Yesterday I stumbled across another VC blog, this one from Amy Chayefsky in Arizona. Amy is writing about Maricopa ITV videoconferencing. Not only that, but she’s running RA Az, or Read Across Arizona, in the next two weeks, to prepare classes to participate in Read Around the Planet. Very cool Amy! Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Tag Archives: VC Community
Cool Qlock
Today since I was stuck in my office for lunch due to VCs, I peeked into the ongoing K12 Online Conference. The session at the top of the list was from Joseph Papaleo, Around the World in 80 Minutes. I noticed he was talking about videoconferencing, so I listened. Of course we can always learn something new! Joseph had a nice overview of Google Earth and VC in the classroom. And then, the gem!
Qlock! Check out this tool. I installed it right away and set up the cities that I’m doing VCs with in the next few months. Very cool. Considering I had a timezone oops today, it was just in time learning! Try it out for yourself!
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Jazz Presentation Yesterday
I wanted to blog about the 123 Jazz presentation yesterday but haven’t had time. Roxanne did a great job. So if you want to read about an amazing VC PD workshop, read The Jazz Project Presentation at ESC 11 Distance Learning Conference.
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First TX VC Blogger
I was delighted this morning to receive an email from Roxanne Glaser, ESC 12, in Waco, Texas. She is the first videoconference blogger from Texas (that I know of!).
Roxanne is doing some really cool things, including running a big Monster Match program within her region. She also has a neat idea of a content provider demo note taking guide. I know we’ll all be learning great ideas from Roxanne!
Love the play on words in your title, Roxanne (VC Rox)!!
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The New CILC
Today I attended the first webinar on “The New CILC.” If you’re really into VC and you use the CILC site, you really ought to attend. There are a bunch scheduled in the next two weeks, and I’m sure CILC will schedule more if needed. Here are some initial thoughts & comments about the new format.
Communities of Interest (COI)
One feature of the new Premium membership is communities of interest. This has serious potential for networking and sharing with each other. But only if you come share! I’ve been asked to assist with moderation of the K12 Education COI. Two of my other good VC buddies who also blog, Paul Hieronymous and Scott Merrick, are also moderators for the new COIs. I’ve just posted a bunch of interesting questions based on conversations we’ve had here, on the phone with many of you, and from my online classes. I think we can get a really good profitable conversation going. So there’s one benefit of Premium membership. ($25 introductory pricing).
Learning Times
I was really curious about the new online community tool CILC is using: Learning Times. I’ve looked at this before & dabbled in online conferences, so I was interested to see what that was like. I haven’t decided yet what I think of it as I haven’t used it enough.
Other Premium Services
- There’s a calendar of events. Members can post events that are free to share with everyone else in the community.
- There are spotlight session webinars for premium members.
- There will be discounts on the conferences CILC will be offering – including Keystone coming back next fall after a year’s hiatus.
- Access to CILC research and literature reviews, etc.
- The collaboration center will become a premium service only starting in January. Hmmm.
The COIs are the main attraction for me. You can subscribe to get the interactive discussions in your email or in RSS. I’m still working on figuring out the RSS feeds. This is a huge feature though. Online communities die out quickly (or never get off the ground) if you have to go to the website to read them. With this one, you can get it daily in your email, by message in your email, or weekly digests. Plus the RSS that I’m still working on getting working for me.
So I hope that gives you some info to help you decide if you will “upgrade” your CILC membership.
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Advertising Projects
On Friday I had a chat with a colleague in Michigan whose teachers are creating lots of projects, but having challenges with scheduling. One thing we talked about was the necessity of having teachers post the times & dates they have in mind for their project. If you say exactly when you can do the project (range of dates and exact start & end times), it’s much easier to find a partner. So I thought I’d share with you my suggested format for advertising projects – on the listservs (Edvidconf, K12IVC, etc.) and CILC Collaboration Collage.
- Project “title” or brief description line
- Project detailed description. Describe your plans, i.e., agenda, outcomes, etc.
- Project time frame (Be as precise as possible. For example, between February 15 and 28. Tuesdays or Wednesdays between 9:30 and 11:30 EST.)
- How to sign up
- Project registration deadline
- Number of classes that can participate (i.e. will you take the first person who responds? or can more than one school participate?)
- Type of connection (i.e. is it open only to ISDN/H.320 schools or only IP/H.323 schools?)
- Project details website if applicable.
If you’re really specific on the dates & times you can/want to do, then the participants self select before you start your conversation with them.
If you have any other suggestions for finding partners, please comment & share them!
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PICC Ending
My fall session of Planning Interactive Curriculum Connections ended Friday and we are finishing up last details. I just had to share with you this quote from one of the evaluations. The class is set up in Moodle with a high level of interaction and discussions between participant from all over.
This is the first time I have used Moodle. The previous on line class I took from a major university now comes off as lame – more lame than it appeared at the time. I likened that class to lecture with written reponse and questions submitted in triplicate 3 days after the lecture. This class has been like a large party where I can move around and participate in any number of discussions or I can just listen.
You too can join the next party! Another session runs January 22 – February 16, 2007. Registration is open now.
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Research on VC Implementation
Do any of you know of any published research on the implementation of videoconferencing? Especially for K12 and for enrichment type activities (vs. shared classes)? I’m interested in any research related to videoconferencing. What kind of data is being collected? What type of research questions are being posed? etc.
I know about the research bibliography on the TWICE website, and also the research from VCAlberta. (The Alberta Videoconferencing Research Community of Practice Research Report is excellent.) Do you know of others?
We are starting to collect data on our three year USDA DLT RUS grant and that’s why we’re interested in the information. I’ll share back what I find out. Thanks!!
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8th grade students plan VCs
Here’s a little tidbit you might find interesting. I received an email from someone looking for videoconferences. She said,
I am now starting an options class where my students in grade 8 are planning Video conferencing sessions for other classes in the school.
This was for a K-8 school. What a unique idea! We all know that good VC programs require someone in the building to assist the teachers. Having students research and find programs for the other classes/grades is such an interesting idea.Reminds me of a computer support club. Have any of you tried something like this? Seems like we should try whatever ways we can think of to support teachers!
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Megaconferences
Do you know about the Megaconferences? If not, then you should sign up & participate this year! Here are announcements from the Megaconference listservs.
Everyone in the world is invited to participate in the Megaconference, 2 November 2006, from the comfort of his or her own office, classroom, or conference room. Registration is now open via the web site http://support.osc.edu/cgi-bin/veventreg/megaconf8. Like any professional conference, presenters and audience members will discuss current projects and developments. Unlike other conferences, hundreds of participants will gather simultaneously from all continents of the world using advanced networks, from universities, K-12 schools, and organizations. This year’s theme — Breaking Down the Barriers: Global Connections– focuses on improving understanding between individuals and cultures, using video conferencing tools. The event runs from morning until evening (EST) that day, to allow participation from around the world. But you can be there as long as you wish.
The NEW date for Megaconference Jr. 2007 has been set for February 22, 2007, and planning committees need your help to make this year’s event even more of a success than the previous Megaconference Jr. events. This year there will also be several new additions to the event – like a new Virtual Battle of the Bands where musical groups will audition to be part of the grand finale based on the highest number of votes from the international community – which will give participants the opportunity for even more interaction leading up to the event itself. Volunteers are needed in several areas. Please distribute this call for participation widely in your communities.
Also, Megaconference Jr. is looking for student VJs. You can read about how to become a VJ on the Megaconference Jr. blog. (Yet another VC blog you can follow!!)
Megaconferences are great experiences for you & your students, so I encourage you to participate this year!