Author Archives: Janine Lim

Day 13: Who Are You? and Where Are You?

20 Days to Being a Better VC Coordinator

Videoconferencing is a communication technology. “I know that,” I hear you say. But think about this. When was the last time you were in a videoconference and you didn’t know the name of the person you were talking to? I bet it was recently. It happens all too often!

Introductions

So for today’s challenge, let’s think about some tips to polish your introductions.

  1. Introduce yourself soon after you connect. Roxanne reminded us of this yesterday. Say, “Hello, this is ______ from ______ school in __________.” We want to know who you are and where you are!
  2. In large discussions with multiple sites, before stating your perspective, begin with “I’m _____ from _____ and my comment is…”
  3. Be sure to say the city and state. Sometimes it’s very helpful to include a frame of reference. For example, you probably don’t know where Berrien Springs is! So, I say, I’m Janine and I’m from Berrien RESA in southwest Michigan about an hour and a half around the lake from Chicago. Now, don’t you have a better picture of where I am?
  4. Prominently display a sign to identify your location.

Student Introductions

If you participate in many collaborations with other schools, here are two tips for making these introductions quick and easy.

  1. Create a little script that can be used for each videoconference. Write it on a note card and keep it by the videoconference cart/system. Tell us something unique about your area so we can get to know you. The next time you participate in a collaboration (Read Around the Planet?), hand the card to a student to read!
  2. Create a little PowerPoint with three to five slides starting with a map of your country, a map of your state/province, and pictures from around your town/city. Use a star or other large marker on the maps to show where you are. Every videoconference is an opportunity to reinforce geography!

Comment Challenge

Your challenge for today is to write your introduction script on a notecard or make a little PowerPoint or slideshow with pictures about your community. Have a couple students help you! Tell us what you included in it.

Comment Comment

What other tips or stories do you have on introductions?

Day 10: Assisting Teachers with Preparation

20 Days to Being a Better VC CoordinatorA critical part of a successful videoconference is preparation. So how can you help make sure it happens? Here are some ideas.

Preparation Lesson Plans
Many programs have preparation materials which are very helpful.

  • When the program is scheduled, ask the teacher if they received the materials.
  • A week or so before the program, ask the teacher if they were able to use the materials. Depending on how often you have VCs, you could plan an hour or so once a month/week to check in with the teachers who have upcoming VCs and see if they are getting the students prepared.
  • Some coordinators, depending on their position and other responsibilities, are able to actually do the preparation lessons with the students. Don’t do this more than once; encourage the teacher to team teach the next time; then maybe they can do it on their own. You’ll find it less stressful if you can move your teachers towards independence.

Practicing
When classes are presenting, encourage them to practice.

  • Practice in the classroom.
  • Practice with a fake mic.
  • Practice with the videoconference system.
  • Practice with the visuals. Make sure they are clear enough!

When two of my schools were starting out with VC, the library aides took library time to connect to each other and have each student say a couple sentences on camera. The two classes just took turns until all the students had a turn. Every class participated. This broke the ice for all the students and teachers in each school!

Explain VC to the Students Just Before the Program
I encourage each of my coordinators to make sure students and teacher understand VC before the connection. Usually just a 2 minute little introduction before the program starts. Include:

  • Explain the video & audio quality – it’s not broadcast quality TV!
  • Explain where the mic is and that it can pick up rustling sounds.
  • The people at the other side can see & hear them.
  • Remind the students to speak up loudly and clearly.
  • Encourage them to represent their school with best behavior!

We’ll talk about preparing questions and involving all the students in future posts.

Other preparation tip lists online:

comment1 Challenge Choices:

  • Find an upcoming videoconference on your schedule and ask the teacher how they are preparing for the videoconference. See if they need any assistance.
  • If preferred, write a little outline for your “speech” for before a videoconference.

comment1 Comment:

  • How do you help teachers prepare for a videoconference? Any other tips?
  • What is hard about helping teachers prepare? Where do you get stuck?

Day 8: Collaboration Sites and Listservs

20 Days to Being a Better VC CoordinatorYesterday with Roxanne’s guidance, you set up accounts on the most common websites you’ll need to login to and register for videoconference programs.

Today’s focus is on collaboration sites and listservs. This is your support community. You’ll learn from others, get ideas for using VC in the classroom, and even find out about new programs from content providers.

Collaborations Around the Planet
Also known as CAPspace, this site is where the popular Read Around the Planet registration and matching happens. By the way, today is the last day to register for RAP (and you have to have verified equipment already). CAPspace also allows you to post your own teacher-created collaborations to an audience of over 2000 educators (emailed daily).

  • For today’s challenge, work through the CAPspace scavenger hunt. At least, check your phone number and address, collect some badges, and set your privacy to Full if you want others to find you for collaborations.
  • If you already have your account set up, go to My Projects, Collaborations, and write up a past collaboration that you’ve done. This will add to your stars or “reputation” in the site. Make sure you mark it as Past or you’ll have partners signing up!

Other Collaboration Sites
Next, pick one of these collaboration sites that you haven’t explored yet. Get an account set up and explore it.

Listservs
Finally, are you on the popular videoconferencing listservs? If not, pick at least one and sign up for it. The easiest to sign up for is the Collaboration Collage.

  • Collaboration Collage: The oldest and largest VC listserv.  Listserv ended Fall 2010.
  • K-12 IVC (Established January 2003; CILC took on maintenance of this listserv in October 2008).
    • To subscribe to K12IVC@CILC, please send a blank e-mail to k12ivc-addme@cilc.net.
    • To unsubscribe to K12IVC@CILC, please send a blank e-mail to k12ivc-removeme@cilc.net.
    • To post a message to K12IVC@CILC, send it to K12IVC@cilc.net. You must be a subscriber to K12IVC to post.
    • To switch to digest mode, send an email to tstevens@cilc.org with the subject K12IVC@CILC.
    • For general list help, please contact tstevens@cilc.org.

Challenge
CommentDid you do all three challenges? Please comment and tell us what you thought!

  • CAPspace Scavenger Hunt
  • Sign up for another collaboration site
  • Sign up for a listserv

CommentComment: Did I miss your favorite site? Do you have any other tips? Please share.

Interviewing a Tuskegee Airman

Today we had a very special treat: an interview with Tuskegee Airman, Alexander Jefferson, and author of Red Tail Captured, Red Tail Free. This program was made possible because of coordination by Gail Desler, hosting by Wayne RESA, and bridging and facilitation by Berrien RESA. Thanks Gail, for sharing this opportunity with us!

Alexander Jefferson, Tuskegee AirmanHere is a sample of the students’ questions:

  • Why was your squad so successful?
  • Was it hard to leave home and go to war?
  • What was your experience when you came home?
  • What is your opinion of how the world turned out today?
  • I’m an aspiring pilot, and I want to know did you enjoy being a pilot?
  • What were the conditions like inside the plane?

Some of my favorite moments were:

  • In talking about segregation and civil rights: “We helped to change this country.”
  • One student mumbled their question and he gave her quite a little lecture and told her to speak up. It was pretty funny. All the kids laughed. You could tell he was a teacher for 35 years.
  • Partway through the videoconference, a conversation broke out with two people visiting at the school – Mrs. Edith Roberts, widow of George S. “Spanky” Roberts, and Mr. George Porter, Crew Chief at McClellan AFB. They talked about an invitation to Washington and I googled and found out that the Tuskegee Airmen got a special invitation to the inauguration. Mrs. Roberts didn’t get an invitation though, and she mentioned how once their airmen have passed on, people forget about them. I’m thinking though, that it would be so fascinating to hear their side of the stories.

The interview was incredible, and I think we’ll probably be scheduling a TWICE ASK program with Mr. Jefferson sometime soon. In the meantime, check out the streaming recording.

Day 6: Promoting Videoconferencing in Your School

Last week we focused on settings and such. This week in the 20 Day challenge we are looking at tips for before the videoconference – focusing especially on the nitty gritty of working with teachers.

Today’s topic is how to hook teachers on videoconferencing and promote the possibilities of this technology within your school.

TeacherIt’s the Curriculum!
Owston (2007), in his study of schools implementing technology initiatives, found that teachers need to see the benefit to students before they will adopt a new technology tool. So, how do you help teachers see the benefit?

  • Use the correlations to national and state standards found in the popular database (Berrien RESA and CILC).
  • Use the Grade Level Guides to VC. Yes, they were done for Michigan and are now outdated even for Michigan curriculum, but they give a starting point for teachers.
  • Pick a couple willing teachers, find out what they are teaching for the next few months, and find a VC for them. Print the flyer or the program description for them. Put it in their mailbox. Start small like this, and then later teach them to find their own programs.
  • Help the teachers see how the programs fit their curriculum and help them teach that content better. Don’t push doing VCs just for the fun of it. Find the curriculum connection.
  • If you need help doing this, take Planning Interactive Curriculum Connections, a popular four week course for coordinators and teachers integrating VC in the curriculum.
  • Help teachers see how videoconferences meet their curriculum and can be used in place of some lessons to teach the same content.

Of course, all of this takes time. So set yourself a reasonable goal of a few of the teachers/grade levels and target those. Then as they get comfortable, work on the others. Some teachers will probably never be enthusiastic about videoconferencing. Sweeney (2007) found that constructivist teachers were more likely to use videoconferencing in the curriculum. So, realize that and work with those who are interested.

Experience is the Best Teacher
Teachers need to see a videoconference to understand what will happen and to get over the fear of the unknown. In the words of one of our coordinators:

“It seems a little daunting until you actually go through it and then you realize this was not too bad and in fact it was really awesome!”
  • Don’t just TALK about videoconference opportunities in a staff meeting or workshop. CONNECT somewhere. Don’t let the content provider just TALK either. Have them demo the most interactive part of one of their programs. Try this list to get started.
  • Wherever possible, allow two teachers to do a videoconference together. Not all of the providers will allow 50-60 kids in a videoconference. However, going to the program “with someone” is much less threatening for first time VCers.
  • When one teacher is doing a videoconference, have the principal help you arrange for someone (maybe even yourself?) to cover for another teacher for a few minutes so they can see the videoconference.
  • For that matter, make sure your principal and superintendent experience a good videoconference too! Some principals in my area actually require each teacher to do one per year because they have seen the value to the students.

Tell the Good News
Make sure the staff hear about the great experiences by the participating teachers.

  • Get a write-up in the school newsletter.
  • Encourage your principal to let the teachers share their experiences at staff meeting. Let them hear from other teachers besides you!
  • When participating in Read Around the Planet, put up a bulletin board with a map with all of your RAP partner classes marked. Share the success!
  • Have the students present at a board meeting and share their experiences and what they learned.

Advertising
Figure out ways to stop being the middle man whenever possible.

  • If your educational service agency or district office provides scheduling services and sends info on an email list, get the teachers on the email list directly. This reduces time forwarding emails and soon teachers can do their own registrations (in some cases).
  • Use grade level or subject team lead teachers to help you promote VC. It helps a lot when the lead teacher for a grade level or subject area encourages everyone on their team to sign up for a videoconference. Train and support these teachers so they can help you.

Be Sensitive
In all your promotion, be sensitive to how teachers are doing with work in general. Several of my schools are doing less VCs this year because the science and social studies curriculum changed and everyone is just trying to stay above water dealing with the change. In another district, so much new technology is being installed so fast that teachers are quite resistant to do anything extra. Factors like these can affect the use of videoconferencing, and are beyond your control. If this is the case in your school, give yourself and your teachers a break and try again the next year!

Wordle
Finally, I’ve been sharing research results of a survey of my top teachers using videoconferencing from the 2007-2008 school year. One of my questions was – how did you come to know about videoconferencing? Invariably, their school coordinator helped them get excited about videoconferencing. What words stand out for you? (Click the picture to make it larger.)

Wordle

So, Your Challenge Is:

  • Find one program that meets the curriculum for a teacher who hasn’t used VC yet.
  • OR Invite your principal to a videoconference (if you haven’t already).
  • OR Pick another of the suggestions above and make it happen!

Please comment and tell us how it went!

References
Owston, R. (2007). Contextual factors that sustain innovative pedagogical practice using technology: an international study. Journal of Educational Change, 8(1), 61-77. doi:10.1007/s10833-006-9006-6
Sweeney, M. A. (2007). The use of videoconferencing techniques which support constructivism in K–12 education. Retrieved from ProQuest Digital Dissertations. (AAT 3257352)

7 Things You Don't Know About Me

I’ve been tagged by Roxanne for the 7 Things You Don’t Know About Me Meme. So, here goes.

  1. I got so frustrated with accidentally unmuting my second codec in my office this fall that I taped a toilet paper roll to the end of my remote. Yes, it works pretty well!
  2. I wrote the story line for a published children’s book.
  3. SevenI was a student missionary in the Marshall Islands during college, and I taught in a thatched roof classroom with no walls. No running water or electricity either. Yes, I CAN live without technology!
  4. I worship on the seventh-day.
  5. In college, I wrote a lot of songs.
  6. I’m a third generation teacher/educator. My grandmothers on both sides were teachers.
  7. I studied grades 9 through 11 in Singapore and have traveled widely. Can you guess why I love VC?

I’m tagging… YOU. If you’re reading this and you haven’t done this meme yet, you’re it!

To participate, each person tagged should list seven things about themselves that would help their Personal Learning Network get to know them a little better. You can link back to this post by leaving a comment here, which links forward to their your update. Add yourself to the growing list of people who have revealed 7 things.

Day 3: Working with Content Providers

20 Days to Being a Better VC CoordinatorDay 3: Working with Content Providers
As a videoconference coordinator, a major part of your work includes interacting with content providers to bring programs to your students. So in today’s challenge, we look at some tips for working with content providers.

What is a content provider?
First, let’s make sure we’re all clear on what we’re talking about. A content provider is a zoo, museum, or similar organization that offers specific programs (content) to schools via videoconferencing.

Two of the most popular databases for finding programs are:

There are several others as well; please feel free to comment and share another favorite site!

Scheduling With Providers
When you first start to work on scheduling with content providers, it seems overwhelming! Each one has their own registration system and different procedures. Here are some tips to help you get organized.

  • Get all the possible dates & times from the teacher.
  • Check all your testing, event, PD calendars, as well as your videoconference schedule.
  • Have everything ready before you register online.
  • If you are registering via email, send all the information in one email.

Here’s a list of the information you’ll need whether registering online or via email or even phone.

  • Your IP address (or ISDN number if you still connect ISDN)
  • What speed you connect (usually 384K)
  • You tech name, email, and phone
  • Trouble number the provider would call DURING the videoconference
  • Teacher name, email, phone
  • Your name, email, phone
  • Billing information
  • The program name that the teacher wants
  • The range of availability the teacher has

I try to get teachers to give me the days of the week they can do, the range of dates they want it, and the times they can do. i.e. (M, W or F; February 1-15, from 10:35-11:25).

I use an email template for emailing content providers, so I can just fill in the needed info and send off the request, knowing that I’ve sent everything they might need.

When you give the provider the range of dates & times you can do, they just have to pick when it fits their schedule, and you’re done! But if you just give one time, then you have to go back and forth until it’s scheduled.

CILC Content Dollar Bank
Now if scheduling is driving you completely crazy, or you just want to consolidate your spending and make it easier, you should check out the Content Dollar Bank offered by CILC. This is a really cool service and can really help manage the daily chores of scheduling VCs.

Content Provider Etiquette
Don’t forget that the distance learning coordinators at the zoo or museum are people too! I can’t think of any content providers who are actually making a profit on offering these programs. They do it because it’s a service to education. Some of them break even on the cost of the materials etc, but they still have staff and technology costs to bring these programs to you. So….

When you have a problem with the program, a cancellation, a snow day, etc…..

  • Call them!
  • Email them!
  • Talk to them!

Most providers have cancellation policies; a few have rescheduling fees.

  • If necessary, get a replacement teacher!
  • Pay attention to their policies and respect them.

Show your appreciation:

  • Thank them for offering these programs!
  • Encourage your teacher to complete the evaluation form.
  • Offer feedback to help them improve.

Challenge
You challenge choices for today are:

  • Make an email template for scheduling with providers.
  • Make yourself a handy sheet with all the details about your system so it’s ready when you need to register.
  • Check out the CILC Content Dollar Bank and see if it might work for you.

comment1 When you’re done, please comment and tell us how it went. Do you have any other tips?

Comment image by Mark James under Creative Commons 2.5 Attribution License.
Papers image by lotyloty on Flickr
Money image by jenn_jenn on Flickr

H323 Training

A break from our regularly scheduled posts to bring you this announcement!

The Internet2 Commons is again offering its videoconferencing training course, offered virtually via H.323 videoconferencing.  This Site Coordinator Training, also known as “VC by VC”, will be offered on 22 January,  from noon-5:00pm EDT (GMT-5). Those who successfully complete the course will be certified as Internet2 Commons Site Coordinators. This will enable your organization to join and use the Internet2 Commons services.

More information online.

I’ve done this training and it’s very helpful!

Day 1: 20 Days to a Better VC Coordinator

20 Days to Being a Better VC CoordinatorDay 1: 20 Days to a Better VC Coordinator
Happy New Year! And welcome to a new challenge! After participating in Steve Dembo’s 30 Days to a Better Blogger Challenge in November, I thought it would be fun to create a challenge for VC coordinators. I invited Roxanne Glaser to join me, so we will be collaborating and cross-posting each day’s challenge on our respective blogs. Since I believe in balance to our lives, we’ll only be posting on weekdays – hence the 20 days. Join us for the new year to improve your skills in coordinating videoconferencing in your area!

We’re targeting school level coordinators as our primary audience, but we know district and regional level VC coordinators will benefit from this exercise too. To get the updates, you can subscribe to either of our blogs in your favorite reader (Roxanne or Janine ), or via email.

Setting Up
This week, we’ll focus on setting up for videoconferencing – settings, email, using the system, etc. Each week we’ll have a different focus.

Today’s challenge is to check two little settings on your videoconferencing system. Beginning coordinators, you may have someone do this for you instead! or just use it as background information. I promise the other challenges won’t be this in depth on your system!!

Mute on Auto Answer
I support 70 videoconference units, and one thing that really bugs me is unmuted mics in multi-point conferences.

Why is it a problem?

A multi-point call has more than two sites in the call (also referred to as a bridged call). If mics are unmuted, the video usually switches to whoever is talking. Side conversations, shuffling papers, sneezes and coughs can all cause the video to switch to your site when you didn’t mean to talk. The solution is, mute your mic!

If your system isn’t muted when a call comes in, all kinds of interesting audio gets broadcasted to everyone else in the call. This is sometimes amusing at the beginning of meetings, but very annoying in events like COSI’s expert interviews and Megaconference and Megaconference Junior. Watch the Videoconference Zone video for some hilarious examples.

Many of my school VC coordinators can’t be in the room all the time for the videoconference. If you aren’t in the room when the VC starts, it’s best to have the mic muted. This way, I can connect the room on the bridge and everything is ready to go.

So, a great way to avoid many of these problems is to check your settings! Here’s how to set two of the more common systems to mute when it auto answers a call:

  • Polycom VSX: Go to System, Admin, Audio Settings, check Mute Auto Answer Calls.
  • Tandberg MXP: Go to Control Panel, then the General category. Choose Autoanswer On + Mic Off. (Thx, Arnie!)

On other systems, look in your settings for Audio. Please comment and add instructions for any units that we didn’t include here.

System Name
While you’re in settings, check your system name (usually under general settings). It may also be under H323 settings as H323 name. I’ve written before about the value of an accurate name for your videoconference system. Make sure it’s a name, not just a number. This makes it much easier for bridges to manage the call and know who you are! Also, some bridges show this name at the bottom of the screen when the video switches. I know some authors and specialists in the ASK programs watch that to help them remember which site they are talking to.

Comment
Please join in the discussion during this challenge. Here are some ideas for your comment:

  • If you agree or disagree with these suggestions and why.
  • Step by step settings instructions for another system that we didn’t list.
  • If you were able to do the challenge and how it went.

Comment image by Mark James under Creative Commons 2.5 Attribution License.
Polycom microphone image by sschaufe on Flickr.

Videoconferencing Adjectives

I’m continuing this little mini-series with some of the results from a recent survey of my top VC-using teachers. Read more about it in the first post of this series. Remember, they are using videoconferencing to support curriculum instruction (not full length courses).

The question featured in this post is the following:

If your principal or superintendent walked into your classroom during a videoconference, give five adjectives to describe what they would see happening.

Videoconferencing Adjectives

Now isn’t this a nice set of words!

Notice the motivation adjectives: excited, smiles, amazed, happy, laughter, interesting, interested.

Notice the learning adjectives: learning, engaged reflective, involvement/involved, attentive, cooperative, active, interactive/interacting, communication, higher-level, knowledge, perform, reinforcement.

I did take out the word students – as many teachers wrote “students” after each adjective – and so it was huge again like the first wordle I did in this series. But I wanted you to see the adjectives larger and clearer.

See if you can find the one word that isn’t so positive. 🙂 Yes, I’ve seen a few kids do this in a VC. Have you?

Are these good reasons to use videoconferencing in your curriculum? Why or why not? Please comment.