Like Krazy

This post was inspired by this post from hadleyjf. I commented on that post but felt I wanted to expound on my thoughts here. Before you begin reading, press the play button on the Voki below this paragraph and then immediately continue reading while it speaks. Try it. It'll be educational and will barely hurt, I promise. Get a Voki now! This past weekend I participated in educon thru elluminate and in the past year took online courses using a similar program. In both experiences I was able to participate in a conversation that was taking place during the presentation/class using a chat window. Having done that many times now I have come to realize that I find it impossible to multitask in that way. Many times the chat session became the "front channel" and the presenter/teacher went to the back of my attention. I found that I missed some of what the presenter said while I participated in the chats. But at the same time I also find that I learn greatly from that part of...

I came across a site for presenters entitled Interactive Lectures that contains summaries of 36 formats for making a presentation interactive. Certainly my job as a teacher is part presenter and I found many ideas to work with in my own classroom. I decided to put my notes here as I examine some of these formats and how I may use them. Please use the comment section to add your ideas and allow this to grow. Format #1: Best Summary Each participant prepares a summary of the main points at the end of a presentation. Teams of participants switch their summaries and select the best summary from each set. This reminds me of an "Exit Slip," which is a good way to check student understanding before they leave the room. The summary could be done in many formats (and may even be done several times during a class session). - working in groups or individually, put summary on index card. If in groups, have them read each out loud. If individuals, collect and read a few out loud. - techn...

In reading over this blog post by Tom Whitby and this post by someone about the negative end of this experience, it appears we may need to be more careful with the way backchannels are used. Obviously, the relative anonymous nature of Twitter allows cowards to be rude and unkind during presentations. Unfortunately, I don't think this will change but probably just needs to be tweaked. Instead of allowing the Twitter stream to appear on the overhead, it should display only for the presenter (or a moderator) to see. Then the presenter can take what is relevant and professional and work it into the presentation as needed. I have seen a similar situation pulled off pretty well in some of my online graduate level courses. While it certainly is an added skill and complication, with practice, many presenters may turn it into a positive experience - one that allows virtual "hand raising" and input with hardly any interruption.