Tag Archives: VC Community

Invitation to Explore Desktop VC Next Week

If you’re not subscribed to the comments on my blog, then you’re missing out on this invitation from Craig in Alaska in reply to my post on The Shake Up in the VC Market:

You can have good quality VTC with a desktop/laptop computer, high quality web cam and an echo cancelling “speakerphone” today.

I don’t suggest one type of VTC equipment (computer with cam and mic) over the other (VTC appliance).  I do believe there is a place for high quality PTZ cameras coupled with appliance codecs and good quality echo cancelling speakers and microphones. Groups attending a video conference merit this type of quality.

Well trained individuals can use a high quality web cam ($100,) an echo cancelling speaker/mic ($200) and their laptop ($???) with “video shim” software (ie. CamTwist or WebcamMax) to make quite a sophisticated presenter station. Couple that with a video service provider (for the bridging) and voilla, “inexpensive” high quality desktop units.

For anyone who is interested, I’ll host a video conference to demonstrate. This will be a hybrid web and H.323 video conference.

In the same conference we can/will have H.323 and desktop/laptop devices (bring your choice). I will provide the connection, bridge and URL. You bring your H.323 endpoint, or your webcam and headset.  Meeting will be held the week of November 23, 2009. Lets “Negotiate a Time and Date” here: http://www.doodle.com/3pxntg7smk8rs435 😉

Rachel, we’d love to have you in too. Are these times too early?

There are people who will like the desktop/laptop solution for an individual. Some folks will want the same hardware as an inexpensive group solution. And then there are those who will value the higher cost appliance/group system with the PTZ camera(s).

Let’s get together and discuss this. 🙂

The Shake Up in the VC Market

Are you following all the interesting developments in the videoconferencing market? Here’s an interesting review and analysis of the changes coming down the pike. I highly recommend that you take some time to read it. Here are a few snippets to convince you to read further:

The future of videoconferencing is the software-based codec running on general purpose (albeit high end… for now) general purpose processors connected to a low-cost, high quality HD camera via a USB 3.0 connection. The $20,000+ plastic-camera-on-the-TV-set-on-the-desert-cart dedicated videoconferencing appliance is a business model with the lifespan of an alcoholic fruit fly chain smoking unfiltered camels. The singularity approaches.

[imagine that]…all of the sudden you can purchase a fully functional standards-based HD videoconferencing end-point at every Best Buy, Target, and Wal-Mart in the world…..

This is great news for schools, as I’ve been looking for the H323 (standards based) desktop-ish classroom VC setup (for less than $1000) for over a year now. It really bothers me that all these 21st century classrooms are getting installed without videoconferencing! Tricked-out classrooms with no VC! It’s a travesty! But maybe with a Logitech camera and good echo cancellation mic plus great desktop h323 software it’s actually possible! We won’t have VC in every classroom or school until it is much cheaper and readily available. Purchasable by teachers with little instructional grants from various organizations, or easily acquired with existing tech funds.

So, in my opinion, bring those changes on! We need lower cost easier standards based VC to bring all the great existing VC content to more schools!

Get off your RSS reader and get a reality check!

Just finished watching Stand and Deliver (again). Been spending time out in my schools upgrading VC carts. Listening. Hearing about new curriculum. Untangling wires from summer cleaning. Dealing with twisted wires. Too many technologies, not enough support. Hearing about tighter and tighter budgets; having to do more with less. Gratefulness for free programming we offer.

Watching students check out books in the library; remembering some blog post that we don’t need books. The contrast between reality in a book-celebrating (but also technology using) media center and what some ed-tech big names are saying was too great. Ludicrous.

If you’re not regularly in a school, I challenge you to get out there. Get on the ground. Listen to the teachers. Listen to their challenges. Realize the big picture; so you know what else is going on in teachers’ lives besides the technology tools you’re encouraging them to use. See it from the other side!

Watch Stand & Deliver again. See first hand again what’s happening in schools. Let that knowledge temper and revamp your work! Think from the teachers’ perspective! I challenge you!

Thinking About Differentiated Instruction Within Jazz

Recently I’ve been reading about Differentiated Instruction. It’s one of those things that I hear alot about, but needed to really learn so I can connect my instructional technology practice to the current pedagogical practices teachers are learning.

So, I just finished Carol Ann Tomlinson’s book, The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners.

As I’ve been reflecting, I suddenly realized that the “local time” during the Jazz workshop is when we differentiate instruction.

Jazz Schedule
For those of you who haven’t participated in Jazz, the daily schedule looks something like this:

  • 30-90 minutes “local time”
  • 120 minutes “simulation time” (Read Around the Planet, MysteryQuest, ASK,  etc.)
  • 30 minutes “local time” & 30 minutes lunch
  • 60 minutes guest speaker time (GNG and other content providers or guest speakers)
  • 30 minutes “local time”
  • 60 minutes small group time (groups meet across sites)
  • 30 minutes “local time”

Solving Math Problems
Solving Math Problems

What is Local Time?
Local time gives the participants a break and includes the following:

  • Housekeeping time (reminders, signing up for jobs, etc.)
  • Instruction on Skype and GoogleDocs
  • Instruction on finding VC programs
  • Video clips
  • Optional activities such as learning Twitter or Glogster
  • Debrief and reflection time

Why Differentiated Instruction?
We continue to struggle to assist new facilitators with local time. Those of us who have taught Jazz for a long time have a sense of where the participants are, what their needs are, and we adapt and are flexible throughout the week.

New facilitators are overwhelmed by the choices and find it hard to know where to start.

Differentiated instruction includes

  • differentiating content (materials and mechanisms)
  • differentiating process (activities)
  • differentiating product (ways students demonstrate learning)

As I read about differentiated instruction, I realized that in Jazz, we differentiate instruction in two major ways:

  1. We scale the activities and responsibilities for new facilitators.
  2. We adapt the local time activities based on the needs of the participants.

So what’s new?

I realized that some new facilitators (and veteran facilitators) may not be familiar with the instructional tool of adapting instruction to participants needs or being flexible in training. So, I made a little overview of differentiated instruction for our facilitators that we can use each year during our planning meetings. It includes:

  • A quick overview of Differentiated Instruction
  • Picture examples of differentiated instruction in action
  • Prompts to think about assessing participants
  • Items to decide and plan for local time

Your Turn

  • Jazz facilitators, what do you think? Will this help us? What did I miss? Is it too complex? Understandable?
  • Past Jazz participants: did you ever realize that what happens during Jazz looks like differentiated instruction? What connections do you see?

More Virtual NECC Goodies

Here’s my last set of snippets from virtually attending NECC 09:

Thanks to everyone who blogged (and will still blog) about their learning at NECC for those of us at home!

After this, a serious July studying! Which will mean two new series of posts applying communication research and mentoring research to videoconferencing.

Virtual NECC: ISTE Vision

This morning I found ISTE Vision and watched the debate while following the comments on Twitter. THAT was really fun! Lots of comments about change in instructional pedagogy whether online or in a physical location. I *think* it will be on ISTE Vision later so you can watch it if you missed it. Here are a few screenshots – the view from my office….

09-06-30necc1

Robert Siegel, from NPR’s All Things Considered, moderated the panel.

09-06-30necc2

A view of the full panel.

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Gary Stager delivers pithy punches amid applause.

It was great to be part of something big all happening at once, with interesting concise commentary on Twitter.

Virtual NECC Goodies for Monday

As I catch up on Twitter and blogs & Virtual NECC this morning, a few snippets stand out:

Looking forward to more snippets throughout the day!

What are YOU learning at or from NECC 09? Are you sharing in some form?

Virtually Following NECC Part 2

There are other ways that I’m planning to virtually follow what’s going on at NECC this year.

Twitter

I set up two searches in TweetDeck for following NECC.

  • One search for NECC related things: “NECC OR NECC09 OR NECC2009”
  • Another for the SIGIVC hashtag: NECCIVC

Also you may want to follow these people that I know are into VC and are tweeting and going to NECC.

Blogs

Virtual NECCers on Ning

  • There’s a group inside the NECC Ning for those participating virtually. Check it out!

Who did I miss? Please comment if you know someone blogging or tweeting about VC at NECC.