In today's technology world, communication has become easier. For this course having to work in groups the need for communication is vital to the success of the group. To help ensure this my group held a video conference so that we can communicate and see each other. There are many different options for video conferences.
The first option is using Skype. While Skype allows multiple people to hold a conference call, it does not allow screencasting (which is a vital part of the assignments given for CEP 812). There is one way to do this and that would be to use Jing or a similar program. Personally I didn't think this would be the best option and my group agreed. So we explored the next option of using Adobe Connect. For us, this didn't seem like a viable option because nobody in the group had been the one to initiate the conferences as well as record it. While there is a possibility of recording these, we were just unsure of how it would work. The decision we made was to host a Google Hangout. This allowed us to work on the same document (in Google Docs) while we were recording our conference. While one person worked on the doc we all could see it on our screens being changed. This was very useful for us to brainstorm and generate ideas because it almost seemed like we were in the same room working on the same project.
By using Google Hangout, our group was able to have a great meeting. We were able to discuss multiple points of our upcoming project as well as to work out different questions that we had as a group. It was a very simple tool to use and instantly uploaded itself to YouTube accounts for further access. One aspect that I really enjoyed about it was the instant recording. There was no button to remember to push or to stop. It just started to record and we began working. One thing I would change is that it was difficult to find the YouTube link. I had to e-mail a group member for the link because I couldn't find the link in my account.
This is something that can be used in my classroom by allowing students to communicate with other students in other locations. Similar to pen pals. It becomes a digital pen pal making it easier for students to share their ideas and thoughts.
http://youtu.be/w6nwes8jkjE
It sounds like you had a wonderfully productive meeting+8-). I loved your ideas for using web conferencing with your students to communicate with others on a global level - pen pal style. I've used Skype in a similar way with my students. We visited with two of the sister schools participating in our Alien Adventure writing project. I can also see teachers eventually using conferencing tools to extend the classroom into the homes of students who have a long term illness that necessitates their missing school for long periods of time. As with all class projects/tasks, this post can be upgraded and resubmitted for a potentially higher grade. Just drop me an email when the post is ready for another round of review. Nicely done ~ Susan
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