Video Conferencing:

Dr. Verena Roberts – University of Calgary

Here are the few notes I was able to take from our talk with Verena, before we ran into connection issues:

  • Dissertation on open educational practices – expand learning beyond the walls of the classroom
  • Presentation on Introducing Open Learning Design Intervention (OLDI)
  • How can we access learning opportunities *everywhere* and allow access to the students
    • Learning is learning
  • Kids creatively change what they do with an artifact over and over again
  • Stages of OLDI
    • Teachers & students must be reflective (journals, podcasting)
    • Stage 1: must build relationships for learning to happen. Find out who these students really are. Get to know students & their personalities
    • Stage 2: Co-Designing learning pathways
    • Stage 3: Building & Sharing Knowledge: how to they show their learning
    • Stage 4: building their own personal learning network
  • Expanding Open Educational Practices in High School Learning Environments
    • Classroom –> Community –> Networks
  • Solve community problems
  • Start young! Start in Kindergarten

Unfortunately, the presentation was interrupted due to some technical difficulties, so we were not able to get the full experience. It was a great learning experience, though, to know what we could run into when trying to do video conferencing. It is important that both parties have a strong internet connection, and should ideally be wired right into it. All background apps should also be turned off, as much of the connection issue with Verena was tied to her Dropbox trying to upload at the same time. And always make sure there’s a backup option! She was trying to phone in once video conferencing was proving too difficult, but then was missing access codes, which took up even more time. Who knew there was so much to consider to complete a simple video call!

 

Class Presentations:

Distributed Learning:

  • Can be done with the robotic presence (as we’ve seen in class).
  • Configurations in face-to-face classrooms – directed to focus on teacher generally
  • Online courses – often no interaction between students and teacher
    • synchronous video is a great way to be able to have conversations with students throughout the course
  • Deficiencies in every model
  • Every connection to teaching environment with video conferencing is completely dependent on the connection to the internet
  • Traditionally had only had 2 options for learning: face to face vs online
    • Now blended options are becoming available
  • Multi-Access: using technology like Remote access robot to still engage in class even if not able to physically be present
  • Need to think about ways to support all learners, and create ways for them to learn in the best way possible – if going to class causes anxiety, need to promote other ways that students can still be engaged
  • Using technology for education has environmental perks as well — cuts down on travel, especially for students in remote areas

 

Presentation on ‘OpenEd Resources for Lesson Planning’:

  • To produce, share, and build knowledge
  • Resources are easily available and equity of knowledge for learners and educators
  • All dependent on access to technology, and copyright use needs to be closely moderated
  • CommonSense Education
    • Independent non-profit organization
    • very up to date
    • CommonSense Education
      • Teachers can use to locate webinars for pro d
        • Universal Design
        • Privacy Training
        • How to teach students about red flags online
      • Lesson plans for teaching about digital citizenship
        • can find tailored apps that include utilizing and integrating technology into your classroom
          • breaks down what apps you’ll need and when to use them
        • Can see reviews on educational videos
      • Can locate median and tools to use in classrooms
        • like book creator for students to create own digital storybooks
      • Can access articles on TechEd topics

 

Presentation on  ‘How integrating technology affect students’:

  • Relation to teaching and learning
    • when technology integration is seamless, increases student engagement, and are able to take more control of their learning
    • Can’t assume that all students know how to use technology
    • using devices allows all students with the opportunity to make deeper connections with learning content
    • Must be mindful of when to unplug
      • studies are now showing that screen time do not have the negative effects that some people claim
        • Internet shutdown in Korea – only saved just over 1 minute of sleep
  • Pros & Cons:
    • Pros:
      • Opportunity to engage with students if you get involved as well
      • Build a relationship
    • Cons:
      • Screens can be a distraction in class
      • Content could be worrysome – screens are not the issue, it’s what kids are able to access
  • Risks?
    • Need to focus more on content on screens than the screens themselves
    • time spend on screens has to be quite substantial (greater than 5 hours per day) to have effect on psychosocial abilities
    • Slenderman video – extreme example
  • Tips & Best Practices
    • Need to know where students are at with their exposure to technology
    • Important to discuss internet safety
    • Be sure to test-drive any form of technology you may intend to use in the classroom
    • Use of technology needs to routine and transparent
    • Access must be widely available
    • Should be used to support the curriculum

 

Presentation on ‘3D Design and Print’:

  • Able to be applicable to protestics
  • Modelling 3D objects, printing 2D layer by 2D layer. Printing usually takes 4-18 hours (30 mm/second)
  • Need software to be able to create 3D prints
    • Tinkercad – easily accessible software
    • More complex:  Onshape
  • Can get pre-designed models (Thingiverse)
  • Need the hardware as well – the physical 3D printer
    • Could do it for as cheap as $1000 for total setup, but would be very poor quality.
  • Materials:
    • PVA – Polyvinyl Alcohol, water soluable material
    • TPU – Thermoplastic Polyurethan, not foodsafe
    • PLA – Polyactic Acid (best for environment), what’s used at UVic
  • Pros:
    • Easy fabrication of complex shapes
    • no cost to students
    • allows for customization
    • less waste production
  • Cons:
    • temperature (200 degree heat while printing), so needs to be kept away from young kids
    • time to complete, especially if using cheaper machines
    • cost — quality and size increases with cost
    • less cost effective for making multiples of something – injection model would be better for this still
  • Techniques:
    • Supporting: support structures for more intricate parts of design
    • Bridging: small filaments connect to connect 2 parts of shape (ie. chains)
    • heating to mold printed shapes
    • can recycle filaments, so they can be re-purposed if didn’t like original shape (make back into filaments)
  • How to bring into schools:
    • Engineering
    • architecture
    • print out artifacts for social studies
    • for cooking, could create molds or cookie cutters
    • print out 3d molecules for chem
    • universal design applications (ie. visually impaired)
  • Links to Core Competencies