Centra was great today. I learnt how to build an agenda using Agenda Builder. This was saved on my computer as a .saz file. The next step was to go to Manage Subjects and add a subject. I only had to fill in the required field and then submit it. Once submitted I needed to find it – needed to remember the name! The name came up but only as a name – it was still empty. I needed to click on Add. The next dialogue box was really confusing as it gave little feedback. Basically I had to click the Add Agenda button and then browse for the agenda I had saved on my computer. Once I clicked Add it went back to the confusing page where I clicked Done. Had I finished? No.
I needed to go to the Manage Events section and modify it under Agenda Content. When I pulled down the subject box my agenda was listed there ready for selection. Clicking on Modify at the bottom of the page meant that my agenda was now attached to my event.
I successfully created a survey and an evaluation. However, the evaluation looked greyed out when it came up in Centra and when I clicked on it to use it I just got a summary of zero responses. I could not work out how to get people to fill in the evaluation.
On the positive side eleven people took part in Celebrate Success 4. I had a new co-presenter whom I logged on as co-host. He quickly picked up what to do and was able to show me a few features I had not used before such as full screen. In turn I was able to train him in the basics such as giving and taking microphones, removing hands and ticks and promoting people to co-presenter status.
PowerPoints again presented a problem in that not all the information showed up on the screen. The transitions were effective though. A PhotoStory was played, music and all, without a hitch. It seems .wmv files are not problematic. A single PowerPoint slide containing a screen shot of an Excel graph presented no problems.
The really exciting thing was using AppShare. I asked the boy who made the graph to demonstrate how he got patterns on the columns. After being promoted to co-presenter he successfully completed this by navigating his way over the network to his folder and file. It was so effective I asked another student to do the same thing and she successfully took us to her PowerPoint. Despite being lunch time the students were keen to continue but I chose to wrap it up.
This cohort of students is keen to participate in Centra events next year. They have been trained. They are ready.
Celebrate Success? Yeah!
We gave Centra another go. There are still huge bandwidth problems. Despite compressing photographs PowerPoint still does not load well with animations. There is no problem with simple PowerPoints – I use that for my agenda and it comes up instantly. However, students want to add transitions, animations and music and it just gets scrambled in the server.
One groups of students simplified their PowerPoint from 37MB to 10.8MB. Then they compressed the pictures, which you can do within PowerPoint itself by clicking a picture and then have the option of compressing all pictures. Once the pictures were compressed it was only 1.97MB. However, the transitions and animations did not play well over Centra.
Another group of students chose to have only 3 slides. They compressed it down to 347kb but with the music and fancy transitons it also got scrambled in the server.
The transitions and animations must be the problem because two other groups played a 3.26MB and 1.44MB Photostory – wmv files – without any problems at all.
The students enjoyed the session. I used the survey tool to ask questions and 100% said they’d like to use Centra again. I need to work out how to upload my own survey and my own evaluation sheets. I can create them in Agenda Builder and save them as a .sav file but when I come to import them I get a message saying I can’t do that. The surveys ‘on the fly’ worked well. When we used the ‘How many?’ pre-prepared survey one student demonstrated her new knowledge of file sizes by asking ‘How many MB’s should a file be?’ and then quickly changed it to kb’s when she looked at the number range.
Once again there were a great many frustrations with using Centra. It took half an hour to log 10 computers on. However, we tried out the video successfully and today none of our machines crashed. It was great to have another eTeacher drop in and say, ‘Hi.’ Unfortunately it was while we were still doing our half hour set up but it was good to know we were connected to Victor Harbor.
Centra seems to boost the students self-esteem. It gives them a sense of power even though everything does not go according to plan. They certainly work hard to produce something that is worth showcasing and we are all learning to work within the limits of the technology.
Reflections on Celebrate Success 2 15th November 2007
Involved 3 teachers, 60 children
Working on 12 computers with headsets and two SMARTBoards with USB microphones
Agenda included
- simple PowerPoint of 7 slides showing procedure for session
- Complex animated PowerPoint – E.P.A. 37,434KB
- single slide showing graph work 132kb
- wmv file – Monster Mayhem – 4,089kb (ppt converted to PhotoStory)
- PowerPoint with background music – Bokashi Bin 7,488kb
Results
- Computers crashing all over the school. SMARTBoard needed restarting
- Presenter and Co-presenter had to restart machines 5 times each as they froze. They froze simultaneously on at least 3 occasions
- Kids on remote computers coming to get help
- Technician was pre-booked by another teacher – so was able to help inone remote room
- Project Officer in remote location was able to keep things going for part of the time
- Best section was the single slide of 132kb. The presenting student felt proud of his work
- Some students were disappointed as they had worked hard on their PowerPoints
- One student was using text chat inappropriately. He was asked to give his machine to another student but the presenter was not able to follow through and there is no telephone connection to that room. He will lose some computer privileges
- Delays in transmission were quite lengthy
- Co-presenter (Year 4 boy) did a marvellous job and is keen to perform the role again. His self-esteem was boosted
- Teachers in remote rooms were very forgiving. One is keen to set up pairs of students for the next session but she will not involve the whole class
- Students taking part are keen to be involved again
Solutions
- Keep having a Presenter and Co-presenter
- Bigger band width. My technician told me it was a bandwidth problem. Our server is being rebuilt late this year, ready for 2008. He seems to think that the delays would not be so great if the computers were spread over more schools
- Maybe try turning PowerPoints into wmv files. May not be easy with the animated one. The one with music in the background will be easier
Filed under: Uncategorized
Moon Matters went really well. Mr Joe Grida was an inspiring presenter. Forty Middle School students took part in the event. They came from five different classes. It took most of the day to get ready. I am still not familiar enough with Centra but I know enough to do the basics. Our technician was brilliant, giving time to set up video equipment and getting the right connections for the audio.
There were some audio issues with the remote room. In the end I invited the six kids I’d trained in Centra to come to the face-to-face as they could not hear in their room. When I went to playback Centra I got no audio either which is very disappointing as I hoped to have it for the Digital Learning Bank.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Moon Matters is my third event and it looks great! It is full of interesting things to do. Mr Joe Grida will be my Moon expert next week. He is a member of the Astronomical Society of South Australia and writes a monthly page in The Advertiser. I need to be confident in using CENTRA so that will be some weekend work.
Today I visited four of the six middle school classes and logged them on to Moon Matters via the tsof site – www.tsof.edu.au/ In the process I found some problems. There was no password in the confirming email. A phone call to the project officer showed me I needed to register with tsof first – not go straight to the event URL. If I make a mistake like that, other teachers are likely to do so too. I had to go back and register each class. Ideally teachers are meant to register themselves but I have an event happening next week.
I enjoyed preparing Moon Matters but no-one voluntarily signed up for it despite advertisements in Wallara’s Newsflash and pigeonholing all middle school teachers at the end of last term. I feel as if I am imposing this on teachers – even though it is part of SACSA. For my next event I need to ask a group of teachers what they would really like to have online. I need to sell the idea that I can save them a lot of searching and provide a ready-to-go product that links to SACSA.
I enjoyed going around to the classes and showing them how to log on. Really I need a session with teachers and show them how to do it. Maybe I should ask my Principal for a training and development spot. Or maybe, as I am a District eTeacher, I should offer an after school T&D showing teachers how to get the best out of the project. It would also give them time to ‘play’ with some of the events. I think ‘play time’ is essential.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Last night I presented a PowerPoint to staff entitled Rich Resources, Rhetoric and Reality. eTeachers have a role in helping these things come to a converging point so that students are engaged and learning outcomes are improved. It was well received.
Today was very busy. The Reference Group met for the first time and generated lots of things for me to do in relation to the District. Valuable connections were formed.
I also met with Trevor and he showed me how to use edWeb. I think I need to use the tools we have been given and that is one of them. Other teachers want to know how to use them too.
At lunch time the SMART Board interest group met. I learnt a more effective way to hold the giro mouse. The key is to use the thumb to click left and right mouse.
In the afternoon I had a successful talk with an eLearning project officer. Consequently Cecily can now Moodle using the Departments current site. We were part of the Moodle trial last year and that connection has been cut.
I wrote an article for the Wallara Newsflash to update people on what has been happening. Next week I must create a book chat about The Short and Incredibly Happy Life of Riley by Colin Thompson and Amy Lissiet.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Today was hard work. A new term. A new start. A new project officer. A new person taking my class on Thursdays.
I am glad I learnt to use 2020 Screen Capture in 2004. It was very useful in capturing images for a powerpoint I am working on for a Staff Meeting on eLearning next week.
I revisited my Moodle event ‘Body Maths’. Will it work? The next fortnight will tell.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Hooray! My first event is ready to go. The major task was to learn to use Moodle and the only way to do that was to use it! I learnt that if you want pictures then use the web base as the text base does not allow inserts. My event has forums and a chat at the end. Moodle allows for constructivist learning.
I also learnt that Microsoft has a picture editor. To access it you double click on the photo. So simple but so complex. My Assistant Principal showed me. Thanks!
Filed under: Uncategorized
Today many more connections were made. A visit to the District Office resulted in plans being made for a reference group that can help generate ideas for events. The Learning Band Coordinators were most helpful. Also met the District Director who can now put a name to my face.
My Assistant Principal: Learning in the Digital Age offered several useful ideas and connections I can make for my next event. A phone call to the Project Officer got me going on MOODLE. I also rewrote my reflective report and sent it to her in the correct format.
I started putting my event, Body Maths, into MOODLE but spent ages trying to find a ‘free’ picture to liven it up. I really need to make that picture file – take my own photos and build up my own library. I also need to create my own web site so that I can easily find resources. I will need to master FrontPage because it is readily available in schools and I won’t have to outlay any more money.
I did work last Thursday but did not get a lot done as reports were due the next day. The TAFE course was done in my own time so I felt justified in ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul.’ Started creating an event around ‘Book Now!’ for Book Week in August. Plan to use the picture book by Colin Thompson and Amy Lissiat called ‘The Short and Incredibly Happy Life of Riley’. I think I could learn something from that.
I want more time to get my event done. I just get going on it and I have to stop. Life is too short and too busy.
Filed under: Uncategorized
It was a fairly intense day. I missed Ross Treadwell’s introduction as I thought we had to meet at the Old Adelaide Motor Inn first. It must have been short as I was there by 9:10 a.m. The city traffic takes some getting used to – noise, cars darting in and out of lanes, slow travel. I needed lots of concentration as I didn’t know what roads to take to get first to the Inn and then to tsof. That is symbolic of the journey that I have now begun.
Adult learning seems to be headed in a different direction to past eras. There was lots of talking in small groups; lots of self discovery facilitated by the leadership team. Louise Bywaters talked about qualitative research and that includes what the learners think at the time. I was surprised we weren’t told what the eTeacher program was about and what the role of the eTeacher is. But in another way it wasn’t surprising as the tsof site had already told us these things. By asking us to talk about it, it soon became obvious that we hadn’t really grasped our role. Yet as we shared our discussion with the whole group the role and the program began to crystalise.
It seems that I need to work with my Principal and set an ‘eTeacher’ day for myself. Initially it can be a set day such as every Thursday but the flexibility still needs to be there and understood by the Principal and my tandem. Oh, dear! Back to tandeming again. That’s another level of complexity to work out. I don’t feel ready for District connections yet, especially seeing I work in the biggest Primary School in the state. The potential there is enormous. And yet I must make District connections as it is a distinctly District role. I still need to work out how to do that.
I enjoyed Louise Bywaters sessions. She was realistic and practical. I also enjoyed a chat with her over lunch about other aspects of life. From that I learnt it’s OK to be real. In fact it is very helpful to be real because other people can connect with you on multiple levels and then they are more likely to listen to you on a professional level. It is a way of effectively getting people onside and spreading your influence.
Change is a messy, chaotic process. I like things linear and organised so that is going to be a challenge to me. However, I also recognise that I am able to knit new ideas into current practice. Flexibility is a must and I have learnt to be flexible in the last 20 years.
Some practical things to do from Louise’s sessions –
1. Keep a log of my skills and abilities and have them verified by my Line Manager
2. Collect data so that I have evidence of results and successes
3. Build up a team of allies. Work with the willing and able.
4. Follow protocols for communicating e.g. address info ‘To the Principal: for the ICT co-ordinator’ so Principal gets a look but also knows can delegate
5. Do a few things well. Only have 40 days per year
6. Staff Meeting – have a spot to pass on progress, what’s happening, ppt show
7. Write my vision statement for the eTeacher role – put it on Moodle, see what others write and then refine it as we come to a common understanding
8. Make a list of my strategic directions
a. Create events which improve outcomes in engagement and learning for both teachers and students. Link it to SACSA
b. Communicate with others – uncover the protocols and processes
c. People – network, create an e-learning identity for myself
d. Evaluate as I go. Demonstrate that eLearning is a more efficient, cheaper way to use teachers and resources and to improve student outcomes.
e. Sustainability – make it a generative process, train up others
9. Document what is happening in my site currently using S.W.O.T. This is baseline data so I can show what has changed over time. It will also be a useful tool for Case Study Assignment due 21st April
10. To change anything need to work on 4 fronts – people, structures, influencing, culture. Last two are ‘hidden’, below the line stuff. (Boleman & Deal)
11. Make S.M.A.R.T.E. plans – strategic (part of vision, big rocks), manageable (in the time frame and my capabilities, look after myself), achievable (start small, walk first), resourced (keep within limits and budgets), time (b,m,e), evidence (collect to show making a difference)
12. Manage up – communicate once a month with line managers (school, District, tsof). One page. Dot points. Take ½ hr only. Headings – re successes, plans, support needed, new learning needed, feedback
13. Plan each month using Covey’s Quadrant – Important – Urgent/Not urgent and Not Important – Urgent/Not urgent
14. Buy Stephen Covey’s ‘First Things First’ re time management and read (N.B. C.O.P.E. might have it – near tsof. I checked Tuesday – they don’t. Can get it in. Printed 1999)
Jill Roberts session was frustrating because people were rude and kept talking. She had a lot to offer and needs a medal for persevering despite opposition. The tool seemed to be surprisingly accurate in showing our preferred way of working. I’d like to do another session when people were more settled.(This is me at my judging best/worst!) Some of the terms were ‘technical’ – like sensing and intuiting – and the letters did not match e.g. N=intuiting. I don’t think I’ve quite grasped it enough to use on other people – even as just an observation tool. It gave Sue Hollands the information she needed for our group. I think I am an ISTJ i.e. introverting, sensing, thinking, judging. There is plenty to read on it but I don’t think I will spend time on it.
Now it’s 11:15 – two hours after normal bedtime – and I haven’t read all the stuff. Also haven’t written ‘Who Am I?’ tomorrow looks even busier than today. Think I’d better sleep in. Just hope I can.
