Category: Tech Tips

In-Video Interaction

Recent tweet from Mediasite – Tactics for adding value to your in-video interaction –

  • Consider the learning outcomes – what are the student takeaways?  Students like points but not busy work.
  • Chunk lectures 5 – 15 minutes long.
  • Add questions on annotate at points where students need to focus.
  • Do students need to prepare prior to viewing.
  • Do students need “points to look for”?
  • When do you want interactions, during or at the end?
  • Do they need to also annotate (can be done with Mediasite) or share after viewing?
  • Be mindful of interaction overload, don’t make it tedious!

 

 

 

 

PowerPoint, Forms and Quizzing

One of our colleagues brought this neat feature to my attention and I was her “test subject”.  With Microsoft 365 you can create a form (quiz) within your PowerPoint, students can download and click on the “quiz”, answer the questions and submit to you.  See the link below for instructions and contact this office if you want to give it a try!

 

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/insert-a-form-or-quiz-into-powerpoint-1a316f81-9ea7-4bc2-bda0-024c0d780df1

Are you there – remote polling with Turning Point

But not with clickers but any device using Responseware.  Now that first summer session is over and we are halfway finished with 11 week summer session why not try something different.

Some tips while doing this via a webconference you can allow students to send private chats and then you can review the questions at a break time during your session.  Have a muddiest point discussion in your LMS for students to express.  Ask one question at a time, don’t ask too many rapidly.

Contact OET to try it out or check out this Webinar from Turning Technologies and for information on using the product.

 

Yep, still teleworking, try some of these!

  1. Make a routine and stick to it. Set your alarm and exercise first thing. It’s so energizing. Don’t let a lack of gym options be your excuse. There are so many streaming services available to get your blood pumping. Find a class on YouTube or see if your gym is recording virtual classes. Short on the exercise equipment needed? Don’t worry – lots of classes use body weight or whatever you have on hand. I can neither confirm nor deny that I used cans of spaghetti sauce as make-shift weights early on in quarantine (but Amazon tells me my barbells are on their way!).
  2. Get ready for the day. State the obvious? I mean don’t stay in your yoga pants or pajamas all day. Getting dressed instantly makes you feel more put together, and then you’ll be ready for any video call that pops up. No more need for that post-it note covering your camera. You won’t need to use the lame excuse: ‘That’s weird, my webcam isn’t working.’ Come on, we’ve all done it.
  3. Plan out your day. At the end of each work day, spend a few minutes planning out your next one. Block off time in one-to two-hour periods on your calendar to get projects done. And don’t forget about breaks and lunch.
  4. Create a designated work space. Find a quiet place and make it your home office. Keep it clean and put items in there that make you happy. You’re spending eight+ hours per day in there, so get some fresh flowers, light a candle. If it’s a mess, you’ll be more anxious. Speaking of work spaces …
  5. Don’t work in the same place you relax. You don’t want to associate your comfy couch or bed as the place where you poured over complicated spreadsheets do you? Talk about the stuff of nightmares.
  6. Set ground rules for people in your space if you’re not home alone. We’ve all seen pets, children, roommates and spouses show up unannounced in video calls. It can provide a moment of levity, but you don’t want to be that person all the time. Make sure you lay out your work schedule to people you live with and let them know when you have meetings, especially if you’ll be on video.
  7. Use video. Get face time with daily check ins. It’s amazing how much more connected you’ll feel to your teammates. You could set up a plan to meet at the virtual water cooler via Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business, Zoom or whatever you use. I hear from our clients first-hand every day how video is the most engaging and interactive way to unite dispersed workforces.
  8. Take breaks. Have an actual lunch, go for a quick walk around your neighborhood or building (if it’s safe to do so) for fresh air.
  9. Get up and move. It’s amazing what a change of scenery can do for productivity. You may be cooped up, but get up from your desk and move to the kitchen table, sit by a window, enjoy your porch. Fresh perspective sparks new creative ideas and sometimes that’s literally all it takes.
  10. Overcommunicate. You’re in your own little bubble. Don’t let people wonder what ever happened to you. Tell your colleagues what you’re working on and ask for help when needed.
  11. Start a running thread with coworkers. Call it something fun and keep in touch throughout the day – even if it’s just to share a joke, an amusing gif or complain about something your spouse is doing. For example, my husband recently dipped a chicken cutlet into a jar of mayonnaise, and it was appalling.
  12. Turn off. This is the hardest. It’s easy to work through the entire day. Since you don’t have to deal with a commute, you could just work one more hour. Before you know it, the whole night is gone. Sign off, close the computer, make the long walk to your kitchen for dinner. Don’t turn that laptop on again until morning.

From Mediasite Blog

Working from Home…A Student’s Perspective!

I’ve been in my apartment in Greenville since being told we would not be returning to campus this semester. The first week of having to do all my classes and work online was great. Then reality set in. Being a full-time online student requires extreme dedication and excellent time-management skills. By the second week, I felt like I was drowning in work because I was not following an organized school routine. My classes were still just as intense before, but I was too comfortable with basking in the joys that online learning comes with (e.g. watching a lecture in the comfort of my bed). Now that I am caught up on my work, I thought I would share 4 tips I found to be important for students working from home.

  1. Get out of bed! Managing your environment by creating a study space will help eliminate distractions that can negatively impact your academic success. By sitting at a desk or table, your attention will more than likely stay away from the Netflix show playing in your room. Remember to hold yourself accountable and practice time-management.

 

  1. Discover your learning style! Focusing on strategies that will fit your particular style will help. Take this quiz to help identify your learning style.

 

  1. Working during the “peak” hours when you are most focused (e.g. in the mornings) will help you stay organized.

 

  1. Don’t be afraid to use your network. In addition to contacting your professor if you have any questions or concerns, collaborating with peers in the course and using campus resources like the Pirate Academic Success Center is beneficial and will only improve your academic success.

 

  1. BREATHE! Remember you are not alone in this process. You can do this!

Presenting Online? No Choice

As a long time advocate for online delivery and knowing that many are not comfortable with this delivery system I am going to share some simple tips.

First – accept my Team invite as your colleagues may be some of your best resources.

Second- Keep it Simple, you know your content so deliver it.  If Mediasite Desktop Recorder or Studio or YouTube are intimidating you can create a voice-over PowerPoint for deliver.

Third – Keep in touch with your students whether by email, chat, try webconferencing for real time communication and there is always the phone.

Fourth – if something doesn’t work, take a deep breath, try again or put it aside and work on something else.

Here’s a new link with a crash course for smaller classes, labs and assessment from the North Carolina School of Science and Math is a leader in providing synchronous education. They’ve opened up some of their training to others in the UNC System.

Wunderlist???? now To Do!

Apparently at some point in the past 15 years someone asked about the app Wunderlist.  I researched and joined and now have gotten the message it is retiring to be replaced my Microsoft To Do.  So while researching this app, available by clicking the App Launcher from my Office 365 I checked it out. So what does it do???

from Microsoft “Microsoft To Do is a task management app to help you stay organized and manage your day-to-day. You can use Microsoft To Do to make shopping lists or task lists, take notes, record collections, plan an event, or set reminders to increase your productivity and focus on what matters to you. Microsoft To Do makes it easy to stay organized and manage your life.”  and shareable.  Give it a try!

Need Space here are some solutions

CrashPlan Backup Utility

Computer crashes and accidental deletions happen. But lost data is a thing of the past with CrashPlan backup utility.

DatAdvantage Security Reporting

DatAdvantage tracks permissions and data changes on Piratedrive and emails a report to folder owners. Useful for department Piratedrive folders. If you are a folder administrator and wish to add the DatAdvantage Security Report service, please submit the form

Microsoft OneDrive Service and Support

OneDrive for Business is a cloud storage folder included in the ECU Office 365 subscription available to students, faculty, staff and alumni. OneDrive for Business offers 5TB of cloud storage.

If you are experiencing problems downloading or configuring OneDrive, please submit this request.

Network Storage

Departments that wish to add a new server or increase space on a current server in the ITCS datacenter can request Storage Area Network (SAN) and backup options.

Piratedrive File Storage

All ECU users have a personal, secure Piratedrive folder to store sensitive data. Departments can also request a Piratedrive folder. All activities using Piratedrive must conform to the ECU Academic Computer Use Policy and the University Student and Employee Computer Use Policy.

Server Backup Solutions

For enterprise and department servers, the Netbackup Client solution is available through ITCS.

*Storage Support

If you cannot find the service you need from the categories above, please use this form to request support, and we will direct your request to the appropriate technical consultant.

Teaching Online? Here is a tip which is even good for Face to Face!

I was reading an article about making an online course great and this one tip really stood out to me –

“Explain the purpose of the various modules and content to the students, as well as why particular technology is being used for the various activities. As one instructor observed, “The students need to understand what it is that they are reaching for and how we are going to get through.”

From https://campustechnology.com/articles/2019/12/09/5-proven-ways-to-make-your-good-online-course-great.aspx?s=ct_nu_150120&oly_enc_id=8110A1645090C1C

And now the end is near

Last Wednesday in the semester, for those remaining classes here is a fun way to check that they have been reading and listening.  Turning Point Cloud, login with your ECU credentials, click to connect to ResponseWare and you can use your PowerPoint presentation or Anywhere Polling to check on what has been retained.  Students download the app on their phone, tablet or laptop.  Enter the code to connect and you are on your way!  Contact this office for a demo to do it your way!