During summer sessions many students are embarking on clinical internships and/or faculty may be traveling. ECU offers a number of ways to stay in touch synchronously such as Saba Meeting, Skype for Business (you can share screens), Cisco WebEx, Cisco Jabber and Dedicated Hardware. To find out what each can do click here. Want to try it out just contact OET for a demo or trial run. Don’t let distance keep you apart!
Category: Conferencing
Break in the heat, summer session has been put to rest and fall is just around the corner!
A few years ago I did the countdown to fall semester. I received various comments and some groans but in less than 3 weeks we have many new students and returning students headed into our classrooms so are a few resources to check out! Some BB tips and some connecting with others in and around the classroom!
InLine Grading with Blackboard
Looking to try something new this Fall?
Want to get to know your students quickly, try having them create a homepage blog, try using clickers gives them a bit of anonymity. Perhaps a video introduction would be a way to get to know your distance ed students. Need to set up presentation or meeting schedules there are easy to use apps to help with that.
Some technologies in house can be found at this Educational Technology link Want to invite a guest to lecture to your class but they are on the other side of the country here are some conferencing systems available to you.
Lynda.com available to faculty, staff and students can help learn a new skill or brush up on an old one. Some apps blogged about are Doodle.com for scheduling, Socrative.com for audience response.
Share with us what has worked for you!
Let us know what you want to do and we can try to make it happen. Contact OET!
SABA Webconferencing – Have you tried it
Instead of my talking about a tool here is a faculty’s thoughts on using SABA Web Conferencing
“As far as Saba it has worked fairly smoothly, and some students use it for office hours, as much as students use it for office hours, but I have used it for study guide sessions and this week I have been using it for group presentations. As long as the student has a good internet connection there isn’t usually a problem. The issues I have run into are the following:
1. Sometimes the links Saba provides for the students to log in doesn’t work correctly or it won’t let the students in and they have to keep trying.
2. Right now it isn’t supported on the most recent Mac platform which is problematic for students with those computers. [it is supported now]
3. It is somewhat cumbersome to set up as an instructor but running the session it has been fairly smooth.
Hope that helps some. Of course I have the occasional student that complains just because they aren’t as good with technology but for online classes this has really helped me give a more connected class and availability, especially with being in a different state.”
Want to give it a try? Contact OET!
So why Tweet?
Or why not? I will admit I have not embraced this technology but I am exploring it’s use in higher ed and have found some articles which tempt me to continue in this endeavor. If you use “tweets” as part of your class or were thinking of incorporating them into class let me know and we can explore together.
Some articles which may help you get started:
10 Twitter Tips for Higher Education | University Business Magazine
Inviting a Guest to Speak
I often get the request to assist with enabling a guest speaker to present to a class from outside the college. We do have SABA web conferencing software which easily allows guests to share content but often the technology gets a bit frustrating for some guests. Did you know that in recent versions of Skype a guest can present their desktop i.e. PowerPoint, word files etc. Easy to use, and easy to test. Questions? Contact OET.
Making a connection
Software videoconferencing is ideal for one-on-one interviews, peer discussions, distance learning, CME programs, class lectures or guest instructors.
Cisco Jabber
Conference with anyone, from anywhere, at anytime from your own Mac or Windows desktop or laptop using Cisco Jabber.
Features include video, desktop sharing and conferencing. Camera, microphone and speakers required.
Submit the Jabber Account Request form through the IT Help Desk online service request system. Approval processed within two business days.
Near and Far, Lync Keeps You Connected
Microsoft Lync 2013 is an easy-to-use and versatile communication tool.
Available to students, faculty and staff, Lync integrates seamlessly with email, calendar and the ECU address book* to allow instant text messages, video conferences, online presentations and even group conferencing. Lync allows true collaborative desktop sharing among attendees for quick project edits and live brainstorming.
One of the most-requested Lync features is the ability to invite non-ECU participants to a meeting or presentation.