Howdy,
I have gone to two sessions today from other sections of EDLD5352. They were pretty cool. No major technical issues to resolve. You better practice up on your typing skills! Dr. Abernathy is a capable web conference host, frequently asking if there are more questions and promptly answering questions.
Smaller groups are a must for a web conference. Headphones help. What can happen is that if you talk while another person is talking, then you will get feedback through desktop speakers or you will have multiple people talking at once. Cameras are not required but personalize the conversations which is the main purpose of a web conference. It is good to put a face with a forum thread.
Developing a social network is a weak link with online courses. When you are a principal and have an issues, odds are that one of your classmates (collegues) has had a similar situation. The better you know a person, the more apt you are to develop lasting relationships.
Having direct access to the professors has its apparent benefits. Having a live Q & A session helps clarify and ask extension questions.
Web conferences have their place, but I'm not sure how they will fit into my mathematics classroom, yet. Two years ago, a good friend of mine worked at NASA's JPL in California. Steve and a MARS engineer visited with my technology class for 45 minutes via webconference. That was way cool.
More technology needs to fit into today's ever advancing learning environments, and web conferences can be one of them.
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Hello James I am glad that you enjoyed the webconferencing session that was offered. Something like that might be useful if you have a student who has access to the internet but is not able to attend class for a long period of time. That way he or she can get the instruction by seeing you on camera and can interact without needing to be physically present.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good idea. I'll see what I have available at school tomorrow.
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