Portfolio on Advance Technologies for DE

Mod 8, Assignment 3 : Attend Live Webinar Session

2008-02-24T15:02:00.000-08:00

Assignment 3 Attend Live Webinar Session

There are three times posted during this module on the calendar for the live webinar session. The sessions will be about 20 minutes long. Pick the one most convenient for you. You can get there by going to the very next link (8.1). See you there!

Webinar Platform Live Discussion on WimbiaMedia pending.

Mod 8, Assignment 2 : Group Project

2008-02-24T15:01:00.001-08:00

Assignment 2 Group Project

Using the WebCT chat feature (and also the Google Talk feature for one-on-one conversations if you want), work with your team for the following “panel” assignments. Come up with a group answer and post it to the WebCT discussion board for this module. It is important that ALL team members participate in this. Your team assistant will serve as your team leader. React to the postings of the other two teams.

Jupiter Team: Consider the following: Now that Google offers a service (it’s free right to those who sign up early) to educational institutions to permit branding and account management for Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Chat, will we see a greater threat to course management systems such as WebCT? Fully support your answer with examples of how one or more institutions are using these tools.

Stardust Team: Consider the following: Synchronous communication provides immediacy and speed that is lacking in asynchronous distance learning courses. However, they provide some disadvantages as well in terms of accessibility, time inconvenience, and complexity of training. With this in mind, what one or two tools are most promising for synchronous delivery for distance educators in the next 10 years? Describe these tools (do they rely mainly on voice, text, audio, etc?). Support your answer.

Moonrocks Team: Consider the following: Group assignments in distance learning can be greatly facilitated through the use of synchronous learning tools. Provide five solid and specific examples of group assignments and the best synchronous tools for these activities. Also, provide a statement as to whether or not you believe that group activities are worthwhile in the online classroom.

Mod 8, Assignment 1: Google Talk Account

2008-02-24T14:59:00.001-08:00

Assignment 1: Google Talk

Sign up for a Google Talk account as soon as possible this week. It is very easy. If you don't have Gmail, then you will need to sign up for a Google account, but you can do it right there at this site. This whole process will take you less than 5 minutes, and it is quite intuitive.

Google Talk will allow instant messaging from your desktop as well as voice calls. The only downfall is that it only works on PCs (not Macs). Please contact your team assistant if you have a Mac for an alternate assignment. Google Talk provides excellent audio quality, and also allows file sharing. Very easy, and seems to be very powerful. What makes this more interesting is that Google University has begun offering tools, such as email, for free to universities, and allowing them to use their own branding. Certainly, implications exist.

For this assignment, after you have gotten your Google Talk up and running, post your Google Talk email on your blog (they generally provide you with a new one). Go to the blogs of some other classmates, look up their Google Talk email and add them as contacts. Keep your Google Talk open when you're at your computer during this week (when you can) so that your classmates can try this out with you. Contact at least one class member and have a Google Talk with them. Use both the text messaging and the call feature. Post on the discussion board about your experience. Could this be used for distance learning? Would this be more convenient than the chat feature in WebCT for online office hours? What advantages, if any, might it offer?

Mod 8, Assignment 4: Readings

2008-02-24T14:55:00.000-08:00

Reading 4: Google Apps and the New American University

Mod 8, Assignment 3 : Readings

2008-02-24T14:51:00.000-08:00

Reading 3: UNC's Evaluation of Live Synchronous Tools

Mod 8, Assignment: 2: Readings

2008-02-24T14:49:00.001-08:00

Reading 2: Distance Learning and Synchronous Interaction

Mod 8, Assignmnet 1: Reading Online Synchronous Tools

2008-02-24T14:47:00.000-08:00

Reading I: Online Synchronous Tools

During the past several years, there has been an explosion of web-enabled technologies which allow live collaboration and presentation. These technologies include the following general tools:

video conferencing
real-time text chat or instant messaging
whiteboards
application sharing
survey and polling tools
moderating controls

A general advantage of such tools is that they allow participants to feel a similar sense of community that they would in a traditional course, and to get instant feedback for their questions or ideas. In addition, synchronous tools are very high on the "bells and whistle" factor and thus, they look impressive. Disadvantages include cost, accessibility, the fear factor, and the inconvenience to students of having to meet at a certain time.

In this module, we will explore live voice chats and live Webinar tools.

Mod 7 Objectives

2008-02-14T10:24:00.000-08:00

This is Module 7 Objectives:

At the end of this module, you will:
- know how to make creative use of free tools available for surveys and evaluation
- become aware of the possibilities for utilizing surveys in online courses
Before starting, first provide at least three tips for creating quality online surveys (you may need to do a tiny bit of research on the web to answer this). React to the postings of at least two classmates.

Assigned Question 1 :
During this module, we will look at free survey/evaluation tools which can serve to greatly enhance online courses. In particular, we're looking at Survey Monkey. Your primary assignment is to design and deliver a short survey to a group of 10 or fewer people using Survey Monkey.

Assignment 2 Create Survey:
Now, please complete the Survey Monkey created questionnaire on Telecommuting. Click Here to take survey...Thanks!

Mod 6, Assignment 4: SnagIt

2008-02-10T14:16:00.000-08:00

Assignment 4: SnagIt

You should find this last assignment to be quite a breeze now that you've mastered Camtasia and Impatica.

1. After you've downloaded the trial version of SnagIt, you should play around with it to capture various types of screen shots, including "region," "scrolling window," and "record video screen." Remember, back in the video module when we had to create a screen shot the long, manual way? This way is so much easier.

Now, for the "record video screen" the quality is fuzzy in SnagIt compared to Camtasia, but still useful for many projects. For your assignment, you'll just use the Web page (keep links) function.

2. Find a website that you like - any website. It could be about technology, travel, dinosaurs, or whatever you wish.

3. Now, using the "Region" tool, select a portion of the webpage, including the part that is of the greatest interest to you. After you capture it, a new SnagIt window will come open. Use the Edge effects on the right side of the screen to give your image a "wave" edge.

4. Use the callout tool and create an arrow (like my example here) to point out something on the region you saved.

Mod 6, Assignment 2: Camtasia and PowerPoint

2008-02-07T14:10:00.000-08:00

Assignment 2: Camtasia and PowerPoint

1. Install a trial copy of Camtasia Studio. Once installed, Camtasia automatically installs PowerPoint recording "add ins" into your Microsoft PowerPoint program. The first time you open up Microsoft PowerPoint after installing Camtasia, a Camtasia Getting Started Guide will automatically open up within PowerPoint. You may also access the pdf version here. Review the Getting Started Guide

2. Review the Record and Produce your PowerPoint Presentation in 5 Minutes tutorial. You may also need to refer to the Camtasia Studio Learning Center for further assistance throughout this assignment.

3. In the previous assignment you used Impatica to compress your already narrated PowerPoint presentation. In this assignment, you will use Camtasia to add audio to your PowerPoint presentation, and Produce the presentation for viewing over the internet. You may use the same unnarrated PowerPoint presentation that you used in the previous assignment or create a new presentation that may be helpful to you as an instructor, trainer, or administrator. Minimum of 6 slides. Refer to the tutorial above to record and produce your presentation.

4. Produce your presentation in flash format (.swf) and upload to your own web server. Then you need to make a discussion board posting describing your project, and include a link to your Camtasia for PowerPoint project. Also, post link to your blog if you wish.

Mod 6, Assignment 1: Impatica for PowerPoint

2008-02-04T14:00:00.000-08:00

Assignment 1: Impatica for PowerPoint

1. After we downloaded the evaluation copy of Impatica for PowerPoint, download and Review the Impatica for PowerPoint User's Manual.
2. Create a PowerPoint presentation. It should be 7 or more slides long. For the topic, choose something that will be helpful to us as an instructor, trainer, administrator, etc. Before we start, we are to review this basic PowerPoint design tutorial (created about 3 years ago through Impatica) which will provide us with general ideas of the expected quality of your presentation - and also what NOT to do!
3. Add the audio to our PowerPoint Presentation. we were to be sure to save a copy of the PowerPoint presentation without the added narration because we will use the unnarrated version in another assignment. Here's a simple tutorial on "How to Narrate your PowerPoint Presentation": http://www.westga.edu/~distance/narration.pdf
4. "Impaticize" our presentation by using Impatica for PowerPoint. Follow the instructions in the above tutorial.
5. We are to deliver our Impatica online, embedded within a webpage, within WebCT, or as an attachment to an email. For this assignment, we'll need to upload our presentation to our own server. Then we will need to make a discussion board posting with a link to your presentation. Kindly view the projects of our classmates and comment on a couple of them. Optional for your own benefit: also put a link to your presentation in a blog posting.

Mod 6 Objectives

2008-02-01T13:28:00.000-08:00

Module 6 Objectives:

By the end of this module, we will be able to:

Utilize Impatica to produce a compressed, narrated Power Point presentation for the internet.
Utilize Camtasia to produce a compressed, narrated Power Point presentation for the streaming
Utilize Camtasia to record and produce a short video for internet streaming
articulate the strengths ands weakness of Impatica and Camtasia
Utilize SnagIt and other techniques for screen captures..

Module 6 Readings:

This module provides some practice with some software packages designed to make placing information on the web or in Blackboard/WebCT much easier. This module assumes that you already have knowledge of creating a basic PowerPoint presentation.

Impatica for PowerPoint is a software program used to modify PowerPoint presentations so that students will not need Microsoft PowerPoint or the PowerPoint viewer to look at the file. Most importantly, Impatica converts the narrated PowerPoint presentation into a format that is easily accessible for all students no matter what type of internet connection they have.

Camtasia is a software program that allows faculty to record high quality presentations such as recording narrated PowerPoint presentations with audio/and or video, or recording what is happening on their computer screen. If you want to create mini-software tutorials for your students or want to demonstrate a specific concept, Camtasia is one option that you can use to create the tutorial.

SnagIt is a very easy to use software tool that allows faculty to capture what's on their computer screen--an image, an article, part of a web page, etc., and then easily add text, arrows, effects and save it as an image file. The file can easily be shared through e-mail, embedded into a webpage, or presentation file. It's a great visual aide tool.

Click here for Module 6 class "Reading" in PDF.

Mod 5: Assignment 4: Post Video URL to Discussion Board

2008-01-24T14:46:00.000-08:00

Mod 5: Assn 4: Post Video URL to Discussion Board :
Yes, you already posted your video to your blog (hopefully, that worked out for you - sometimes it gets tricky). However, please also post the URL for your video here. Please take a moment to view and comment on the videos of some of your classmates.

Mod 5, Assignment 3: Discussions

2008-01-24T14:43:00.000-08:00

Assignment 3:

Participate in bulletin board discussion. When making instructional video for online courses,
should we try to to make them entertaining and creative, or should we just keep them simple
so that they will take less time to create? Does enriching them make them more educational?
Provide a URL for a homemade video link or VLOG you've found on line that
you think is either "plain and simple" or "entertaining and creative."
Give your opinion on this, and respond to the postings of two others.

Mod 5, Assignment 2: Upload Video to Web

2008-01-20T14:37:00.000-08:00

First, let's make a screen capture. This will allow you to put a neat picture on your blog (or elsewhere) that links to your video.

1. Open up your movie in Windows Media Player (not Movie Maker) and find a frame that you like. Go up to the Tools menu in Windows Media Player and then go to Options. Click on the Performance tab. Change the Video Acceleration from "Full" to "None" and click okay. Don't forget to change this back when you are finished!!!
3. Under View, go to Skin Mode - you'll see a smaller screen now. Make sure that you have this window selected. Now click on "Alt+Print screen" to take a picture of this window. (If you downloaded SnagIt for this section, you could use it - but let's do this the long way just so we'll know how).
4. Open your Paint program (should be already installed under Accessories if you have a PC - go to Start - All Programs - Accessories).
5. Go up to Edit, and then Paste. Your screen shot should show up at this point. You can use the handles in Paint to crop out some of the white space if you need to. Next, go to File, Save As, and save the file someplace you can find it. Give the file a name, change the type of file to JPEG and hit SAVE.

Next, let's Upload your Video.
1. You can upload your to your own server (at your university, govenment institution, etc.). Be sure to note the file name. OR If you have no file space, you can upload your video for free at ourmedia.org or blip.tv . If you take this route, you'll need to go in and register and complete the information requested. Once your video is uploaded, you'll need to make note of the URL.
Post your Video to your Blog.
1. Go to your blogger account and begin a new post.
2. Go to the button where you add an image, and click it. Add the jpeg that you made in the screen capture (above).
3. Also, in your posting, include "Click here to view video."
4. Select this text and also the video picture and link them (using the link button) to the URL of your video. Be sure to publish your new post.

Mod 5, Common Video Formats

2008-01-14T14:25:00.000-08:00

Common Video Formats

AVI (Audio Video Interleave). Developed by Microsoft.

Supported by all computers running Windows and most web browsers. Very common - perhaps most common. Won’t always work on Macs. Extension is .avi.

Windows Media Format. Developed by Microsoft. Common format, but does not work at all on Macs. Extension is .wmv.
MPEG (Moving Pictures Expert Group). Very popular on the internet. Works on Macs and Windows, and most web browsers. Visitors can play your movie without downloading additional software. Can't create this format on a Mac with iMovie without additional software. Extension is .mpg or .mpeg.
QuickTime. Developed by Apple. Common, but can’t be played on Windows computer with an extra component installed. Extension is .mov.
RealVideo. Developed by Real Media. Allows streaming of video with low bandwidths. Quality is usually reduced to accommodate bandwidth needs. Won't run in Windows or Mac without downloading extra software. Extension is .rm or .ram
Shockwave (Flash). Developed by Macromedia. Requires an extra component to play (preinstalled on latest versions of Netscape and Explorer). Extension is .swf.
MPEG-4. Very small file sizes. Windows users must install QuickTime to play. Easy to use with iMovie.

Mod 5, Assignment 1: Creating Video

2008-01-13T14:36:00.000-08:00

Assignment 1 of 2 (Make Your Video):

1. Create a short video (3-5 minutes). You should use a digital movie camera,
a still camera with a video function, or a webcam.
Your video should be 3-5 minutes long. It can be on any topic that you
choose (instructional or fun). Just make certain that it is interesting.
Also, you must be in the video at some point.
2. Connect your video camera to your computer (instruction) and
download your video to your computer (instruction) for Windows).
3. Open your video in your movie editor (Windows Movie Maker or iMovie).
4. Now you need to compress your video.

Using Windows Movie Maker 2, start by dragging a clip down to the video timelines.
Then you will click on "Save Movie File." Under Movie Loaction, click "My Computer," then click Next.
Give your file a name and pick a place to save it, and click Next.
Choose Other Settings, and select Video for Broadband (512kbps) from the dropdown menu.
Click next. After it's finished compressing, Click Finish.

Need visual instruction? Watch video compression in Windows Movie Maker 2.
In iMovie, you'll go to File> Share, and select QuickTime. Then go to "Expert Settings" and click "Share."
Then you'll get it "Save As" window. Name your movie and make sure that under "Export" it says
"Movie to QuickTime Movie." Next, you'll change "Default Settings" by clicking on "Options."
Click "Video Settings and choose MPEG-4 Video. In the compressor window, you'll want your
frame rate to be 15 frames per second, and key frames every 5 frames in the Motion options.
Finally change "Size" to a "Custom Size" of 320 by 240 and press okay. For sound settings,
click on the "Settings" button. Make the format at "AAC" and choose "Mono."
The rate should be 24 kilohertz. Click on "Show Advanced Settings."
Make the Target Bit rate 32. The setting should be AAC, Mono, 24 kiohertz.
The advanced settings should be Constant bit rate, 32, and Better. Then press okay.
Now click Prepare for Internet Streaming and click Fast Start, then okay. Save your Most Recent Settings.

5. Edit your movie. Here's a
Tutorial for Windows Movie Maker from Microsoft (if you need it).
a. delete any segements you want to get rid of.
b. Edit out any segments that you want to delete.
c. Add a least one photo or screen shot.
d, Add a title page and any captions if needed.
6. Save your video in .avi (for Windows Movie Maker) or mpeg-4 (for iMovie) format.
In the next module, you will upload your video to the internet.

Mod 5, Readings

2008-01-12T14:25:00.000-08:00

Readings:

1. How to Make a Great Video (linked in this module).
2. Tutorial for Windows Movie Maker (if you need it - but it's pretty user-friendly).
3. View this video on videoing from John Herman at PodCamp Boston 2006. - It's good enlightening stuff that may make you think differently about how you hold your camera.

Downloads:

1. Download Windows Movie Maker if you don't already have it.
2. Download a 30-day free trial of SnagIt if you want to make screen captures (still and video) really easy.

Mod 5: How to Make a Great Video

2008-01-11T14:30:00.000-08:00

Video Tutorial

Mod 5 Learning Goals

2008-01-11T14:22:00.000-08:00

Module 5 Learning Goals:

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. Create a short and effective video.
2. Understand the various formats of video.
3. Compress a video for use on the internet.
3. Edit a video using Windows Movie Maker
(free) or iMovie (if you have it and choose to use it).
4. Add special effects, captions, and titles to a video

Mod 4 - Assignment 4: Discuss the Experience

2008-01-09T06:10:00.000-08:00

As an Andy Rooney Fan, I subscribe to the CBS News Poscasts (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/07/06/utility/main706903.shtml) for Andy Rooney episodes missed.

Pluses to sites that offers:

Other topics are available to review versus just one specific, like that of Andy Rooney. Saves from subscribing to many individual sites, where as this site offers multiple options to view.
Offers multiple venue, depending on personal preference (listen or download nice), or technology already set up on your computer.

Several issues using some commercial sites are:

Advertisements preceding several but not all podcasts/iTunes. While it cannot be closed before the complete ad displays, one can mute the ads, while waiting for the feature.
If existing technology (PC/MAC) software applications are not completely compatible, e.g., iTunes, a prompt displays to suggest adding an extention needed for their file type to the iTunes software application. This may not be reversible, resulting in interfering with the use of previous files.

The challenge in presenting a script to a live audience is, no retakes. Those that are charismatic presenters are fortunate compared to those of us who fumble along famously, or not. For me, the hardest part is preparing the script to roll out like a casual conversation between friends. Never have mastered that quality while writing, unfortunately. As for retakes on audios, Hmmm, it can be counted as rehearsals.

And, this website, the Higher Education Podcast Repository (interesting concept, don't you think?), has a rubric which attempts to evaluate the quality of higher ed. podcasts. Marwin Britto thought this might be of interest since we are all finding that the range of the quality of podcasts vary greatly.

Mod 4 -Assignment 1: Subscribe to Other Podcasts

2008-01-09T06:05:00.000-08:00

There are lots of places you can go to subscribe to other podcasts. Beyond individual sites (journals, companies such as Disneyland), you can go to sites that have thousands of video and audio podcasts. Three popular ones are YouTube (mainly video), Odeo, and iTunes.

Let’s subscribe to some other podcasts. Go to the podcasts – find the subscribe buttons, and put the RSS code in your BlogBridge.

Mod 4 - Your Podcasts

2008-01-09T05:56:00.000-08:00

This article discusses ten ways to improve your podcasts. There is no priority to their listing, though the first five tips cover some of the basics: getting a good microphone, proper microphone technique, show preparation, reducing noise, and formats; the latter five are more concerned with the content of your show.

Next, are a few ways How-To: Podcasting.

Mod 4 -Podcasting

2008-01-09T05:55:00.000-08:00

Objectives

At the end of this section you will:

- understand what podcasting is and how it is used in higher education
- learn to locate and subscribe to podcasts
- become practiced in creating and publishing podcasts
- evaluate the content of podcasts produced by classmates

Mod 3-Assignment 3: Audio by Phone

2007-12-17T02:16:00.000-08:00

Our assignment is to sign up for Gabcast and make a recording that goes directly to our blog.

Gabcast.com is a podcasting and audioblogging platform that offers an easy way to create and distribute audio content. Most use a touch-tone telephone to make their recordings and also access the service through VoIP. Once we make a recording, we will published it and a newsfeed is immediately and automatically updated to alert subscribers.