THEME - All Those Technologies and Media - How Do I Choose and Use? Part 4

"It is human beings in the form of passionate teachers who help students find the knowledge we've lost in information; who help us find the wisdom we've lost in knowledge. "

David Thornburg - Redefining Teaching in a Disintermediated World
http://tcpd.gsn.org

UPFRONT - Choosing and Designing for Distance Education
FOCUS - Videoconferencing: Benefits, Design and Potential - by Bruce Dewey and Rosemary Lehman of ICS
NOTEWORTHY - Education Week Reports on Technology in the Schools; National Science Foundation to Research How Technology Can Enhance Learning
CAMPUS HILIGHTS - UW Campus Information
FROM THE DISTANCE EDUCATION CLEARINGHOUSE: NETNEWS - Wisconsin Association of Distance Education Networks (WADEN) - by Michele Jacques
COPYRIGHT - Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) Expands
FUNDING UPDATE - The "PK-12 Learning Technologies in the Classroom Initiative" is Underway - by Robert Penaloza and Marin Tengler
ETC. - Wearable and Reactive Computers in the Near Future
NEW ON THE LIST - New Subscribers
FYI - News, Institutes, Conferences
ENDNOTE - Making Technology Choices
DEC. ISSUE - Technology Mix and Match: Examples

UPFRONT - This issue of DESIEN is the fourth in a five-part series on "choosing and using technology." In the last three issues we looked at broadcast satellite, computer authorware-LearningSpace and Audio- graphics software-FarSite, as well as a number of methods for selecting technologies (see DESIEN issues 2-9 to 2-11.) This month, Bruce Dewey and I share information on Videoconferencing. Next month we'll close the series, with examples of combining technologies.

Videoconferencing: Benefits, Design and Potential
by
Bruce Dewey and Rosemary Lehman

Introduction - With the installation of videoconferencing on the increase, faculty are finding it more and more available for their use. Across the state, a growing number of medical, language, business, education and cultural courses and programs are being taught via this technology, among them: Dental Hygiene, Health Assessment; Care of the Chronically Ill Child; Russian, Polish, Technical Japanese; Marketing, Sales; AgEd, Educational Negotiation, History; Women's Studies and Tribal Cultures.

Videoconferencing is two-way interactive video and audio via special dial-up lines. More than 24 university sites are available statewide as well as a growing number of government and business facilities. In addition, hundreds of sites are located worldwide and most units and sites can be interconnected. Like audiographics, videoconferencing is a synchronous technology and is highly interactive, relatively user friendly and quite reasonable in cost. It is the technology that comes closest to simulating the classroom teaching/learning experience. Might videoconferencing work for you? What are the benefits of this technology, what is it important to consider in instructional design and what is its potential?

Benefits - Videoconferencing most closely simulates face-to-face learning and if appropriately designed can dissolve classroom boundaries and bring remote learners together in real time into a "virtual classroom." This technology greatly reduces time, travel costs and travel risks and can provide efficiency in a time of increased learning demands and deep budget cuts. Because of its flexibility it can be used in a variety of ways, including: sharing information, briefing personnel, discussing and negotiating issues, conducting interviews, carrying out varied types of examinations (medical, technical, etc.), training and retraining learners for skill enhancement, demonstrating products and projects and teaching educational courses and programs.

Design - Good instructional design is always the key to effectiveness, whether for videoconferencing or for instruction in the classroom. While knowing the learners, understanding the expanded environment and developing goals and objectives are a must, it is the instructional classroom strategies that most often need to be revised to fit the videoconferencing format. Selecting and implementing the appropriate strategies is the most difficult job for instructional designers and faculty.

In the planning, development and management process, new and unfamiliar design concepts need to be considered: What do the students see on the monitors? Can the instructor see what the participants are doing at the critical points in an activity? What *must* students see? Are the materials prepared in the appropriate format that engages and involves? How can instructors compensate for the lack of *subtle* nonverbal feedback? What is the effect of voice-activated switching for multipoint videoconferences?

Classroom and materials' management are other critical considerations. Session scheduling, course length and spacing of sessions are additional classroom management concerns. Materials' management that the distance instructor must also attend to includes: the advanced preparation and distribution of materials, site coordination and site support at the remote sites. Critical areas where problems arise in using videoconferencing usually center around: what is seen and what is heard; interaction activities and visuals; logistics, materials, equipment and timing.

Interaction is a requirement for effective videoconferencing. The selection of appropriate interaction activities provides for varied pacing and types of involvement and usually means the development of extensive handouts and visuals. Small group work, debates, interviews, simulations and case studies are all part of the wide selection of activities that can provide for greater involvement of the students with the instructor, each other and the course content. In addition, a spectrum of media: video, computer, audio calls, the Internet, slides and CD's can interface with the videoconferencing technology to create a rich learning environment.

The use of questioning techniques for stimulating interaction has always been an important part of any instruction. For the distance educator, questioning as a technique, takes on some additional dimensions. In some instances, due to the use of slow compression speeds, there is a slight delay in the audio transmission, and the pacing of a Q&A session is thrown off. The instructor needs to be aware of this and to allow enough time for a response.

Questions directed to a specific site, or better yet, to an individual can help insure a response. Questions that require an extended thoughtful answer, are also more useful than the short one or two word answer. Extended answer questions, also give the instructor an opportunity to practice good listening and to analyze not only what is being said, but also what is being left unsaid. The goal for the videoconferencing instructor is to increase social presence through interaction and to enhance a closeness with students that is much more easily achieved in the face-to-face classroom. The ultimate satisfaction for the videoconference instructor, besides learner outcomes, is to have students say, "We feel as though you're right here in the room with us. The technology seems transparent."

One of the more important, and often overlooked components in the implementation and management of a videoconference is site coordination. This component often includes not only scheduling, and technical support, but also instructional content support in the remote classroom. This support includes serving as a liaison for the instructor, taking roll, handing out materials, answering administrative, as well as content questions, facilitating small group work and other types of interaction, seeing that materials are distributed to absent participants and monitoring evaluation and feedback. Working with a site coordinator, whether a full time paid person, or a student from the class, requires that the instructor consider this person early in the planning process, be clear about the coordinator responsibilities, provide necessary training and make certain that full and open communications are maintained.

Other areas that differ from teaching in the classroom involve the development of contingency plans and the use of formative evaluation to improve videoconferencing as a teaching system. We've learned to always develop a Plan B for our course modules, so that if something fails, we'll be able to continue with the session. You'll want to follow this rule. You'll also want to know about student expectations and about how effective the design and the system are in enabling students to learn? This information can be obtained through varying forms of feedback and evaluation. The questions will relate to instructional design, attitudes toward this method of instruction and the quality of the implementation.

Potential - As we continue to work with videoconferencing and share information with other users, we will add to our list of uses. As desktop videoconferencing becomes more widespread, we will begin to differentiate between group uses and more individual uses for this technology: LAN-based videoconferencing; ATM-based videoconferencing; videoconferencing incorporated into authorware, collaborative software and multimedia. And, as networking continues to develop, global videoconferencing will be increasingly added to the mix.

NOTEWORTHY - A report in Education Week magazine, based on survey data collected by Market Data Retrieval on 55,000 public schools nationwide, says that about 18% of those schools met its criteria for being considered a "high-technology school": Internet access, a computer network system, and a better-than-national average ratio of students to computers and CD-ROM drives." States with the best averages were Alaska, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wyoming. The study concluded, however, that there is very little research available on how computers and other kinds of technology are actually being used by students, and what effect, if any, this technology is having on student achievement. (New York Times 11 Nov 97)

The National Science Foundation's (NSF) new Learning and Intelligent Systems Initiative is focusing on determining how learning takes place and how technology can help that process along. Grants worth more than $22.5 million have been awarded to 28 institutions for research on how animals and babies learn from the environment and how older humans learn theoretical concepts not been directly experienced and how they then transfer those concepts to situations outside the original learning context. The unifying theme of the Learning and Intelligent Systems project, says a UCLA researcher, "is the interaction between the structure of the brain's learning mechanisms and the structure of the data that support that learning." One NSF organizer says some research will also be directed at developing new technologies that will better measure prior knowledge, providing a shortcut in retraining people for a changing workplace. (Los Angeles Times 24 Nov 97)

CAMPUS HILIGHTS
(Send campus distance education HILIGHTS to:DESIEN-List@uwex.edu)

UW-PLATTEVILLE - Spring semester of 1998 we are offering a Financial Management class to Lands' End in Dodgeville during the noon hours. The class will originate out of our distance education room and will be taken by our students on campus as well as by students from Dodgeville.

(Howard Brooks, Professor of Industrial Studies, UW-Platteville)>

UW-STEVENS POINT - We have a General Degree Requirement class - MUSIC 103/MUSIC IN FILM on the WONDER network every MWF from 1-2 pm, taught by Lawrence Leviton of UWSP to 32 students in Stevens Point, 4 in UW-Stout and 2 at UW-La Crosse. On Wednesday, November 19, the class was "visited" by Fred Karlin. Fred was in Santa Barbara, CA, and from a local Kinko's copy center with videoconferencing facilities, was able to participate in this class and talk about his experience in the film industry.

Mr. Karlin is an Oscar winning composer, trumpet player and noted jazz arranger and has written several important books on film composing and the history of film music (one of which is the text for this class). He won an Oscar for the song "Come Saturday Morning" and has written scores for films that include: Westworld, Leadbelly and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (Emmy Award). He has taught classes at USC and has given workshops across the country on composing for film and television.

(Judi Pitt, University Telecommunications Scheduling Coordinator, UW-Stevens Point)

UW-STOUT - 1) UW-Stout has decided to move forward with a second Cohort group for the BS Industrial Technology in Fall 1998. The program will be delivered via the WONDER full-motion video system at three receive sites: Northcentral Technical College, Fox Valley Technical College and Western Wisconsin Technical College. This 2 + 2 program is designed for adult learners who have previously completed an Associate Arts of Science, have at least two years of technical work experience and wish to further their education but have limited access to appropriate technical baccalaureate programs. Students receive credit for 14 general education and 41 technical credits. They must complete additional credits, 32 of which must be taken from UW-Stout, to earn the BS Industrial Technology. Courses may be completed through a UW two year College, other 4-year universities, other 4-year colleges or UW-Extension. Two classes a semester, including summers, are delivered over the WONDER system on one night of the week.

2) UW-Stout has three degree sequences running at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) : two Cohort groups for the BS in Vocational, Technical and Adult Education and one Cohort group for the MS in Vocational Education. Courses are delivered using a multi-media approach. Thus far, courses have been delivered through the Internet, compressed video, self-paced print/email and some face-to-face lab courses. MATC was eager to provide a means for their faculty to complete bachelor and masters programs for Northcentral Association Accreditation. The first Cohort Group for BS VTAE began two years ago. For each Cohort group, UW-Stout provides the professional core of courses in a three-year sequence.

3) Also offered is MS training and development on WONDER. For working adults who are interested in pursuing an MS in Training & Development, they can enroll in the UW-Stout's Weekend College option at Fort McCoy and/or take courses via WONDER. UW-Stout originates the courses and sends them to Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton and to Milwaukee via a compressed video link into WONDER.

4) UW-Stout is working with eight national universities to deliver a Ph.D. in Technology. As the 21st century rapidly approaches, it is becoming obvious that although the world has become increasingly technical, there are fewer educators available to provide technical higher education. A Ph.D. in technology is needed to ensure the continuation and expansion of industrial technology at the university-level. The only technology doctoral degree program offered in the United States, this program will combine traditional doctoral research, an innovative delivery system, a consortium of universities and advanced technical specialization. UW-Stout will offer several of the concentrations with the terminal degree issued by Indiana State University School of Technology. Courses are currently scheduled for Internet and compressed video delivery.

The nine Ph.D. consortium members are: Bowling Green State University, Central Connecticut State University, Central Missouri State University, East Carolina University, Eastern Michigan University, Indiana State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Texas Southern University and University of Wisconsin-Stout. For more information contact: Dr. Len Sterry, Professor, Department of Communications, Education and Training, UW-Stout, 224D Communications Technology Building Menomonie, WI 54751-0790; phone 715-232-1367; email: sterryl@uwstout.edu

(Sandy White, Outreach Program Manager, CE/EX, UW-Stout)

UW-WHITEWATER - On November 21, Jim Winship, UW-Whitewater associate professor of social work, presented a three-hour training session via compressed video on the topic of Outcome-Based Program Evaluation from the UW-W campus to participants at DOA sites in Eau Claire, Green Bay, Madison, Milwaukee and other locations in Fond du Lac and Milwaukee.

2) UW-Whitewater recently began a large scale renovation of Hyer Hall, one of the most historically significant classroom buildings on campus. Hyer Hall will be the new home for administrative offices, a number of high tech multimedia classrooms, and it's second distance education classroom. Remodeling is due to be completed in the fall of 1998 with classes resuming in the spring of 1999.

(Kathy Gibbs, Distance Education Coordinator, Grad. Studies and CE, UW-Whitewater)

FROM THE DISTANCE EDUCATION CLEARINGHOUSE
NETNEWS
by
Michele Jacques

Distance Education Clearinghouse on the web at:
http://www.uwex.edu/disted/home.html

Wisconsin Association of Distance Education Networks

Wisconsin Association of Distance Education Networks (WADEN) is a newly formed group whose mission is to work collaboratively to advance and improve distance education opportunities for all learners in Wisconsin. Its voting membership consists of the designated representative from each member distance education network in Wisconsin. Any person associated with distance education is welcome to attend and participate in the meetings and other activities.

A new WADEN web site has been developed and is located at: http://www.uwex.edu/disted/waden/ The web site includes information about the Wisconsin distance education networks. There are over 40 operating networks and more than a dozen which are not yet operational but are in the planning stages. Web site information includes a list of each network's participating institutions, a description of the network type, and its primary contact person(s). The web site also includes links to related sites of interest, as well as information about how to join the WADEN email discussion group.

If you have ideas or comments about the development of the WADEN web site, please contact David Johnson, Director of Distance Learning and Technology for CESA 12, davidj@cesa12.k12.wi.us

Michele Jacques
jacques@ics.uwex.edu
Information Resources Manager
Distance Education Clearinghouse
Instructional Communications Systems (ICS)
University of Wisconsin-Extension

COPYRIGHT- Readers of this newsletter may be interested to learn that the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) has recently enhanced its suite of programs under the title of Academic Licensing Services (ALS), to better provide for needs in the use of copyrighted content. Following is a range of licensing mechanisms now available:

TRS - Transactional Reporting Service - for photocopies (beyond fair use) in traditional reserve rooms and Inter-Library Loans.
APS - Academic Permissions Service - for photocopied coursepacks distributed to students.
ERS - Electronic Reserves Program - for digitized materials available to students in a class.
Authors - For your faculty who hold the rights to their own works, to register directly with CCC for better control and increased revenue.

These services are available if you sign up for a CCC Academic Licensing Service account. For further information contact: Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers MA 01923; Fax: (978) 750-4470; Voice: (978) 750-8400; URL: http://www.copyright.com

FUNDING UPDATE - PK-12 Learning Technologies in the Class- room, an Initiative of Continuing Education Extension (CEE) is underway. This initiative, under the VITAL umbrella, focuses on identifying reproducible models of effective learning technologies for use in PK-12 classrooms. It is funded jointly by a $500,000 AT&T grant and CEE. The goal of the initiative is to create a number of collaborative projects linking PK-12 schools statewide with UW System institutions. The projects will incorporate well-defined goals, provide models for replicable professional development, include research and assessment components and have the potential to become self-sustaining after the grant funding expires. In addition, they will become part of the growing VITAL Effective Practices database.

Twenty-nine proposals were submitted by 20 school districts across the state for funding. Of these, the following six projects were selected:

• "Creating an Effective Professional Development Model" involving UW-Eau Claire, Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESA) 11, and Spooner, Chetek, Webster, Elk Mound, Spring Valley, Frederick and Plum City School Districts.

• "Developing Building Level Mentors in Learning Technologies" involving UW-Oshkosh, UW-Fox Valley and Appleton Area School District.

• "The Superior Partnership" involving UW-Superior and Superior School District.

• "Webbing the Community: Locally & Globally" involving UW- Stevens Point, UW-Oshkosh, CESA 5, Marshfield and Rosholt School Districts and Ostendorf Gymnasium in Neumarkt, Germany.

• "Central Wisconsin Learning Technologies Initiatives" involving UW-Stevens Point, CESA 5, and Wausau and Stevens Point School Districts.

• "It's About Time: Preservice/Professional Development for Integrating Technology in Teaching and Learning" involving UW-River Falls, UW-Platteville, and Hudson, Prescott, River Falls and St. Bridget's School Districts.

  PK-12 Learning Technologies in the Classroom Initiative Coordinator, Hal Schlais, believes that the six projects selected will help the participating educators develop contextually rich learning environments for their students which will combine the effective delivery of core content with the development of skills for lifelong learning.

  By Robert Penaloza & Marin Tengler

 

ETC. - At recent meetings of the Computer Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the MIT Media Laboratory, members and guests were introduced to "fourth generation-wearable computers." While some of the computer outfits were outlandish, others offered practical uses like: adjusting clothing warmth; diagnosing patients at remote locations; reminding wearers to avoid unhealthy habits; monitoring blood pressure, heart rate and blood acidity and indicating physiological effects of extreme emotion. Eventually these computers will be woven into clothing, mounted in jewelry, integrated into eyeglasses and coupled with prosthetic implants. They'll be with us all of the time and become absorbed into our sense of self.
(The Chronicle of Higher Education 24 Oct 97)

At IBM, computers are being developed that use a combination of speech recognition and a very small camera to track the movements of users, enabling the computer to react to a combination of voice commands and hand gestures - for instance, "Take this paragraph and move it down here," or "Make this logo about this big." IBM anticipates commercial applications in two years. The application of this technology will also make it possible to truly interact with our television screens.
(Investor's Business Daily 21 Nov 97)

 

NEW ON THE LIST - Welcome to Odd Haddal, UW-Platteville, Sandra Dirks, UW-Eau Claire and Anne Anthony, out of state.

 

FYI - NEWS AND REMINDERS

INVITATIONS FOR PROPOSALS - Proposals are requested for the winter 1999 special issue of Technical Communication Quarterly, to be devoted to the WWW, distance education and technical communication. Proposals are due February 1, 1998. For details, see: http://www.io.com/~hcexres/tcq_cfp.html or contact: David McMurrey at: 512-223-4804 or hcexres@io.com

NAU/WEB.98 - "In the Footsteps of Web Pioneers" will bring pioneering faculty and administrators together with the "settlers" for the May 28- 31, 1998 Conference in Flagstaff. AZ. Structure for presentation proposals include: 2-3 hr. workshop/demonstrations, 75 minute presentations, 30-60 minute roundtable discussions or 75 minute panel discussions of 3-5 people. Submission deadline is January 15, with notification by February 28. Submit on the Form at: http://star.ucc.nau.edu/~nauweb98/cfpform.html or by email to: nauweb98@star.ucc.nau.edu

MANAGEMENT OF DISTANCE EDUCATION INSTITUTE - This institute, sponsored by The Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications (WCET) is scheduled for March 18-20, 1998 at the Kellogg West Conference Center in Pomona, CA. Designed for community college and university personnel who have recently assumed leadership responsibilities in distance education, the Institute will examine major topics essential to successful distance education programs. Participants will share major issues and success stories in their organizations.

To register call: 1-800-593-7876 or see the WICHE home page at: http://www.wiche.edu then link to the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications and then to "What's New" or contact: Don Olcott, Jr.: 303-541-0233 or DonOlcott@wiche.edu REGISTRATION WILL BE LIMITED TO 50 PARTICIPANTS. Deadline is: March 1, 1998.

K-12 NETWORKING: REALIZING THE PROMISE - This conference will be held at the Renaissance Washington D.C. Hotel (999 9th Street NW, Washington D.C. - 1-800 HOTELS) February 26-28, 1998. Over 500 decision makers at the state and district levels will convene to learn about new and existing education technology initiatives and identify the opportunity and impediments that exist for schools in the digital future. The conference is sponsored by CoSN, a national, nonprofit organization formed to advocate for the use of telecommunications in K-12 classrooms to improve learning. For membership and registration information visit the web site at: http://www.CoSN.org or send an e-mail message to: info@CoSN.org

 

ENDNOTE - "When I'm producing courses, I want the best, most powerful most feature-full technology I can get my hands on. I may not cram every technological marvel into every course - but I want the greatest freedom to decide what will best serve the educational goals of that course. When I'm taking a course, I want the most convenient-to-me technology, and I want to choose from the widest range possible of high- to-low-tech. I might choose a course that makes me invest in a technological upgrade - but I want the greatest freedom to decide what will best serve my individual goals."
(Kristin Evenson Hirst , Center for Credit Programs, University of Iowa - DEOS - 24 Nov 97)

 

DECEMBER ISSUE: FOCUS - "Technology Mix and Match: Examples"

 

DESIEN ARCHIVE: An Archive has been created for past issues and interaction comments. Locate at: http://www.uwex.edu/disted/desien.html

DESIEN has been created to encourage information exchange and discussion of distance education issues concerned with: 1) UW Systemwide distance education progress and institution course/program development, 2) faculty/team development, 3) technology, 4) policy, 5) funding and 6) research. List recipients outside of the UW System are also welcome to join in with information contributions and discussion.

 

Distance Education Clearinghouse
Instructional Design at Instructional Communications Systems
Training for Videconferencing

If you have trouble accessing this page, need this information in an alternative format,
or wish to request a reasonable accommodation because of a disability, contact:
Rich Berg berg@ics.uwex.edu