, and the computers.
  • I loved today. It was so fun and it was a good experience for teamwork and cooperation.
  • It was the biggest event of the year! I would tell other kids how awesome it was.
  • I loved it. It was awesome. We were so lucky. I would do over and over again.