A need to communicate online with students and other educators? Below is a quick view of the tools reviewed this week (Skype, Facebook, Twitter, SurveyMonkey) as per the course page, lecture notes and forum notes.
Quick word of advice from Stephan: if you are not familiar with a tool, keep them to yourself to start until you know how it works and behaves. Source the "settings" and play around with them to see how differently the tool behaves.
Skype
http://www.skype.com
From Wikipedia: "Skype ...is a software application that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a free using a debit-based user account system. Skype has also become popular for their additional features which include instant messaging, file transfer and video conferencing."
Features of Skype (as per the lecture):
FREE - BASIC
- All Skype-to-Skype
- Voice calls
- Video calls
- Conference calls (video = $$$)
- Text chat 1:1 + groups
- Send files (any type - although big files are time consuming to send - e.g. photos)
- Screenshare facility
- Facebook integrated
- Useful to educators
- Whiteboard
- Screen sharing
- Tutoring
- Categories - sharing, personalised, productivity, business, community, games, record conversation**
- Calls to landline + mobiles
- Calls from landlines + mobiles
- SMS
- Voicemail
- Call forward to landlines + mobiles
- Access to Skype via wifi hotspots
Useful to know (lecture notes):
- Recording function is great
- Screen sharing is useful for showing material on a screen
Interesting/useful resources:
- Using Skype in the Classroom (or just learning how to use it!) - a blog entry and 10 minute video on how to set up and use Skype in a training environment.
- 50 Awesome Ways to Use Skype in the Classroom - another blog posting containing lots of ideas to 'teach students in dynamic ways'.
- Skype in Education - a forum on the use of Skype in the classroom
Pros
- Allows chats, conference calls and video calls
- Many functions are free
- Easy to use
- Screensharing (free on one-to-one calls, $$ for a group)
- Allows sharing of:
- Files
- Hyperlinks
- Conference calling also allows the use of a “sidechat” (as per our Monday lectures)
- Skype has released a 3.0 beta version for Windows that does real time language translation and assists with pronunciation of words
- Can record on Skype using free software (www.prettymay.net, www.voipcallrecording.com ) – use options to go into settings to utilise this function.
- Many links to other users with “like” interests – e.g. with other teachers who use Skype, language teachers, etc
Cons
- Uses a lot of computer and network (bandwidth) resources – consequently, Skype is banned at some schools or has restricted access
- Limited by schedules and time zones
- Not replacement for telephone – no emergency calls
- Do not SkypeOut (dial out) to a landline or mobile as after the first “free” 5 mins, the calls will cost $$
- Can only have 10 people on a conference call at a time (including the “teacher”)
- Can get echoes / sound problems if class members do not mute their mic or if the microphone is not close enough to their mouth
- Skypecasting has been discontinued!! Other conference VOIP alternatives may be: PalTalk, TalkShoe, Ventrilo and Asterisk.
How to use it educationally ….
This website can
be used:
- Teachers can quickly and easily invite guests from almost anywhere in the world to speak to their students
- Enables “classmates” and teacher to develop and maintain “contact”
- Enables students to interact with others outside the classroom walls
- Brings the “field trip” into the classroom if students are unable to participate physically
- Wonderful for use with language students – especially due to translation and pronunciation abilities
- Tutoring (especially for distance students)
- Conducting interviews
- PD for teachers (conference presentations)
- Collaborate with other teachers
- Be easily accessible to students (good or bad?????)
- Recording of calls for replay at a later time
- Some hints for more successful use:
·
Have
the class mute their microphones to ensure less background noise
·
Put
“teacher’s” laptop screen on projector
Privacy protection
Some hints to
ensure a level of security with using this tool – especially for those under
the age of 18:
- Use an avatar rather than a photo
- Do not use real name under full name
- Never go to “SkypeMe” mode or check
“Sign me in”
- Do not complete the profile
- No usernames with meanings that can
be misconstrued
VOIPCALLRECORDING.COM
Main features of
MP3 Skype Recorder are:
- Free with no limits attached
- Automatic or manual recording capabilities
- Compact format of stored records (mp3 files)
- May be used to record P2P, SkypeOut calls and calls made to online numbers
- Capable of tracking simultaneous calls and to save them separately
- Easy integration with Skype Conference recording
- Intuitive easy to use interface
- Stealth recording of calls by parents (no icons in system bar or system tray) with automatic recording of all Skype calls!!!!!
SAVEONPHONESERVICES.COM
A Skype website
that offers:
- New deals and offers for using Skype
- Free software for Skype (e.g.
language translator)
How can I use it?
Apart from the
use of the “stealth” function with my kids (!!), I am still researching to
develop a stronger understanding of how this tool can be used in my
lesson/course structures. However, I am
thinking it would work well with:
- Tutorials for distance Dance Teachers
- Student – student calls for peer group discussions
- Recording
- Screenshare (?? Not quite sure how to use this with a group – can it be recorded??)
Twitter
http://www.twitter.comPC Magazine defines twitter as: "A very popular instant messaging system that lets a person send brief text messages up to 140 characters in length to a list of followers. Launched in 2006, Twitter was designed as a social network to keep friends and colleagues informed throughout the day. However, it became widely used for commercial and political purposes to keep customers, constituents and fans up-to-date as well as to solicit feedback.
After establishing a Twitter account at www.twitter.com, individuals can import their e-mail addresses as well as use the Twitter search to locate and invite people. Twitter messages ("tweets") can be made public and sent to anyone requesting the feed, or they can be sent only to approved followers.
Messages can be sent and received via cellphone text messaging (SMS), the Twitter Web site or a third-party Twitter application. A Facebook account can also be updated. To follow a Twitter feed, the Twitter site and feed name become the URL; for example, Microsoft's Twitter feed is www.twitter.com/microsoft."
Useful to know (lecture notes):
- Great as a discussion forum
- Comment from Stephan: so much useful professional development through Twitter - as long as you are following the right person
- RT = re-tweet
- Created as a tool to ask "what are you doing?". However, with End User Innovation, users have refocussed the use of this tool so that it has developed into a means of sharing information with friends and co-workers
- It can now be used as a professional tool to find information/links from users with specific expertise
- Hundreds of add-ons (e.g. twitpic, TweetDeck, digsby)
- TweetDeck - personal browser for staying in touch with what's happening now, connecting you with contacts across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, etc
- Being safe on Twitter formation to 3rd parties for commercial purposes!!):
- Study the SETTINGS of the tool (to make public or private)
- Think before you tweet
- Don't be public with private information
- Don't tweet when drinking alcohol
- Limit what you say
- Be careful what you click on
- Be vigilant
- Check 3rd party applications
- Educational uses for Twitter (check out The Twitter4Teachers Wiki):
- Linking to your networks to ask them to pose questions to your students
- Support classroom community
- Collaborative writing
- Research and comment - using the #tags
- when you tweet things that relate to our course add #23thingsACTSA (check out www.delicious.com/username/twitter if linked)
Interesting/useful resources
- Newbie's guide to Twitter - a good introduction to signing up and using Twitter on CNET
- Twitter for educational purposes - a SlideShare presentation
- Twitter – A Teaching and Learning Tool - a great blog post on using twitter for teaching by Tom Barrett
- How to use Twitter for Social Learning - an online guide
- Yammer - an alternative to Twitter for 'in house' communication
- Twitter in Plain English
- Top 20 Twitter applications - Initially, Twitter was seen as a simple way of communication. However, users have found different ways of using this tool and of developing various apps.
- Apps for managing multiple accounts - "options to help you tweet now or later from different accounts on your desktop, via the web and while on the run."
- Getting things done with Twitter - Useful apps that can help "get all types of things done"
- 10 Twitter safety tips - "10 solid Twitter safety tips you can make use of to enjoy Twitter and protect yourself
- 13 Twitter "don'ts" - Avoiding these 13 don'ts" will help you fit in!!
- 4 ways to use Twitter without compromising your personal safety - how to avoid common mistakes and safely use this social medial tool
Forum summary:
- (Robert) can see the benefits of Twitter for sharing information with students and providing timely updates/requests
- (Stephan) suggested having a look at tweetdeck once you get your head around Twitter. It seems to be much more organised and easier to follow your mentions, direct messages, favourites, specific people or hashtags you follow as they are all on one page nicely in columns.
- Can tweet from tweetdeck, PC or phone
- Can tag links on Delicious account with twitter (n.b. some gems in Steph's Delicious account)
- (Danette) Researched resources regarding twitter and performed a google search on "Twitter for Educational Purposes". Found some great links and suggestions at http://cirrelia-thaxton.suite101.com/using-twitter-for-educational-purposes-a287131
According to Wikipedia: "Facebook is a social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. Since September 2006, anyone over the age of 13 with a valid e-mail address can become a Facebook user. Facebook's target audience is more for an adult demographic than a youth demographic. Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Additionally, users can join networks organized by workplace, school, or college."
Useful to know (lecture notes):
- Great for student-teacher and student-student communications (e.g. reminders as to when assessment due, changes to timetableing, when guest lecturers are due, when worksheets available, etc)
- Great for discussion forums - e.g. preassessment
- Set up a Facebook account purely for use by a group of students (separate to your private and personal account)
- For privacy, suggested settings are to mark:
- bio and favourite quotes as "everyone"
- permission to comment on your posts as "friends only"
- all other elements mark as "other"
Interesting/useful resources
- Driving Engagement and Belonging with Facebook(pdf) - tips and tricks for teaching with Facebook presented by Michael Staton
- Teaching & Learning with Facebook - a facebook group with insights about teaching and learning with Facebook, mostly for higher education (you'll need to sign up with facebook first).
- Educational Benefits Of Social Networking Sites Uncovered - an article about what researchers have found.
- Using Social Media Tools to Reach Digital Natives - a presentation
- How to Set Privacy Settings - video
- How to Separate Your Personal Life From Your Business Life on Facebook - video (needs a little update at the beginning - click Friends ... edit Friends ... Create list)
- TAFE Hairdressing Site - check out how the TafeSA hairdressing course has used Facebook as a communication tool
Forum notes:
- (Ian) noted that Facebook is ideal for uploading images and videos - and so it can be used as a collaborative platform.
- It is user friendly as most people have a Facebook account
- To ensure it is used correctly (and not used and abused), go to the settings area and make sure yu have got the tool behaving the way you'd like it to work and then have a play with friends and see what it does (Stephan)
SurveyMonkey is a tool which enables the creation of web-based, online surveys. a basic (free) subscription is free and allows up to 10 questions with 100 responses.
Useful to know (lecture notes):
- Polling and evaluation tool and individual learning management system
- Useful tips for creating a great survey:
- Be brief - use short questions and ask 1 question at a time
- Be objective - use neutral wording
- Be simple with your use of language and phrasing
- Be specific with use of precise questions and phrasing
- Consider an option for OTHER as people may not like your options
- Get someone to review your survey
Interesting/useful resources
- Tutorials - on the surveymonkey site
- SurveyMonkey Tutorial - a YouTube video for getting started
- A teaching moment - a short blog post on using survey monkey for peer assessment
- Introduction to Survey Monkey - how to create a survey
- Tips to help create appropriate questions - smart survey design
Forum notes:
- Another "create our own survey tool" is Zoomerang. (Michael)
- Great for end of term/course evaluations for students.
- Able to be used for course registrations - can use simple layouts for basic information.
- SurveyMonkey allows up to 10 questions with up to 100 responses.
- Limited analysis is both easy to understand and collate (Steph)
- Moodle has its own surveys and quizes - so if using this LMS, you won't need to use SurveyMonkey
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