Using video conferencing as an e-Learning tool

Video conferencing is mostly used for presentations, while learners typically ask questions or input comments using a chat feature or audio conferencing tool. It is useful when you want to:

• introduce the facilitator of the course
• demonstrate a tactile or physical procedure/skill
• deliver information about a physical object or a location
• see a product in “real” terms
• communicate something that requires human emotion (tone, facial expressions, etc.)

Capabilities to consider when choosing a video conferencing tool

• technical requirements (network speed , video camera quality, computer speeds–facilitator’s and learner’s–all have a impact on the quality of the experience)
• user interface (how does the video pane appear to the learner? think about if it is the main window, a separate window, its size and so on)
• bi-directional components (can learners transmit video back, or is it only from the facilitator? if it is bi-directional, how would this impact the network?

Here’s one example of a video conferencing provider. Others, as noted on William Horton Consulting’s Web site are:

• Breeze (Adobe Systems)
• Eluminate (Eluminate)
• Exchange Conferencing Server (Microsoft)
• vic (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

Web tours can be used for e-learning to:

• demonstrate and teach how to use Web-based applications and services
• analyze company products and services
• teach or show navigation for online information and other aspects of Web sites (e.g. icons, user interface, and so on)
• introduce online job aids

Capabilities to consider:

• how quickly does the learner’s browser align with the instructor’s to ensure that the instructor’s commentary matches the learner’s screens?
• can learner’s lead part of the tour?
• can the learner’s screen adjust (resize and scroll) to mirror any changes on leader’s browser?
• can all participants experience audio, video and other media shown on the intsructor’s Web page?

Here’s an example.

Online meeting tools allow users to conduct online meetings and discussions. Quite often, online meetings that include discussion, application sharing, whiteboards, presentations, and other collaborative tools all wrapped into one package. The online meeting tools are often vall virtua-classroom systems.

Some examples from Horton’s textbook can be found on the following weblinks:

• Groove Virtual Office
  
• webcrossing
• eRoom
• Convene
• Interwise

Things to consider in online meeting tools:

• floor control – choreography or baton passing; who can speak
• meeting set up – quick, efficient, easy, and little preparation
• online persona – nicknames/handle/avatar; post bios
• calendar and schedule management – set up events & inviting scheduled participants
• recording – recorded for later playback, i.e. presenations, chat, videos, application sharing (in common media player)
• display – large enough for all types of activities; windows, screens, etc
• breakout rooms and groups – number of rooms, different content, look-in by leader, dynamic reassignment (move from one room to another), sharing work
• presenter feedback – words, emotions, preset button/comments
• collaborative creation – send files, review documents, edits to docs by leader, revision & approvals, synchonize different versions when resuming a meeting

Check out THIS example.

Much of the application sharing in an online course can be done with efficiency and speed through a split screen window.  The instructor is able to share the application with the learners, and it can substitute for web tours, whiteboards, and presentation tools (Horton, 232).

In looking at some of the application sharing tools online, I have particularily enjoyed sampling the demo for WebEx.   This company will design excellent application sharing programs customized to your educational/training needs, and are able to work in conjunction with instant chat, video conferencing, and audio conferencing.   Another website I found that offered application sharing is Glance Networks.

Let’s give them something to talk about…such as Chat & IM in an online course!

This component of a course is typically designed to chat, text, type, instant message, and communicate in “real time” with other course participants. Similar to a telephone dialouge, students are able to send instantaneous text messages online to each other in order to communicate.

While chats & IMs can support group work, collaboration, and idea sharing, it is also important to structure the “chat sessions.”   The course facilitator is able to monitor the IMs by providing guidelines and clear learning outcomes/objectives (via a syllabus) for the chat rooms.

Top 10 Popular IM Tools:

1. AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)
2. MSN
3. Yahoo! Messanger
4. ICQ
5. Google Talk
6. Skype
7. Meebo
8. Jabber
9. E-buddy
10. Sametime

**Note:  Most chat tools on the internet are free, however they are not easily monitored and it may be difficult to allow more than one user into a multi-user chat room.  Our group initially tried to chat with Google Talk to discuss this project, however we soon realised that it was not possible to talk in the same text window and group discussion was limited -  so we switched to MSN Messenger.

Many online courses create a section for “online discussion” to create interactive discussion, provide learner engagement, and allow the instructor to faciliate meaningful dialogues over the internet.  Online disussion is an excellent way to contextualize ideas, provide comprehensive opinions, and it allows for the course facilitator to evaluate and assess the progress of his/her students.

Some popular online discussion tools include blogs (like this!), list servers, newsgroups, discussion forums or e-bulletin boards (found on Blackboard, WebCT, etc), and net news – to list a few.

Here are a few ways that online discussions augment other forms of e-learning (Horton, 217):

• extended role-playing
• brainstorming
• group-critiquing
• team design activities
• out-of-class questions and answers
• continuing class discussions
• coaching and supporting other learners

E-mail allows learners to ask questions of anyone related to the e-learning course’s delivery (facilitator, administrator, or technical support staff), discuss learning issues with their learning peers or submit assignments. It may also be used as a tool when completing assignments; for exmaple, conducting a survey using email.

Instructor’s use of -mail

Typically facilitators will use e-mail to make announcements, answer questions, provide assignment information and feedback.

If you decide to use e-mail as a collaboration tool think about if you want a tool that sends e-mail over the Internet or be an embedded tool (sometimes called course mail) that sends messages among members within a closed system. Some considerations around capabilities of the tool include:

• file attachments (think about size limitations)
• HTML formatting (can media be embedded, such as graphic, animation, and video?)
• message sorting (can they be sorted by sender, date or subject?)
• multiple folder (can folders be created and if so, is there a limit to how many?)
• automatic routing of messages (how easy is to set up rules to automatically file messages to a specific folder, if it can be done?)
• message receipts and flags (will you be notified if there is a new message, or can you mark messages as urgent?)
• automatic archiving (can you automatically remove, compress and archive messages based on specific criteria)
• backup and restore (will you be able to schedule backups of messages or restore messages if there is some problem?
• address book (can you automatically import names into an address book?)

Other examples of e-mail tools, as listed on William Horton Consulting’s Web site are:

• Agent
  
• Eudora E-mail and Eudora WorldMail Server
  
• Exchange Server
• MailSite
• MSN Hotmail
• Outlook
• Outlook Express
• Squirrel Mail
• Thunderbird

Synchronous

This occurs in real-time, and is also known as conferencing. Participants have to be online at the same time. These tools include:

• chat
• application sharing
• whiteboards
• audio conferencing
• video conferencing

Asynchronous

On the flip side are asynchronous communication tools. Participants do not need to be online at the same time, making this a very convenient option in terms of scheduling. Learners use these tools to communicate with one another when it is most convenient to them. Right now you are reading this when it is convenient for you, just as I am writing when this is most convenient for me. These tools include:

• e-mail
• discussion boards

Selecting whether to use synchronous or asynchronous tools comes down to an needs assessment of your audience and what makes the most sense to support your content and design. Further descriptions of these tools are found on this blog.

There are two forms of online voting:
1 – synchronous (real-time voting)
2 – asynchronous (voting is open over a period of time or indefinitely)

Online voting is useful in e-learning to:
1 – analyze the learners’ background and interests
2 – reveal learners’ attitudes and feeling
3 – measure and monitor understanding as the course progresses
4 – force thought and discussion

Whiteboards are useful in e-learning when:
1 – discussing visual material online (charts, diagrams, photographs, sketches, etc.)
2 – brainstorming visual ideas