New article about podcasting in the 9/11/07 edition of Teacher Magazine (www.teachermagazine.com)
The interview process was interesting. Basically I got a call from the magazine's editor who sent me an email and asked me to answer the questions. It was kind of like taking an essay test. :)
I answered the questions, then sent it off. Two days later, a draft of the story came my way. There were tweaks, but nothing i couldn't live with. And they wanted (ugh) a photo.
So... after agonizing over the photo, I awoke yesterday to find the article AND the photo plastered all over the site - and several other sites.
I wish I had more hair. At least the article was fun to write.
Enjoy,
Bard
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Another book - YOU can help with the next!
The "Educator's Podcast Guide" (LEARN MORE) just debuted and it's getting great reviews. (THANK YOU!)
And.. thanks to the wonderful 9 month publication cycle, the NEXT edition is already underway.
I'd love to hear from you if you're read the book - with ideas about how to make it better or podcasts you like. I'll give you credit if I use your ideas, of course!
Friday, August 03, 2007
Future-web Skills
Web 2.0. JavaScript, Ruby on Rails, AJAX, php/MySQL, CSS, XML, ASP, Flash, SN, SL...
As the Web continues to evolve, tools for creating, posting and maintaining content get more complex. Acronyms abound and job posting for "web masters" have turned into laundry lists of technologies, software and infrastructures that'll make most anyone's head spin.
Do students really need to master each and every technology and build "graduate level" skills before they feel "employable"? Thankfully, the set of "future-web" skills needed for the web-savvy worker of tomorrow requires something totally different - the ability to seek out, analyze, and learn (many times teaching yourself) new technologies and new techniques.
I live right in the heart of Silicon Valley, a place where you can throw a rock and hit three or four engineers, programmers, or web designers. Stand on a ladder (a tall one) outside my house and you can see 6 colleges. Apple, HP, MSFT, Intel and others are right around the corner. It's easy in this area to find someone who claims to know pieces of the "web acronym alphabet". They each have skills, mostly self-taught or gained from recent courses, in different areas and components of web front- or back-end infrastructure. Few know most of them an an operational level. None know them all.
What many of these talented people lack, however, is the ability to problem-solve and to adapt to the ever-changing technologies presented by advances in the pipeline, interface and functionality of the web. Tomorrow's web designers must have both a catalog of code snippets and a catalog of places and people they can tap to learn or keep abreast of new technologies.
Future-web skills for "coders" and for "maintainers" are changing at an equally rapid pace. Web 2.0 and the rise of social networking sites and media are changing the face of the web and, interestingly enough, are shifting focus from technologies (which are quite complex, but done by "someone else") to content. Maintaining a website now may include posting and managing a blog, wiki, mashup, podcast network, RSS feed or virtual environment.
So what's a student to do who wants to learn web design today and practice it tomorrow? The answer, in short, is:
* keep abreast of new developments
* teach yourself new technologies and learn how to learn others
* get really good at the basics (raw HTML/CSS)
* build your communication skills - both speaking and writing
* practice obsessively - build your own sites or sites for friends.
Focus on these and your success rate will rocket higher. Ignore these and you'll watch everyone around you succeed, while you sit wondering what's wrong.
I'm off to figure out the GUI for my next back-end SQL DB...
Bard
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
The Little Widget That Could
In a world of multi-megabyte monolithic applications like Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop, it's easy to get the impression that the programs you run need to be huge and complex to actually do any real work. You need lots of options, lots of bells and whistles, and huge multi-screen supporting windows of content, right?
Perhaps not.
Until recently, I'd thought of widgets (those always-ready little "applets" that run in a Mac's dashboard, Windows Sidebar or Yahoo! Widgets) as curious little programs that basically helped me get easy access to the time, weather, phases of the moon, and my calculator.
Then someone showed me a widget for Quicken. And one for Skype. And one for Wikipedia. Then I discovered widgets that work on mobile phones (like my Treo smartphone). Wow. I realized that to enter a simple transaction in Quicken, I didn't have to wait for the program to launch, navigate to the account listing and enter. To make a SKYPE call, I just need to press F8, or to see where that earthquake I just felt originated... well you get the drift.
Current widgets are mostly information or entertainment oriented, with a few biz widgets. I found most of them on Apple's site, but there are plenty more on Yahoo! and other places.
I'm hoping that these little buddies become even more prevalent and that we see the invention of widgets that help us quickly access tools for education, like gradebooks and discipline tool or students management systems.
Once these are out, I'll pop all of them on my Apple iPhone (we can dream) and I'll be good to go!
Perhaps not.
Until recently, I'd thought of widgets (those always-ready little "applets" that run in a Mac's dashboard, Windows Sidebar or Yahoo! Widgets) as curious little programs that basically helped me get easy access to the time, weather, phases of the moon, and my calculator.
Then someone showed me a widget for Quicken. And one for Skype. And one for Wikipedia. Then I discovered widgets that work on mobile phones (like my Treo smartphone). Wow. I realized that to enter a simple transaction in Quicken, I didn't have to wait for the program to launch, navigate to the account listing and enter. To make a SKYPE call, I just need to press F8, or to see where that earthquake I just felt originated... well you get the drift.
Current widgets are mostly information or entertainment oriented, with a few biz widgets. I found most of them on Apple's site, but there are plenty more on Yahoo! and other places.
I'm hoping that these little buddies become even more prevalent and that we see the invention of widgets that help us quickly access tools for education, like gradebooks and discipline tool or students management systems.
Once these are out, I'll pop all of them on my Apple iPhone (we can dream) and I'll be good to go!
Friday, April 06, 2007
Are Ed Tech Conferences Really Worthwhile?
I've been in the education biz, either as a full-time educator or as someone working with schools and districts, since 1980. That's more than 20 years of opportunity to attend and present at education conferences. So, are they really worth the time off, travel, and expense?
As an educator, it's very easy for us to feel (and be) isolated from the world of technology. Sure we regularly interact with our peers, and perhaps local/district technology coordinators or IT administrators. But are we really getting the most out of the technology we have? Education conferences go a long way to bridging the knowledge gap and the isolation gap - connecting us with others. They help us discover and explore new technologies and help us meet our own (personal) learning goals. I think they're great.
I have attended, and been a presenter at local, state, national and international technology conferences. Each of these conference types offer different opportunities for learning and collaboration.
NECC, the grandest of the all, is the ultimate opportunity to go WORLDWIDE to find out what's new and what other schools and educators are doing. In addition to a host of vendors, the workshops are exceptional. There is nowhere else where you'll be able to explore such a diversity of well-presented topics. If you only attend ONE conference, NECC (National Educational Computing Conference) is the place to go. This summer's conference is in Atlanta, GA.
State conferences are a great choice if out-of-state travel is restricted or you want a more "people-centered" approach. Workshops tend to be more "real world" and often help you navigate the idiosyncracies of purchasing and using technology in your own state.
Five state conferences, FETC (Florida), TCEA (Texas), CECA (Connecticut), GaETC (Georgia) and CaliforniaCUE (California) are particularly good at drawing larger crowds and offering excellent speakers and workshops.
Local conferences can be good, although you'll mostly (obviously) hear what you might already know. If the conference organizers are on top of things, they'll mix things up by offering local presenters as well as "experts" from other districts.
Overall, conference attendance has been very erratic. As the Web offers more resources and budgets downsize, some choose to stay home. While the WEb is a great resource for information, there just isn't any comparison to roaming the halls of a conference and spotting "unexpected gems" or running into friends or making new ones.
If you haven't tried attending an EdTech conference, you should. If you're an attendee, try presenting next time. It's a blast - so is the lifelong learning experience you'll get from the effort.
By the way, looking for a keynote speaker or featured workshop? Shoot me an email!
As an educator, it's very easy for us to feel (and be) isolated from the world of technology. Sure we regularly interact with our peers, and perhaps local/district technology coordinators or IT administrators. But are we really getting the most out of the technology we have? Education conferences go a long way to bridging the knowledge gap and the isolation gap - connecting us with others. They help us discover and explore new technologies and help us meet our own (personal) learning goals. I think they're great.
I have attended, and been a presenter at local, state, national and international technology conferences. Each of these conference types offer different opportunities for learning and collaboration.
NECC, the grandest of the all, is the ultimate opportunity to go WORLDWIDE to find out what's new and what other schools and educators are doing. In addition to a host of vendors, the workshops are exceptional. There is nowhere else where you'll be able to explore such a diversity of well-presented topics. If you only attend ONE conference, NECC (National Educational Computing Conference) is the place to go. This summer's conference is in Atlanta, GA.
State conferences are a great choice if out-of-state travel is restricted or you want a more "people-centered" approach. Workshops tend to be more "real world" and often help you navigate the idiosyncracies of purchasing and using technology in your own state.
Five state conferences, FETC (Florida), TCEA (Texas), CECA (Connecticut), GaETC (Georgia) and CaliforniaCUE (California) are particularly good at drawing larger crowds and offering excellent speakers and workshops.
Local conferences can be good, although you'll mostly (obviously) hear what you might already know. If the conference organizers are on top of things, they'll mix things up by offering local presenters as well as "experts" from other districts.
Overall, conference attendance has been very erratic. As the Web offers more resources and budgets downsize, some choose to stay home. While the WEb is a great resource for information, there just isn't any comparison to roaming the halls of a conference and spotting "unexpected gems" or running into friends or making new ones.
If you haven't tried attending an EdTech conference, you should. If you're an attendee, try presenting next time. It's a blast - so is the lifelong learning experience you'll get from the effort.
By the way, looking for a keynote speaker or featured workshop? Shoot me an email!
Friday, March 16, 2007
Web 2.0 - In Education?
The term "Web 2.0" generally refers to a bunch of web-based services—such as blogs (like this), social networking sites (like MySpace), wikis (like Wikipedia), social bookmarking (like del.icio.us), communication tools (like AIM and Google Chat), and other collaborative environments on the web (like Second Life) that encourge sharing.
It's a convenient term, although, really, it doesn't really represent the second generation of the Web. That honor probably goes to the Internet2 initiative - which is all about the backbone and infrastructure of how we send and receive information.
So is this collection of web-based services and tools useful in education? Yes, with the obligatory qualifications.
Web 2.0 Tools in Action...
The "i" generation moving through schools today are as connected with the Web as they are (and were) with video games, DVD, and their iPod. Students (and the rest of us) are posting to blogs (weblogs) at record numbers. The graph of growth looks like every stockbroker's dream ("up sharply and to the right") with more than 100,000 blogs created every day. (Technorati)
In the classroom, blogs are popping up to support curriculum - students writing about topics they're studying and then offering opportunity for comment from their peers around the world. Teachers are using blogs as examples of good (and not so good) writing. Administrators are blogging with information for their community. A quick search of Blogger for "education" or "school" and you might be surprised.
Photo and video sharing is also soaring like a NASA rocket. Media sharing sites like Flikr, Sharpcast, Picasa, and YouTube not only capture the media's attention, they're capturing your eyeballs at record rates. For education, these sites represent an amazing opportunity to produce and share content useful in support of teaching and learning.
Podcasting is another rapidly growing activity. A survey by eMarketer suggests that there are about 20M podcasts out there today (in 2007) with that number tripling by 2010. Education podcasts are growing, too. More teachers and students are sharing information, supporting curriculum, and reporting everything from field trip results to school lunch menus via podcasts.
Sometimes the content shared is as simple (and complex) as a list of your favorite links to other Web 2.0 services. Bookmarking sites such as Del.icio.us, blinklist, shadows and clipmarks and mashups like Bloglines bring easy access to favorite resources across the web. The cool thing about these services is that they connect and collect resource lists.
Another element of the universe known as Web 2.0 are web applications that are stored and run from the web. Think of running Microsoft Word via the web, rather than clicking an icon on your desktop. Sites like Google Docs, writely, writeboard, and rallypoint let you and your students write collaboratively; GoogleSpreadsheets gets your numbers online; to-do lists like voo2do, Ta-Da Lists are interesting, and news collaborative systems like digg, diggdot and gabbr. Even project management sites like Basecamp and CentralDesktop might be useful.
In education, the power of the applications is the same as the power of the apps for other uses. The tools offer a common platform for work (no more "I've got a Mac, you've got a PC), an easily accessible collaborative environment, and some very powerful, and mostly free, tools.
Education-focused tools are becoming more common, too. For schools, there are concept mapping apps liek gliffy and stu.dicio.us. It's only a matter of time before more education apps become available this way.
Web 2.0 represents yet another compelling reason to learn more about what's on the Internet and how to use it in schools. It's not about using these tools because they're there, of course, it's about using the tools because they expand or enhance the process of teaching and learning. As with any technology tool, it's all about the ability of the educator to embrace the technology, understand the use of the technology, and get creative about the use of these tools with students, peers and community.
In a few years we'll look back at the emergency of these tools as another significant benchmark in the growth of the Net - and, hopefully, a sea-change in how schools use technology in the classroom.
It's a convenient term, although, really, it doesn't really represent the second generation of the Web. That honor probably goes to the Internet2 initiative - which is all about the backbone and infrastructure of how we send and receive information.
So is this collection of web-based services and tools useful in education? Yes, with the obligatory qualifications.
Web 2.0 Tools in Action...
The "i" generation moving through schools today are as connected with the Web as they are (and were) with video games, DVD, and their iPod. Students (and the rest of us) are posting to blogs (weblogs) at record numbers. The graph of growth looks like every stockbroker's dream ("up sharply and to the right") with more than 100,000 blogs created every day. (Technorati)
In the classroom, blogs are popping up to support curriculum - students writing about topics they're studying and then offering opportunity for comment from their peers around the world. Teachers are using blogs as examples of good (and not so good) writing. Administrators are blogging with information for their community. A quick search of Blogger for "education" or "school" and you might be surprised.
Photo and video sharing is also soaring like a NASA rocket. Media sharing sites like Flikr, Sharpcast, Picasa, and YouTube not only capture the media's attention, they're capturing your eyeballs at record rates. For education, these sites represent an amazing opportunity to produce and share content useful in support of teaching and learning.
Podcasting is another rapidly growing activity. A survey by eMarketer suggests that there are about 20M podcasts out there today (in 2007) with that number tripling by 2010. Education podcasts are growing, too. More teachers and students are sharing information, supporting curriculum, and reporting everything from field trip results to school lunch menus via podcasts.
Sometimes the content shared is as simple (and complex) as a list of your favorite links to other Web 2.0 services. Bookmarking sites such as Del.icio.us, blinklist, shadows and clipmarks and mashups like Bloglines bring easy access to favorite resources across the web. The cool thing about these services is that they connect and collect resource lists.
Another element of the universe known as Web 2.0 are web applications that are stored and run from the web. Think of running Microsoft Word via the web, rather than clicking an icon on your desktop. Sites like Google Docs, writely, writeboard, and rallypoint let you and your students write collaboratively; GoogleSpreadsheets gets your numbers online; to-do lists like voo2do, Ta-Da Lists are interesting, and news collaborative systems like digg, diggdot and gabbr. Even project management sites like Basecamp and CentralDesktop might be useful.
In education, the power of the applications is the same as the power of the apps for other uses. The tools offer a common platform for work (no more "I've got a Mac, you've got a PC), an easily accessible collaborative environment, and some very powerful, and mostly free, tools.
Education-focused tools are becoming more common, too. For schools, there are concept mapping apps liek gliffy and stu.dicio.us. It's only a matter of time before more education apps become available this way.
Web 2.0 represents yet another compelling reason to learn more about what's on the Internet and how to use it in schools. It's not about using these tools because they're there, of course, it's about using the tools because they expand or enhance the process of teaching and learning. As with any technology tool, it's all about the ability of the educator to embrace the technology, understand the use of the technology, and get creative about the use of these tools with students, peers and community.
In a few years we'll look back at the emergency of these tools as another significant benchmark in the growth of the Net - and, hopefully, a sea-change in how schools use technology in the classroom.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
What is a webinar and does it hurt?
It's easy to feel like the train is constantly leaving the technology station without you. In a world where convergence, interoperability and new media have moved from buzz words to the general lexicon, staying on top of the latest technologies is a real challenge - even for a person working in the industry - and, like me, writing about technology.
I'm constantly scanning the net for the latest podcasts, current technology news delivered via RSS and reading blogs. It can easily feel all-consuming. Enter the webinar.
I don't know about you, but my learning style changes based on content, urgency and my present state of mind. When I'm feeling like I just can scan another blog or navigate another labyrinthine news site - I start looking for ways to learn that "push" the information to me in nice, focused chunks. I've discovered, somewhat to my surprise, that I like to learn via webinars. A webinar is a web-based seminar. You log into a web site, dial a toll-free number for an accompanying audio track delivered via conference call, and kick back and learn.
The best webinars won't let my attention stray either. New tools allow hosts to "see" your activity (they can monitor whether you've got the webinar app in front or whether you've strayed off) and they constantly ask questions (polls) to keep people attentive.
I've attended webinars on topics as mundane as "Windows Vista Security" to as exciting as "Apple's iPhone - The Next Toaster". I like the fact that I can hear experts in the field speaking and that I can read at the same time - and I can do it all while in my comfy jeans and t-shirt - no suit and tie.
From consumer to producer
Ever the glutton for stress-based learning, I signed on with my friends at ISTE to present, then host, a new webinar series aimed at sharing new and emerging technologies with educators. The series, entitled "Technology in Practice" offered me an opportunity to get behind-the-scenes with the webinar tools, and experience what it was like to present.
Now I've got a bunch of webinars under my belt. I've learned much. My old "For Dummies author" kicks and and I'd like to offer my TOP TEN TIPS for conducting an effective and exciting webinar of your own.
Top 10 Webinar Tips
Plan
Like creating a lesson plan for your class, having a plan for what you’ll cover in your webinar is essential. Take the time to break the time down into blocks of content and make an outline about what you’ll cover and approximately how much time you’ll spend on each issue. You probably don’t need a script (you don’t want to sound like you’re reading), but a detailed outline can help you be more comfortable and ensure you reach your content objectives.
Speak slowly
People speak more quickly when they’re nervous, or feel like they’re under time pressure. Speaking too quickly is the most frequent mistake made when delivering webinar content. So, speak at your regular rate (unless you’re an auctioneer) and take a breath now and then. Practice a bit on an audio recorder so you can hear how fast you’re speaking and slow down!
Relax
You know what you’re talking about. Your audience is eager to hear your nuggets of wisdom. There’s every reason for you to be comfortable speaking to the “online class”. It’s just like teaching – only the smiling faces are hundreds of miles away.
Create a reasonable, concise and relevant presentation
The presentation both serves as an organizer for your topic and a way to share graphical and textual information with your audience. The presentation should be long on content and short on words, visually interesting (read: use illustrations where they are appropriate) and flow well. You should use a template to ensure your slides follow similar look and feel. You should also plan no more than 1 slide for every 2 minutes of presentation time. This'll help you keep focused. If you're a "rapid speaker", you might be able to squeeze that time a bit.
Mix it up (flow)
Nobody wants to hear anyone drone on for an hour on any topic. With webinars, the attention span is very short since you’re not physically in the room with the attendees. That means you should mix-up your delivery – interacting with the host, and offering “interspersed organizational hints”, like “That’s the story on finding podcasts, now I’ll talk a bit about creating your own podcasts”.
Poll
Webinar systems allow you to create an interactive online poll. This helps you find out more about your audience, and, more importantly, keep them engaged. Prepare you poll questions in advance (the system requires it) and use them judiciously. Create a few questions that can be used to break the flow, and a few to be used to check audience attention or knowledge of your topic. Stay away from poll questions that don’t relate to your topic. Stay way from poll questions that are sarcastic or provocative. You’ll be glad you did.
Practice
It’s strange to sit at your phone and talk to a bunch of strangers. It’s a good idea to practice by creating an outline and working with your host to try out some of your ideas via phone – just like you’ll be doing when you conduct the webinar. A telephone headset helps a HUGE amount – as it cuts background noise and leaves your hands free to type (you can chat with the host while you’re talking- behind the scenes, via the Webinar engine’s chat feature).
Know how to mange the interface
With some webinars, you’ll have the luxury of a knowledgeable host and support staff who will control the technical issues – including muting or unmuting participants, managing the poll questions, keep you on track if you go on too long, or help you fill silence if you need help. If you're on your own, though, you'll need to learn how to do these things (less complicated than they sound). If you CAN corral a friend or colleague to host, though, things will feel like they flow more smoothly.
Know your audience
As with any instructional method, you should know your audience. With most educational technology webinars, your audience tends to be highly aware of technology in general, but not necessary the specifics of the technologies you’re addressing. Structure your Powerpoint presentation in a way that speaks at the educational level of your audience and doesn’t assume, as with your classroom, that all learners are at the same educational level about your topic.
Be enthusiastic
Don’t be afraid to “turn up the dial” on enthusiasm when you are presenting. Think “revival” and not “school announcements over the PA system”. The more animated you are in your speech, the better attention you’ll get and the better reaction your audience will have to your presentation.
Off to plan the next webinar!
Cheers,
Bard
I'm constantly scanning the net for the latest podcasts, current technology news delivered via RSS and reading blogs. It can easily feel all-consuming. Enter the webinar.
I don't know about you, but my learning style changes based on content, urgency and my present state of mind. When I'm feeling like I just can scan another blog or navigate another labyrinthine news site - I start looking for ways to learn that "push" the information to me in nice, focused chunks. I've discovered, somewhat to my surprise, that I like to learn via webinars. A webinar is a web-based seminar. You log into a web site, dial a toll-free number for an accompanying audio track delivered via conference call, and kick back and learn.
The best webinars won't let my attention stray either. New tools allow hosts to "see" your activity (they can monitor whether you've got the webinar app in front or whether you've strayed off) and they constantly ask questions (polls) to keep people attentive.
I've attended webinars on topics as mundane as "Windows Vista Security" to as exciting as "Apple's iPhone - The Next Toaster". I like the fact that I can hear experts in the field speaking and that I can read at the same time - and I can do it all while in my comfy jeans and t-shirt - no suit and tie.
From consumer to producer
Ever the glutton for stress-based learning, I signed on with my friends at ISTE to present, then host, a new webinar series aimed at sharing new and emerging technologies with educators. The series, entitled "Technology in Practice" offered me an opportunity to get behind-the-scenes with the webinar tools, and experience what it was like to present.
Now I've got a bunch of webinars under my belt. I've learned much. My old "For Dummies author" kicks and and I'd like to offer my TOP TEN TIPS for conducting an effective and exciting webinar of your own.
Top 10 Webinar Tips
Plan
Like creating a lesson plan for your class, having a plan for what you’ll cover in your webinar is essential. Take the time to break the time down into blocks of content and make an outline about what you’ll cover and approximately how much time you’ll spend on each issue. You probably don’t need a script (you don’t want to sound like you’re reading), but a detailed outline can help you be more comfortable and ensure you reach your content objectives.
Speak slowly
People speak more quickly when they’re nervous, or feel like they’re under time pressure. Speaking too quickly is the most frequent mistake made when delivering webinar content. So, speak at your regular rate (unless you’re an auctioneer) and take a breath now and then. Practice a bit on an audio recorder so you can hear how fast you’re speaking and slow down!
Relax
You know what you’re talking about. Your audience is eager to hear your nuggets of wisdom. There’s every reason for you to be comfortable speaking to the “online class”. It’s just like teaching – only the smiling faces are hundreds of miles away.
Create a reasonable, concise and relevant presentation
The presentation both serves as an organizer for your topic and a way to share graphical and textual information with your audience. The presentation should be long on content and short on words, visually interesting (read: use illustrations where they are appropriate) and flow well. You should use a template to ensure your slides follow similar look and feel. You should also plan no more than 1 slide for every 2 minutes of presentation time. This'll help you keep focused. If you're a "rapid speaker", you might be able to squeeze that time a bit.
Mix it up (flow)
Nobody wants to hear anyone drone on for an hour on any topic. With webinars, the attention span is very short since you’re not physically in the room with the attendees. That means you should mix-up your delivery – interacting with the host, and offering “interspersed organizational hints”, like “That’s the story on finding podcasts, now I’ll talk a bit about creating your own podcasts”.
Poll
Webinar systems allow you to create an interactive online poll. This helps you find out more about your audience, and, more importantly, keep them engaged. Prepare you poll questions in advance (the system requires it) and use them judiciously. Create a few questions that can be used to break the flow, and a few to be used to check audience attention or knowledge of your topic. Stay away from poll questions that don’t relate to your topic. Stay way from poll questions that are sarcastic or provocative. You’ll be glad you did.
Practice
It’s strange to sit at your phone and talk to a bunch of strangers. It’s a good idea to practice by creating an outline and working with your host to try out some of your ideas via phone – just like you’ll be doing when you conduct the webinar. A telephone headset helps a HUGE amount – as it cuts background noise and leaves your hands free to type (you can chat with the host while you’re talking- behind the scenes, via the Webinar engine’s chat feature).
Know how to mange the interface
With some webinars, you’ll have the luxury of a knowledgeable host and support staff who will control the technical issues – including muting or unmuting participants, managing the poll questions, keep you on track if you go on too long, or help you fill silence if you need help. If you're on your own, though, you'll need to learn how to do these things (less complicated than they sound). If you CAN corral a friend or colleague to host, though, things will feel like they flow more smoothly.
Know your audience
As with any instructional method, you should know your audience. With most educational technology webinars, your audience tends to be highly aware of technology in general, but not necessary the specifics of the technologies you’re addressing. Structure your Powerpoint presentation in a way that speaks at the educational level of your audience and doesn’t assume, as with your classroom, that all learners are at the same educational level about your topic.
Be enthusiastic
Don’t be afraid to “turn up the dial” on enthusiasm when you are presenting. Think “revival” and not “school announcements over the PA system”. The more animated you are in your speech, the better attention you’ll get and the better reaction your audience will have to your presentation.
Off to plan the next webinar!
Cheers,
Bard
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
The death of handhelds in education? NOT.
Over the past week, I've had a couple of experiences that really gave me some perspective on what's happening with handheld devices, and what's happening in educational technology.
Last Wednesday, I attended Macworld and worshipped at the Apple's iPhone shrine. I saw the iPhone, perched on a rotating column and sealed in a plastic dome. I watched presentations. I talked with Apple employees and local educators.
It's pretty impressive. They took the idea of a smartphone and made it better and, certainly, more user-friendly. The took convergence to a new level.
Will iPhone make in-roads in education? Probably. Despite the hefty price and single-carrier configuration, it's a sensible tool for administrators - especially for email. What it does NOT do that a not-as-flashy Treo or Palm handheld does is run thousands of education-related software programs. While the iPhone is based on Mac OS X, it is NOT Mac OS X - that is, you can't just take your desktop programs and run them on your iPhone. That means access to your student information system, digital forms compatible with MS Office, attachable probeware, IEP managers, gradebooks, etc. - a staple on Palm OS devices - won't run on iPhone. Of course, Apple's not stupid. They'll likely spawn another "iPhone econonomy" where you'll eventually see some widgets or other programs useful for these tasks.
Advantage: PalmOS smartphones and handhelds.
Second, I delivered a webinar for ISTE entitled "Top 10 Tips and Techniques for Using Handhelds and Smartphones in Education" to a whole bunch of enthusiastic educators, technology coordinators, and other teaching and learning professionals. The questions confirmed the fact that district are just now adopting handheld technology in the classroom and are deploying email-ready smartphones in record numbers. The interest in HANDHELDS is huge and as educators find out they're much more than a "PDA", they'll understand how the devices can help with equity and enhance instruction in so many ways. Smartphones came up, but most realized that it's not the TELEPHONE that matters, it's all the other things the operationg system (Palm OS) can do.
Advantage: PalmOS smartphones and handhelds.
There are lots of smartphones - more on the way - but handhelds won't die. The idea of a low-cost, high function, easy to support device is really compelling especially in the education marketplace. Will handhelds go away, probably not
Some helpful links:
iPhone
ISTE Webinars
Last Wednesday, I attended Macworld and worshipped at the Apple's iPhone shrine. I saw the iPhone, perched on a rotating column and sealed in a plastic dome. I watched presentations. I talked with Apple employees and local educators.
It's pretty impressive. They took the idea of a smartphone and made it better and, certainly, more user-friendly. The took convergence to a new level.
Will iPhone make in-roads in education? Probably. Despite the hefty price and single-carrier configuration, it's a sensible tool for administrators - especially for email. What it does NOT do that a not-as-flashy Treo or Palm handheld does is run thousands of education-related software programs. While the iPhone is based on Mac OS X, it is NOT Mac OS X - that is, you can't just take your desktop programs and run them on your iPhone. That means access to your student information system, digital forms compatible with MS Office, attachable probeware, IEP managers, gradebooks, etc. - a staple on Palm OS devices - won't run on iPhone. Of course, Apple's not stupid. They'll likely spawn another "iPhone econonomy" where you'll eventually see some widgets or other programs useful for these tasks.
Advantage: PalmOS smartphones and handhelds.
Second, I delivered a webinar for ISTE entitled "Top 10 Tips and Techniques for Using Handhelds and Smartphones in Education" to a whole bunch of enthusiastic educators, technology coordinators, and other teaching and learning professionals. The questions confirmed the fact that district are just now adopting handheld technology in the classroom and are deploying email-ready smartphones in record numbers. The interest in HANDHELDS is huge and as educators find out they're much more than a "PDA", they'll understand how the devices can help with equity and enhance instruction in so many ways. Smartphones came up, but most realized that it's not the TELEPHONE that matters, it's all the other things the operationg system (Palm OS) can do.
Advantage: PalmOS smartphones and handhelds.
There are lots of smartphones - more on the way - but handhelds won't die. The idea of a low-cost, high function, easy to support device is really compelling especially in the education marketplace. Will handhelds go away, probably not
Some helpful links:
iPhone
ISTE Webinars
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