The whole thing about there being a conversation going on Twitter during the webinar was strange to me. I don't think I would except it in a high school classroom, at least at this point, that some of my students may be following Twitter instead of paying attention to the lesson of that day. Also, I would worry that this side conversation on Twitter may show some great insights that anyone not on Twitter would miss.
Finally, the different perspectives in dealing with the video difficulties during the webinar got me thinking more about what forms of communication were most important in that context. I concluded that video was really not needed for that conversation; only audio and text in the chat room were necessary. So, I feel like the lack of video did not hinder my comprehension of the school project in any way.
I guess one thing that really helped me feel comfortable about the lack of video is that I am used to audio only conferences at my engineering job. When combined with file shared-viewing software, like NetMeeting or AppShare such meeting can be very effective. And one of the best features with the webinar software was the scrolling chat that is recorded and sent out to participants later. I think I would be interested to learn how webinars could also potentially help me in developing my PLN.
Interesting thought about the video not being necessary for the webinar we had. I didn't think of it, but you make a good point. It wasn't. I wonder what way a webinar would work with video to make the video necessary...
ReplyDeletegood point about the PLN-- not having to have all the answers but to know who to ask the questions (weak paraphrase). i agree but am not yet sold on twitter.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Pete, Bill, that you make a really good point about the importance of video. When you do your webinars in the fall, video (of the presenter) will be strictly optional and besides the point. The important visual aspect is what the presenters choose to show you either projected from their computer screen, at a web site, or possibly through using a whiteboard. Indeed, one of the things that I liked about the webinar as a presentation tool was that it felt focused and intimate.
ReplyDeleteWe wanted you to see the webinar in action as an integrated tool, but had it not been for that fact (and given the fact that we also had twitter going) it would probably have been more efficient to go with skype.
I've never participated in an official webinar before last week's class, but I do have some experience using things like AIM as video messengers, and in most cases I experienced many of the same faults and issues we had in class. I just don't think that internet connectivity has matured to the point where video communication is practical. I don't know, though, as social creatures, we have a strong desire to *see* the people we're working and speaking with, so I can see video communication becoming vital in the coming decades.
ReplyDeleteErnie/Jeff, the one aspect of webinar that I find useful is the chat room. It allows everyone to see the questions being asked and to later receive a record of the conversation. It also prevents people from having to ask questions or answers to be repeated because of bad audio.
ReplyDeleteThe webinar that was held by the Student Affairs Office for incoming School of Ed grad students was very useful. The didn't have video, but rather showed a PowerPoint. They also used audio feed for their voices, but disabled the viewers microphones. This meant that we just had to use the chat room to ask questions.