We are getting ready to do end of the year meetings with our districts. It's been a busy year and we want to make sure we keep busy into the new school year. Mary Hutz and I sat down on Friday afternoon to brainstorm some questions to ask our districts, to help structure our meetings, so we can gather the information we need.
I thought I'd share the questions to see what you think and if any of you have other questions you think we should ask:
1. How does the district encourage the use of video conferencing? How can we help?
2. Who are the advocates for video conferencing in your district? How do they spread the word about trainings, GST support, info from our team, etc.?
3. What goals would you like to set for video conferencing for your district next year?
4. What is your method for scheduling video conferences for your district? Is it working? If not, how can we help you streamline it?
5. What types of IVC training would you like to see us provide for your district? How will you encourage your teachers to attend?
6. Could we be part of curriculum planning in the district?
7. Do you have questions or suggestions to help us improve our service to your district?
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We are looking forward to wrapping up the school year and planning for the coming year. What do you think of these questions? Do you have suggestions for other questions that will help us gain the most useful information from each of our district visits? Please comment and let us know!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Planning Ahead for IVC
Nothing beats planning ahead when you're thinking about using video conferencing with your students.
If you've never used video conferencing, please schedule time to meet with us so we can help you learn the basics for using the equipment (muting the microphone, zooming the camera in and out, camera presets, etc.).
We are also available to help you locate excellent content providers and fun collaborative projects that integrate with your curriculum.
It is usually best to plan content provider sessions at LEAST 2 weeks in advance, but 3-4 weeks is even better. Some content providers are booked months in advance, such as MOTE Marine Lab. They are a fantastic content provider, but teachers often miss out on the opportunity to work with them because they did not plan far enough in advance.
When planning for collaborative projects, you must be willing to establish a system of frequent communication with teachers who are doing the project with you (email, meetings by video conference...). There is nothing more important than communicating with collaborative partners to make sure everything is planned thoroughly and will be as successful as possible.
If you don't know where to start, please contact us! DL@gstboces.org
If you've never used video conferencing, please schedule time to meet with us so we can help you learn the basics for using the equipment (muting the microphone, zooming the camera in and out, camera presets, etc.).
We are also available to help you locate excellent content providers and fun collaborative projects that integrate with your curriculum.
It is usually best to plan content provider sessions at LEAST 2 weeks in advance, but 3-4 weeks is even better. Some content providers are booked months in advance, such as MOTE Marine Lab. They are a fantastic content provider, but teachers often miss out on the opportunity to work with them because they did not plan far enough in advance.
When planning for collaborative projects, you must be willing to establish a system of frequent communication with teachers who are doing the project with you (email, meetings by video conference...). There is nothing more important than communicating with collaborative partners to make sure everything is planned thoroughly and will be as successful as possible.
If you don't know where to start, please contact us! DL@gstboces.org
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Presenting by Video Conference
Janine Lim made a Twitter post recently that caught my attention:
@outonalim: "red writing on blue slides looks awful on VC #vctips - don't use red fonts!!"
She makes an excellent point, so I thought it would be a good time to talk about IVC best practices...
A. Wardrobe
Pay attention to the clothes you choose to wear during a video conference. Solid, darker colors work well. Avoid stripes and busy patterns because they can cause distractions and affect the quality of video you send to other locations.
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B. Multimedia presentations
If you are showing a multimedia presentation by video conference, please make sure you do the following:
* Use fonts that are as large as possible (at least 36pt font)
* High contrast colors are best (white font on a dark blue or black background works very well)
* Keep it concise
* Try using a tool like Prezi.com to create your presentation instead of PowerPoint, for a little something different
* Use images or a short video, instead of words, to get your point across
* Employ the 5x5 rule: 5 (or fewer) words per line, 5 (or fewer) lines on a slide
-----------------------------
C. Other Visuals
If students make posters, remind them to write large enough so it is easy to read over the connection. Show them how their posters will look over a video conference connection by using Self-view on your VC system. Hold up the posters and see how they look on the screen. Are they easy to read?
A document camera is another way to show visuals. Students can write clues on paper and use the document camera to display them. Sharing objects with the document camera allows you to zoom in to get a better look.
-----------------------------
D. The Numbers
If you're looking for maximum interactivity during your video conferences, work with a regular class size and avoid including multiple classes at one IVC location.
Most content providers request class sizes of around 25-30 or fewer, unless you make other arrangements with them in advance. It's much more fun for the students if everyone has a chance or two to speak during a video conference. More kids = fewer chances to speak.
For collaborative projects, limit the number of classes that participate, so students can share their work more effectively and thoughtfully.
------------------------------
E. Variety
If you are doing a collaborative video conference project, be sure to plan a nice variety of activities to keep your video conference engaging and interactive.
Check out this awesome booklet called Planning Kid2Kid Video Conference Connections, by Janine Lim, Arnie Comer, and Roxanne Glaser for collaborative IVC ideas.
-----------------------------
Do you have other tips for presenting by video conference? Or do you have questions about curriculum-based video conferencing? Please let us know!
DL@gstboces.org
@outonalim: "red writing on blue slides looks awful on VC #vctips - don't use red fonts!!"
She makes an excellent point, so I thought it would be a good time to talk about IVC best practices...
A. Wardrobe
Pay attention to the clothes you choose to wear during a video conference. Solid, darker colors work well. Avoid stripes and busy patterns because they can cause distractions and affect the quality of video you send to other locations.
------------------------------
B. Multimedia presentations
If you are showing a multimedia presentation by video conference, please make sure you do the following:
* Use fonts that are as large as possible (at least 36pt font)
* High contrast colors are best (white font on a dark blue or black background works very well)
* Keep it concise
* Try using a tool like Prezi.com to create your presentation instead of PowerPoint, for a little something different
* Use images or a short video, instead of words, to get your point across
* Employ the 5x5 rule: 5 (or fewer) words per line, 5 (or fewer) lines on a slide
-----------------------------
C. Other Visuals
If students make posters, remind them to write large enough so it is easy to read over the connection. Show them how their posters will look over a video conference connection by using Self-view on your VC system. Hold up the posters and see how they look on the screen. Are they easy to read?
A document camera is another way to show visuals. Students can write clues on paper and use the document camera to display them. Sharing objects with the document camera allows you to zoom in to get a better look.
-----------------------------
D. The Numbers
If you're looking for maximum interactivity during your video conferences, work with a regular class size and avoid including multiple classes at one IVC location.
Most content providers request class sizes of around 25-30 or fewer, unless you make other arrangements with them in advance. It's much more fun for the students if everyone has a chance or two to speak during a video conference. More kids = fewer chances to speak.
For collaborative projects, limit the number of classes that participate, so students can share their work more effectively and thoughtfully.
------------------------------
E. Variety
If you are doing a collaborative video conference project, be sure to plan a nice variety of activities to keep your video conference engaging and interactive.
Check out this awesome booklet called Planning Kid2Kid Video Conference Connections, by Janine Lim, Arnie Comer, and Roxanne Glaser for collaborative IVC ideas.
-----------------------------
Do you have other tips for presenting by video conference? Or do you have questions about curriculum-based video conferencing? Please let us know!
DL@gstboces.org
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