Over the weekend I had tested out the different video conferencing programs. Skype seemed to work the best. Yahoo had problems with the audio. Myself nor my friend could get the audio working on either end. iVisit offered a lot of options and I had never used it before. I didn't have the chance to use Flashmeeting, but was able to use the demo. I remembered having seen it used in a Brown Bag with a guest speaker. Joel Gardner typed in student questions and the speak would read them and respond to them as he went along. I created screen shots and organized my information.
I also found a neat English to Portuguese translator. It is very time consuming trying to use the conversion keys for Portuguese. I type in what I want in the translator and it gives me the Portuguese translation. I go through and correct any errors and copy and paste it. It helps me with my grammar and saves me a lot of time. You can find many other languages there at tanslito.com
I emailed my section to Henrique and we will look over it and correct any grammar issues and add it to his part. He will then email the completed section.
segunda-feira, 28 de maio de 2007
Friday May 25
I spent a good part of the day researching various video conferencing programs. I had difficulty finding programs that worked on linux, since that is the most used platform here. They have one chat program called Pidgin, but it only hosts other chat programs and doesn't support video. I narrowed my research to Skype, Flashmeeting, Yahoo, and iVisit. Henrique and I narrowed down the criteria for evaluating each program.
1. Video Quality
2. Ease of Use
3. Platform
4. Capabilities
5. Scenarios of Use
I need to use each one of these programs and create screen shots to go with my information. I emailed some people to test them out with me.
1. Video Quality
2. Ease of Use
3. Platform
4. Capabilities
5. Scenarios of Use
I need to use each one of these programs and create screen shots to go with my information. I emailed some people to test them out with me.
Thursday May 24
Today was spent finishing section 3 for the Geometry course. It consisted of two topics and exercise questions. I completed this section in the typical form that they create all their sections. I have to submit it for review to two other designers. They will give me feedback on how I did.
Wednesday May 23
The first part of the morning consisted of reviewing the tasks for the video conference course. I was assigned to work with Henrique. We split our portion of the project. I research the software for video conferencing and he researches the hardware necessary. Our research should be ready by Monday.
The rest of the day I spent working on the Geometry courses for Solar. I have been trying to think of new ways to present the course material. I asked the other designers if they have used Cam Studio and they had heard about it. I need to do some more research on what ways instructor interaction using Cam Studio or another program might be used. Even if some students couldn't access the video, others could. Subjects, especially math, benefit from explanations by the instructor. This can be lost with the online aspect.
The rest of the day I spent working on the Geometry courses for Solar. I have been trying to think of new ways to present the course material. I asked the other designers if they have used Cam Studio and they had heard about it. I need to do some more research on what ways instructor interaction using Cam Studio or another program might be used. Even if some students couldn't access the video, others could. Subjects, especially math, benefit from explanations by the instructor. This can be lost with the online aspect.
quarta-feira, 23 de maio de 2007
Tuesday May 22
The first part of the day was spent researching and preparing for the video course I will teach on June 13th. I have 6 class periods that I have to teach. There are a lot of constraints that I have to consider. I have to cater to those who have miniDV cameras and those who still use VHS and even their digital cameras that take video. The first class I worked on was shooting principles. I felt that even though they might not have access to high end video equipment, they still can make their shots more interesting and set up their shots. If you would like to view the rough draft link to http://ncsanders.com/files/VideoProductionDay1.doc
The second half of the day we spent with Professor Aires' class at the Main Campus. We took a tour through a middle school and how they use their technology labs. (Schools here have a different feel with the high barb wired walls and security guard.) Unfortunately many of the tech labs in the state have been closed because of teacher shortages. The lab instructors have been pulled into classrooms to teach other subjects.
This lab facilitates interdisciplinary functions. Students are able to combine projects between courses using technology. They combine Portuguese, science, history into to power point presentations or they do internet research on specific topics. Right now they are working on an Amazon project that involves Portuguese, History, and Physical Ed. We also visited the CRP again and toured with the students.
The second half of the day we spent with Professor Aires' class at the Main Campus. We took a tour through a middle school and how they use their technology labs. (Schools here have a different feel with the high barb wired walls and security guard.) Unfortunately many of the tech labs in the state have been closed because of teacher shortages. The lab instructors have been pulled into classrooms to teach other subjects.
This lab facilitates interdisciplinary functions. Students are able to combine projects between courses using technology. They combine Portuguese, science, history into to power point presentations or they do internet research on specific topics. Right now they are working on an Amazon project that involves Portuguese, History, and Physical Ed. We also visited the CRP again and toured with the students.
Monday May 21
The entire day was spent at the UFC Virtual campus. I worked with Ofelia and Sylvania on the Math courses. This is where the language has become a slight barrier. The math course has a lot of words I am not familiar with and to design the course I need to understand the flow of the content. I am also getting the feeling of how they do things and am trying to figure out how I can add to it, or add another perspective.
Friday May 18
Today I started a new project. There is going to be a course on technologies in communication. My roll in creating this course is to research different video conferencing tools that are open source or free. I came up with some basic ones such as yahoo chat, msn messenger, skype, eyeball chat, flashing meeting, and iVisit. The only two that had conferencing capabilities were flash meeting and iVisit (conferencing meaning the ability to host more than two participants). Eyeball chat offers video but also hosts other chats such as AOL, MSN, and Yahoo so you don't have to have them all open.
I now have to prepare a text that shows how they work and their capabilities. My part will be handed over to another student who will then add it to her part and pass it over to Professor Aires.
I now have to prepare a text that shows how they work and their capabilities. My part will be handed over to another student who will then add it to her part and pass it over to Professor Aires.
segunda-feira, 21 de maio de 2007
Thursday May 17
The first part of the morning was spent in our apartment with Paulo from the university, helping us get our internet set up. This will help in case one of us gets sick again. Turns out my Portuguese isn't up to par to deal with technical issues over the phone. And for some reason Macs are feared down here.
When we arrived I went straight to work on Solar and working with the tutors. We divided up the work for a Geometry course. I have to do lessons 3, 4, and 5. Right off the bat it was difficult. Trying to read a Geometry text book in Portuguese wasn't very easy. I was given a block of text and now have to divide it up in a way to engage the students.
It is good project for communication skills. I have to keep in contact with the tutors and the programmers about the status and design of the project.
When we arrived I went straight to work on Solar and working with the tutors. We divided up the work for a Geometry course. I have to do lessons 3, 4, and 5. Right off the bat it was difficult. Trying to read a Geometry text book in Portuguese wasn't very easy. I was given a block of text and now have to divide it up in a way to engage the students.
It is good project for communication skills. I have to keep in contact with the tutors and the programmers about the status and design of the project.
Wednesday May 16
Today we went to the central campus and had a little tour. We spent most of our time with Professor Aires and his class. The class dealt with learning objects. The students ranged from computer programming to education. My wife and presented ourselves and fielded questions from the students about education in Utah and what we have experienced. Most of their questions were about distance education and how it compared to Ceara.
Tuesday May 15
I thought that my wife and I had escaped the dreaded illnesses that come with traveling to foreign countries, but no. We spent the day inside our apartment with stomach problems. Lucky for us, Aires mother is a nurse and was able to get us some medicine.
Monday May 14
I met with one of the tutors whose name is Ofelia. She went over the process of how they prepare the raw material for designing the class:
1. Professor gives raw (bruta) material. Generally comes in a huge block of text either in word doc or pdf.
2. The tutor sifts through the material and breaks it into segments
3. The tutor decides in what way to present the material on the web either using animations, static text with picture, or any other way the tutor comes up with.
4. The design is passed back to the professor for approval.
5. Proofed design gets passed onto programmers.
I spent time looking at the different design documents and the classes that have been uploaded to the web.
1. Professor gives raw (bruta) material. Generally comes in a huge block of text either in word doc or pdf.
2. The tutor sifts through the material and breaks it into segments
3. The tutor decides in what way to present the material on the web either using animations, static text with picture, or any other way the tutor comes up with.
4. The design is passed back to the professor for approval.
5. Proofed design gets passed onto programmers.
I spent time looking at the different design documents and the classes that have been uploaded to the web.
Friday May 11
Professor Aires picked us up in the morning and took us to the Centro do Recursos dos Professores (CRP) in the center of the city. This building is dedicated to training in public education and helping them integrate technology into their curriculum. The first room had about 30 computers for the classes and workshops offered to public education teachers. Some of these include website, programming, etc. Professor Aires signed me up to teach a video class to 20 participants. This class will meet twice a week for three weeks.
The next room was divided into three computer labs each with about 25-30 computers. One lab was open to university students with one hour slots to use the Internet or to work on whatever they want to. The purpose is to introduce a responsible way to use technology to students without stifling creativity. The next two labs are open to professors for class use. The difficulty with this is that the class has to travel to the location.
On the lower level is a smaller lab maybe 18-20 computers that are for free public use. This lab was sponsored by the K House project. Time slots for these computers are basically filled and users range from kids playing games to lawyers submitting their forms.
On a travelers note, since we were there we stopped by the fortress that was created by the Dutch. It is now a military base.
During the afternoon, we returned to the University and were given a presentation on the goals and materials of ProActiva. We viewed their learning objects and then participated in a class that discussed the objectives and purposes of learning objects and what they need to possess and achieve. The methodology of these objects were briefly presented and discussed by the students.
The next room was divided into three computer labs each with about 25-30 computers. One lab was open to university students with one hour slots to use the Internet or to work on whatever they want to. The purpose is to introduce a responsible way to use technology to students without stifling creativity. The next two labs are open to professors for class use. The difficulty with this is that the class has to travel to the location.
On the lower level is a smaller lab maybe 18-20 computers that are for free public use. This lab was sponsored by the K House project. Time slots for these computers are basically filled and users range from kids playing games to lawyers submitting their forms.
On a travelers note, since we were there we stopped by the fortress that was created by the Dutch. It is now a military base.
During the afternoon, we returned to the University and were given a presentation on the goals and materials of ProActiva. We viewed their learning objects and then participated in a class that discussed the objectives and purposes of learning objects and what they need to possess and achieve. The methodology of these objects were briefly presented and discussed by the students.
Thursday May 10th
We went to one of the University branches today and were introduced to the director Mauro. He explained the Distance Education program and explained some of the difficulties that the program has encountered. Students that live out in more remote areas depend on small campus computer labs for internet access. Few of students have a computer in their home. Students also have to have more detail instruction on how to navigate in an online class. Designers have need to make classes simple and direct, enough to be downloaded by students using dial-up. Mauro was very welcoming.
Next, we were introduced to the Solar “tutor” team. They use the term "tutor" for those who create and monitor the pedagogical aspect of design. This team receives the raw subject material from the professors and then creates the distance education course design plan in word documents. This plan includes design instructions for programmers who build the course using html and flash.
The programming team is about eight people. They function very similar to instructional designers except for the fact that part of the pedagogical side is done by the tutors. There are two lead programmers that interact with professors and provide explanation and support.
The ProActiva team creates various learning objects. They are a group of students who have designed various learning objects, three of which have received awards. They are also very familiar with David Wiley's definition of learning objects.
Afterward, we spent time with Henrique the coordinator/administrator of Solar. He explained the program in-depth and explained the programming process of the courses. The main subjects they design are Portuguese, English, Math, Chemistry, and Administration. Since I have experience in both areas of design and actual creation, Henrique suggested I should spend more time with the tutors to experience more of the pedagogical side. He thought I could mediate between programmers and tutors. I could give suggestions as to what is feasible to create and what would be more time consuming. With the constraints that have been mentioned, I have noticed no one really has any ambitious online designs.
Next, we were introduced to the Solar “tutor” team. They use the term "tutor" for those who create and monitor the pedagogical aspect of design. This team receives the raw subject material from the professors and then creates the distance education course design plan in word documents. This plan includes design instructions for programmers who build the course using html and flash.
The programming team is about eight people. They function very similar to instructional designers except for the fact that part of the pedagogical side is done by the tutors. There are two lead programmers that interact with professors and provide explanation and support.
The ProActiva team creates various learning objects. They are a group of students who have designed various learning objects, three of which have received awards. They are also very familiar with David Wiley's definition of learning objects.
Afterward, we spent time with Henrique the coordinator/administrator of Solar. He explained the program in-depth and explained the programming process of the courses. The main subjects they design are Portuguese, English, Math, Chemistry, and Administration. Since I have experience in both areas of design and actual creation, Henrique suggested I should spend more time with the tutors to experience more of the pedagogical side. He thought I could mediate between programmers and tutors. I could give suggestions as to what is feasible to create and what would be more time consuming. With the constraints that have been mentioned, I have noticed no one really has any ambitious online designs.
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