VoiceThread and band width

Anyone have much experience with moving audio and sound files through school internet connections? I liked VoiceThread (even if getting a smooth product might take some more practice) and could see how it could be useful, but I started seeing lag times to load and upload it with DSL connections. I was getting slow speed with PDF files of slides. What would it be like if I were commenting about a video? I know most schools use something faster, like a T1 line, but I did have reason to be cautious when reading FAQ about VoiceThread. One section said that if 20 computers were connected to VoiceThread at a school, there might be problems.

My students who were also video production students never turned in an assignment they chose to make into a video using computer to computer connections. They always gave me a DVD. Were they really telling me about limitations in the big system or just the system as it manifests itself in my school?

Is one aspect of the promise of Web 2.0 interactivity, especially in the sharing of voice/visual tools, limited by the connection speeds available in homes and schools? I don't use wireless connections very much and wonder do they have more or less bandwidth than say DSL or T1 lines?

Project Plans

WebTools Projects

This presents my ideas for using web based tools in my classes for this year.

1. ChemMatters reading. Students will read back issue on a regular basis, perhaps every three weeks, and complete a student reaction statement.
ChemMatters is a general interest magazine from the American Chemical Society, published four times a year. Twenty five years of back issues can be purchased on a CD and with a site license, added to a school web page. This assignment will contribute significantly to the county reading requirement During each reading period, students will be given a year from which they can pick any of the four issues. They will access the account through the class bulletin board page, complete the reaction statement guidelines, and then submit their summary to the drop box. At certain times of the year, the classes will be instructed to read certain articles and participate in on-line discussion at the class nicenet.org site.
Status of project. CD and site license obtained. CD will be uploaded to bulletin board when it is open for teacher access in mid August. Drop box established at nicenet.org. Some articles for discussion selected and topic questions prepared.

2. Chemistry podcasts -- Students will have the option of looking at chemistry podcasts to help with understanding of material.
I purchased a site license for the Bergmann and Sams (Peak Educational Consulting) pod/video casts for introductory chemistry. The value for me is that a prepared presentation is much less time consuming than making my own or doing voice over powerpoints. These will posted on the school bulletin board. Students will be encouraged to look at some of the topics before discussion of new material in class. At some point, I might try running a class discussion about the material using the nicenet.org connecticon about a podcast without doing any in class discussion. For other topics, students can use the podcast material for any available topic for which they have difficulty.
The second part of will involve recording one teacher’s presentation of material for the organic/biochemistry class and making it available to students in my class as a podcast.
Status of project. Everything is in place for the first podcast and will be ready to go when I can get access to the bulletin board again. The second project needs some trial work when classes start.


3. WISE programs -- use the online WISE learning programs on Recycling Tires and Will Fuel Cells replace Gasoline Engines?
These on-line simulations reinforce important chemistry ideas and show how the principles of chemistry have important applications outside of the classroom. My plan is to use the recycling tires during the section on materials science and the fuel cell part with the organic chemistry study of hydrocarbon fuels.
Status of project. I have worked through the units on my own. I have looked at the teacher material and suggestions for using it. I need to try accessing the programs through student access at my school to see if can be run on the machines in the computer labs.

Reflections on A/V posting

First I found making good PPT with images very time consuming. I wish there were a way to copy the URL or source information at the same time you copy the picture. Having to copy two things slows down the work. Then, if you are doing a good job like NC did on her Earth show, the source should be included on the slide. More time.

I learned more about the A/V capability of my Mac. Turns out it has a built in microphone which can be used to voice over a slide show. Not quite a screencast, but useful. I think the most useful screencasting tool would be if I had an ActivBoard again or what I imagine the more familiar (to you but not me) SmartBoard. It could record what was being said while actively changing the image on the board, like say writing in data or drawing a circle around something important. There isn't that much that can be done with a screen and powerpoint, unless you want to hide something, then bring it out again.

Getting the voice over to upload was another learning process. I learned that Wikis don't store files, so the file has to go somewhere. The Mac takes the slide show with voice and makes it into a movie, storing it as Quick Time. The voice over greatly increased its size, making it go from a 10 MB ppt to 150 MB. I don't know if it were just the voice or the file type.

Teacher Tube is a bit frustrating because your video isn't available to embed for up to 24 hours and has a limit of 100MB

Uploading video and audio files is very time consuming from home. Maybe this is an advantage of doing it through a web site because the sound is already there. Something else for me to try.

I found the class comments about how different PPT holders differed in what they did to the slide or what they didn't allow to be interesting.

As a tool, I can't see using the web as a repository for slide shows that I would need. They all seem enough of a hassle that if I wanted the slide show, I would just carry it on a flash drive. Maybe posting it has a place for collaborative work, but the upload, download time needs to be considered. I wish the voice over program I used had an edit function so misspeaks could be removed without doing the whole show over. Perhaps it exists somewhere but I am too inexperienced to know it.

I don't think I would do voice over slide shows much for my class because while I might use the visuals, I would rather talk to the class, judging their reactions as cues for what I have to say next, than to talk to the computer.

I had an interesting experience with the Wiki this week that is worth remembering if using a wiki for real time class interaction. I was editing and someone else logged on. The wiki gave me some options, but when I followed what I thought was the best one, it deleted everything I wrote and kept the other person's work. I can see students getting very frustrated if they were all trying to write in something, and some or all the comments were lost because only one at a time could be recorded.

PowerPoints and other visual tools in the classroom

I am wondering how many of you make and use PowerPoints and other visual tools for use in the classroom? I don't like the PowerPoint as lecture note format that is so commonly used; all bulleted text, which can be made fairly easily. I admit I don't have a great deal of experience making PowerPoints, but finding images and inserting them effectively in a slide takes up much more time than I want or certainly have to spend getting ready for a class. I like images that will show up large, sometimes even cropping the image I clip before inserting it.

Even when you find good visuals, they may not be good visuals to use for an in front of class talk because the text on a copied diagram may actually be to small to read. I am finding that making powerpoints that are used on computers may actually be easier and more helpful to students because the text on a diagram is easier to follow.

I like giving students a chance to make them because it can be an effective project, especially when I ask on an evaluation, why did you pick the slides that you did? What were you hoping would coming across with this image? I generally keep a copy of student's work if they let me and use them again.

Given my new awareness of copyright, how do you instruct students about citing slides? I liked Natasha Cleveland's copyright information on her slides. Natasha or anyone else, can you tell me how to include this infomation on a slide? Is there an easy way to download the source link when you save an image from someplace like CreativeCommons or Goggle. When I was selecting slides, it was easy to copy but if I had to go back to find the URL, I might have to look through ten pages of images again.

Thanks for any insights you might have to share.

PLN for week 6

This week I started getting ready to get back to school and to work for less money. State plans to furlough us for 3 of the 5 preplanning days. Guess it will be just another day to work without getting paid for it, although this time I will actually see less money in a pay check.

I asked the chemistry list serve for advice with programs that draw organic molecules for you. I quickly got four ideas, which I am working on. I connected with my school's webmaster to start putting together how my plans for this year can be added. I also am working on understanding several podcasting tools I will be using, including the Bergmann/Sams podcasts for first year chemistry. Also finished work on my other MSU course.

Best Tool for receiving student work?

This school year I want to try having students turn in some work electronically. I would like all the work to show up on one page, like a blog or wiki because I think this will make it easier for me to read it and manage it. I want to be able to know who submitted it. Lastly, I want the ability to erase/delete all the work when the assignment is finished so the site doesn't get crowded when students use it every three or four weeks. What platform and provider might be the best for this? I would prefer something that only the students could get into if possible.

The big picture idea is that we have a reading requirement. ChemMatters is a chemistry periodical for which we have 25 years of back issues on CD. Students need to read it on line because it looks better in color and license rules for use prohibit photocopying (nor do I want to spend the time or money). Students would be writing reaction statements, which I evaluate mostly by completion. I figure since the students are already on a computer reading it, it would be easy to collect reactions electronically. Then if they are all on one page, I can read them faster, and since their grade is for completion, I don't have to keep track of paper to hand back. Originally, I thought I would collect as an e-mail but I can see where a blog or wiki would be much better and not risk clogging my school e-mail account. I am looking for the best spot for the repository because it will probably work better if not connected to our school system.

Thanks for your ideas.

Week 5 reflections

I liked some of the resources on CIESE site. They would be very valuable to me if and when I teach Environmental Science again. The Chemistry activities on WISE look interesting. At first glance, I think I will try to use the Recycling Rubber tires and End of Gasoline Engine modules this year in class.

I want to spend some time thinking of ways to incorporate real time data into chemistry teaching. The pace needed to cover all our curriculum seems fast, with little time to do "real" anything, like make the chemistry concepts apply to real life.

With regards to PLN, I am letting go of Twitter. I really didn't get into it that much. Following others didn't produce the gains I might like for the time involved. I personally don't like sending out messages. With enough other things to do, this seemed like always one of the last areas I would check. Now that I have only two weeks of summer left before returning for preplanning meetings on Aug. 3, I have to concentrate time where I can be most productive. With another MSU course to finish and the need to start school with a refreshed and more relaxed state of mind, time management is important.

Web seminar NSDL

I participated in the Nat. Sci. Digital Library seminar for chemistry teachings on 14 July. The set up was a bit odd but it worked okay. You logged on to see the images, but the audio came over the telephone by dialing a toll free number. This helped deliver sound faster than some web programs seem to be able to do. The visual part looked like it was a download from a smart board. I didn't see the people, just the images they selected and these were not live so they couldn't do live linking. They incorporated a survey where participants beeped their phones for the multiple choice answer.

I found it worthwhile because I had heard of NSDL resources before, but I had never looked at them. This course gave me the incentive to pay more attention to it when it passed through my list serve. I still use a land line with a Princess phone so I had to hold the phone during the entire seminar. A speaker phone would have been easier to use and allow access to the typing chat feature had I wanted to ask questions.

Probably the most useful thing I learned was about the interactive periodic table which has video links for all the elements.

I probably would not have chosen to attend a seminar like this, but giving an hour to it from home was okay. So I am thinking one of the benefits of on line professional development is that I might participate in something I otherwise wouldn't consider. Probably keeping it under an hour is a good thing because it can then fall into the lost time category of other web interaction.

PLN for Week 4 -- computer 1.0

Some of my PLN time last week was spent on computer 1.0. I had to buy a new Mac in May to replace one stolen from my house. This one has iWork on it, and I spent a great deal of time learning how it handles graphs, how it combines desktop publishing features in to the word processing and spreadsheet programs. No need for MS Publisher. I also learned more about how to use iPhoto (compression feature already built in so I can send small MB pictures as e-mail or to my blog) and a bit about iMovie. I attended some Apple training and the face to face with computer between us was easy and probably more efficient than asking text about it. REminds me on someone's earlier post from week one about having students call her because it was so much more effective than doing it as e-mail or text. Turns out that this investment in learning my new machine will have benefits for me with blog and web pages because many of the commands are the same.

Sorry to learn that the ability to save files from Mac to PDF is a Mac feature. I guess PC users have to buy an Abode product to do this although I think Randy said he found something on line that allowed transfer.

Reflections on simulations

This week I have been looking at some chemistry simulations. I checked out some of the ones mentioned in the text (chapter 3).
ExploreLearning http://www.explorelearning.com/ has some nice gizmos (their word). I would probably use them projected to the class because you can run through the simulation pretty fast and getting students computers for such a short time is probably not worth the time. There is a subscription cost, unknown to me still, associated with using these long term. I question if the graphics are large enough to be easily seen if projected to the class.

Youtryit is interesting but limited.

I added some to the class simulation list. Most of the ones I added I learned about through the NSTA chemistry list serve.

I will probably use some of the molecular modeling ones because I am terrible at drawing spacefilling models, plus being able to rotate them is invaluable. I think I would use actual models initially in the year, but after students have had some practice putting together molecules, the visual might be enough when it comes time to introduce a new functional group.

If any of you might consider using Virtual Worlds as an educational tool, I can forward you an e-mail from someone on the NSTA chem list serve who compiled a list of resources and samples.

Friends and Facebook comic

I wanted to copy this cartoon about friends and facebook directly to the page, but I didn't want to pay for the cartoon service that would allow me to do this. I especially recommend it to anyone concerned by the numbers of followers, friends, etc. http://www.uclick.com/client/atl/nq/2009/06/30/

Week 3 reflections and images

Week Three reflections

The image editing tools can be fun to play with. However, I find the process much more time consuming than I would use on a regular basis. The editing features are not that much more special than what I can do with iPhoto. For students, I see the image remaking tool as another way to digress from task, much like the animation features of PowerPoint. If the point is to teach photo editing skills, great, but if the goal is to reinforce science understanding, students should be spending more time on the content in their reports.

I am unlikely to subscribe now that I have uploaded my five free pictures. I did have trouble uploading an image I acquired from Creative Commons, although I later realized it was in how I saved the image in the first place. (needed to save as image, and not copy.) I realize that if I am going to use my camera for a blog, I need to change my camera settings. Typically I take pictures on outdoor vacations with highest number of pixels so that I have the option of enlarging them into prints if I want. These take too long to upload to blogger, and I would be better off with less resolution.

I found the copyright information worthwhile and will probably require students who make powerpoints to include the information on the first slide as suggested by EducationWorld. Most of the time I want students to include more graphics or images on PowerPoints than words. Students should talk to the class (not just read the words off a slide) because this shows understanding of their topic. The PowerPoint is the graph reinforcement.

All the photo enhancing tools remind me of an article that I saw perhaps 25 years ago as photo retouching software was just being developed and long before anyone had easy access to it. The article was titled "The End of the Photograph As Evidence of Anything Real." This is another reality check that many students probably need to be reminded of. What you see, just because it is a photograph like image, doesn't mean it actually exists that way. Maybe the way to help students see this is to have them alter images of their own.



Detail of green sign on outhouse on trail in Whistler, Canada
Sign cropped and zoomed.










Butterfly laying eggs, cropped and color enhanced


Black bear Whistler, Canada after cropping and heat mapping

The heat mapping would be more useful in class if there were an easy to follow color code about what was hot and what not.

Video: