Tegrity and iPads in the Classroom

I’ve been interested for some time in how instructors are using iPads in the classroom so I was particularly excited to attend “Tegrity + Tablets = A win-win for connected instructors” at the annual Tegrity Users Conference last week in Seattle.  Professor Kevin Walters demonstrated an intriguing set of techniques that I couldn’t wait to try myself.  He has figured out a way to walk into any classroom on his campus and , without installing anything on the lectern computer, have the presentation that is displayed on his iPad screen appear on the overhead projector in such a way that he can walk around the room, advancing his slides and writing on them with a stylus.

Step-by-step here is what he does:

1.       Save his presentation to dropbox as a PDF.  He also uses PPspliT, which is a PowerPoint add-in that splits animation effects into different slides.




2.       Open the presentation on the iPad using a ten dollar app called Air Sketch, which lets you annotate PDF documents and images live. On the iPad you can an IP number that you can then copy into the browser window of a computer on the same local network and then annotatefrom the iPad in real time.

3.       Start recording from the lectern PC using Tegrity.

All the processor and network intensive stuff happens on the lectern machine and the iPad just has to run the PDF viewer.

I downloaded Air Sketch and tried it myself.  It worked great on an open network although I have heard of people running into firewall issues on certain campus networks.

Another PDF reader that Professor Walters referenced was GoodReader, which I didn’t try as Air Sketch worked fine.  

Another app that I downloaded (for $5 this time) was Splashtop.  With Splashtop you can do an install on your PC and log into your Google account and then run Splashtop on the iPad and log into the same Google account.  Once you have done this, you can ‘see’ the PC from the iPad and take control.  I was able to run Photoshop, enable VPN, and do anything else my PC can do, but from my iPad – well worth the five bucks!

Another thing that I want to do but have haven’t had success with yet, is to have my iPad view go directly to an overhead projector wirelessly.  I have an iPad to VGA projector cable but to add wireless it looks like I will need to spend $100 on an Apple TV receiver and probably another $50 on an HDMI to VGA adapter for it if I want to use the airplay setup in classrooms with older equipment.

Screenshot from iPad remotely launching Photoshop.

Tegrity Summer 2012 Update

On April 18^th, following the opening general session of their Users Conference in Seattle, Tegrity shared details on changes coming with the summer, 2012 Update (Tegrity does to major updates every year).

According to Tegrity, 44.8% of students report using tablets or phones to view recordings - This summer emphasis will be on improving iPad and android experience - including the ability for faculty and students to make Tegrity recordings with audio, from their Apple iPhone, iPad or Android smartphone!.  Currently students can make their own Tegrity recordings if the instructor has given them permission on a class-by-class basis. Student recording functionality is identical to what faculty can now do: Tegrity will record the student’s computer screen, their voice, and optionally a webcam video. Recordings are stored in each individual class on a separate student recording tab.  Allowing recording from phones and tablets will dramatically improve opportunities for students and faculty members alike.

Kindle fire support coming.  The fire retails for $200 and has a 7” color screen and is projected by some to be an up and coming competitor to Apple’s iPad.

Other summer 2012 improvements include the ability to play from direct links on iOS, the ability to generate alternate formats when recording on a Mac as well as the ability to switch between multiple instructional video sources.

Also coming is multi-screen support for PC, and streamlined upload processing for proctoring recordings (now works in background).

Faculty Panel on Novel Uses of Tegrity, Shoreline CC

Novel Uses of Tegrity to Augment Fully-Online and Face-to-Face Classrooms

On Wednesday, April 11, Ann Garnsey-Harter of Shoreline Community College facilitated a panel discussion of Shoreline faculty members who discussed how they use Tegrity Lecture Capture.  The session was made available to remote participants via Blackboard Collaborate. 

Here is the session description:
Shoreline Community College faculty use Tegrity in innovative ways outside of traditional lecture capture. A panel of SCC faculty (Emma Agosta, Dennis Chang, Dan King, and Kira Wennstrom) will demonstrate how they use Tegrity in fully-online science laboratories, for introductions / tutorials to the online class environment, for remote proctoring, and to “flip the classroom” even in a face-to-face course.  Facilitator: Ann Garnsey-Harter, eLearning.

This session was recorded.

To view the recording, click the link below:

View the Blackboard Collaborate recording

Tegrity Users Conference, Best Practices, Advice from Students

Jeff Johnson of Athens State U. in Alabama gave a great presentation based on the 180 responses he received from a student survey, asking about Tegrity.  Here is some really good advice from students:

My notes (anything inaccurate or just plain wrong is on me):
180 students responded to survey
 - 96% said they agreed or slightly agreed that Tegrity recordings helped them
- 93% wished they had Tegrity in all classes
"Even a bad Tegrity session is better than no Tegrity session"
86% -like ease of use

no identifiable preference from students on use of instructor webcam video - if you do video be careful of background

How long videos should be 50% said 20-30 minutes, 25% said less than 20

Keep it short and sweet - get to the point
"When an instructor is excited about the subject, that gets translated through the recording and can become infectious"
Stay on topic.
Don't just read the slides.
Avoid long delays.
Do not mutter or talk to yourself.
Do not apologize or say you don't know Tegrity.
Sllow down - both talking and mousing - sometimes mouse lags behind voice and they can always speed you up.
Be conversational - avoid monotone, avoid sounding like you are reading a script if possible.
Reuse f2f video in DE classes.
Look at a mirror or photo of a person to keep it conversational.
Say things like, "Now pause the video and do this exercise...
If you are in an area with problems work through the problems - don't start with problem already worked out.
If you record ahead of time for f2f class ask questions of students you know will be there and say things like, we have five minutes left in class so let's all turn to page...
Use the Tegrity board to write on if you have access to a tablet.
Snap photos of physical whiteboard and insert later.
Be concise.
Tegrity not just for lecture capture - communicate instructions, give feedback -- (Talk to Boyoung, Renee).
Do a self-introduction
"Professors expect us and our work to be professional and collegiate.  They should be too."
Test your playback on a laptop speakers.
Get a good USB microphone.
Avoid outside distractions - you wouldn't take your cellphone into the classroom so don't have it when recording,
Pause for coughing.
If recording at home keep dogs and kids at bay.
Change dates if you need to reorder recordings in Tegrity, or use lists of links.
Make PowerPoints and visuals available outside of Tegrity recordings.
Break up text with graphs, photos, etc.
Use pause button to add chapters - re-label chapters later - learn about chapters.
Check your presentation - maybe at x2 speed...
"It's not your parent's lecture"
Tell students they are being recorded and give them a hand sign to use if they want the recording paused before they speak and/or put signage up

Tegrity Users Conference, Student Panel Notes

I am at the Tegrity Users Conference in Seattle this week.  This morning we had the opportunity to hear from six system students on what they like and don't like about using Tegrity and had the chance to ask them questions.  What follows are the notes I took:
Student Panel - Six Students, 3 Design, 1 Media Production (I think), 1 Diesel Tech, 1 English language learner

-- 4 of 6 use keyword searching
-- 1 uses Tegrity bookmarks
-- None aware of notes, didn't seem too excited about this feature
-- 2 had iPhones, 2 had Android, 1 standard cell, 1 person with no phone
-- 4 knew about mobile viewing, 1 said he would use, others wanted bigger screen
-- One out of six took a totally online course, one flipped classroom model, 4 traditional lecture capture only
-- None had done or were aware of student recording
-- All six very much wanted to be able to go back and review recordings a term or even a year after, as they move through program.  One student has every recording from all of his courses, downloaded to his hard drive.
-- All would have liked more how-to tutorials on how students use Tegrity
-- 4 of 6 wanted video that is currently 50 minutes to an hour chunked down

Student Quotes:
"I study with my laptop.  My phone is for quick stuff"
"Tegrity moved me from a B- to a B+ student."
"Tegrity is the reason I got a 4.0 in Biology."
"Tegrity didn't replace for me.  It enhanced."
"Helped me to recall and memorize what I learned in class."
"I prefer learning on my own, not having to wait for the instructor to answer everyone's questions. (her instructor has flipped instruction)"
"In class I often don't get it but he (instructor) has 35 students and just has to move on."
"In class she goes so fast."
"There aren't glitches with Tegrity like there were last year with Blackboard."

Plan Your Class With Stephanie Delaney

Course planning in the open - You have an opportunity to participate in the planning of an online class (with tips for hybrid or web-enhanced) and also maybe work on your own class while Stephanie goes through the process, getting & sharing tips with other participants.

See details from Stephanie’s e-mail below. There is a link to the sign up form towards the bottom of the post.

Stephanie Plans a Class

In the Fall, I will be teaching one of my favorite courses, American Government.  I’ve decided to make my planning of the course transparent as an informal professional development opportunity for faculty.  If you are planning or revising a course for Summer or Fall quarter, this is the perfect opportunity for you to go through the planning process in a supported and organized way.

Each week, I’ll tackle a different aspect of preparing an online course for delivery.  I’ll provide a weekly blog post (and maybe a podcast), instructional videos for new techniques, some educational readings, and lots of helpful resources. While the focus will be on online instruction, I’ll also include tips for hybrid and web enhanced teaching.

Things to note:

·         I won’t be using a textbook, so I’ll be hunting down Open Educational Resources

·         I’ll be making generous use of cool web 2.0 technologies in pedagogically sound ways

·         I’ll be using Quality Matters to make sure my course is well designed and that my students have a quality learning experience

·         I’m going to explore using Learning Analytics tools to track data about my classes.

·         I’ll also be prepping my summer course, a class I’ve taught annually for over 10 years. So, as  bonus, I’ll have tips on reviewing an existing course for a new quarter.

I hope you’ll join me and prepare your summer or fall courses at the same time.  It would be great if we could build a community of folks preparing courses, sharing ideas and resources and learning new stuff. Plus, think of how great you’ll feel when you enter the new quarter fully ready to teach and not scrambling to get stuff done at the last minute (not that I’d know anything about that. . . ).

If you’d like to join me, just fill out this Google Form. You aren’t making any sort of commitment. I’ll just add you to an email list and will send you a message weekly when I post new stuff. How much and whether you participate is totally up to you.

Send me any questions at Stephanie.delaney@seattlecolleges.edu.

Stephanie

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write,

but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." 

~Alvin Toffler

Stephanie Delaney, JD, PhD

Associate Dean of Distance Education and eLearning

Seattle Central Community College

Stephanie.Delaney@seattlecolleges.edu

206-934-2966

Offices BE1139J & BE4174

Test Proctoring with Tegrtiy, Live Demo and Presentation with Andy Duckworth of TCC, Thursday, April 5th, 1 PM Pacific

This week's eLearning Community session, presented by Andy Duckworth of Tacoma Community College will focus on the possibilities inherent in Tegrity Lecture Capture with regards to test proctoring and will discuss their experiences at TCC, having completed a first term using this technique.

There is no cost and all are welcome to attend.

Attendees will learn about Tacoma Community College’s experience with implementing test proctoring using Tegrity to capture student screen and web cam video.  Andy will demonstrate step-by-step how to set up proctoring processes and access recordings after the fact.

Log into Collaborate:

https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/launch/meeting.jnlp?sid=2008170&password=M.76B48BDDE3B7C6157740812A81FD70

View a Schedule of Upcoming Sessions:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11r7h1sA3UfoOZZMU2ao_5FJWSRBXeOY0ebz_-n5rUN8/edit?hl=en_US&pli=1

View Recordings of Previous Sessions:
https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/recording/playback/link/table/meeting?suid=M.1286F0C21FA258F7D83EE80B8FA025&sid=2008170