Videoconferencing and Video Online

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Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1346] Re: [NIFL-AALPD] being funny on-line
From: Marian Thacher (mthacher_at_otan.us)
Date: Mon Apr 05 2004 - 11:48:42 EDT

I'd like to make a distinction between videoconferences or webcasts where one person is addressing many, and ones that are more interactive. Duren describes the one-to-many videoconference well. I think we do get into that "looking professional" thing, maybe because we can't see our audience reaction so we are trying to be more 'perfect,' or maybe because of our ideas about what TV is "supposed" to look like. But it doesn't have to be that way. I think once we get used to it, we could make it much more personal.

Especially with smaller groups. The videoconference ABE math class I observed in San Diego was very informal, relaxed, and personal. Students at the distant site raised their hands, asked questions, made jokes with the teacher and talked with the students at the other site. They had all developed relationships with each other after a few weeks of class.

It wouldn't be that interesting to watch a video of any of these events. We do post streaming videos of most of our big webcasts, and nobody would watch them unless they ‘’’really’’’ wanted the information, but sometimes that's the case. But the actual events, I think, can be interactive and comfortable once we get more used to the medium.

Marian Thacher
OTAN

nifl-aalpd@nifl.gov writes:
>At 01:00 PM 3/31/2004 -0500, Heide Wrigley wrote:

"QUESTION: What have been the experiences of others in that respect? Have you been turned off on these conferences because of tone (because the facilitator or guest speaker was either way too earnest or didn't seem to take things seriously enough?) Or perhaps (s)he was just a tad too preachy?


I find video conferences/presentations to be overrated. Once i was over the "cool - neato" part, most presenters were wooden. Interaction was always at a very minimum (one question here, another question there, and then it was over). They all seemed to be overly concerned with "looking professional." So no, "glibness" and too much humor was not an issue for me. Then, of course, in web-based video there is he nasty delay and grainy-ness of the video itself. I hate it when the speaker is talking about 2 seconds before their mouth moves.
We, as practitioners, need to be *actors* with *editors* and directors* in order to make best use of the video medium. Think about it. If you video-taped a "typical class" of yours (especially from only one position in the room) - would it make for interesting viewing? Or would we be bored? What makes video most interesting to us is generally the *story* - and the way the story is told. What was the last documentary *you* watched all the way through? And those *have* stories and editing.

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1355] Videoconferencing and video online
From: jataylor (jataylor_at_utk.edu)
Date: Tue Apr 06 2004 - 06:13:03 EDT

Good morning, Heide, Duren, Marian, All,
(Duren, Marian, I realize you may not be available to address this until next week.)

Heide, you shared your experience as a speaker/facilitator in a videoconference, and I understood you to say how difficult it is to communicate to a group of people whose faces you do not see. To a different degree, I think that moderators/facilitators on discussion lists can somewhat relate, except that (should one be so inclined) anyone can email in their pajamas at 6 a.m. and not worry about that level of appearance! Thanks for stepping forward with your experiences.

Duren, I appreciate you sharing your insights on videoconferencing. While I can relate; I would also like to understand better. I hear you saying that you have had some negative experiences in this regard, but I also hear you saying that video as an online learning tool for professional development is a worthwhile endeavor. Is this correct? When you shared your experience of videoconferences/ presentations, were you writing in terms of your experience as a participant, an observer of, or a presenter in a videoconference (or any combination thereof)? Thanks in advance for clarifying.

Marian, I hear you saying that there are many strategies that can be used with videoconferencing. Next week, we will be discussing the specifics of online courses, but I would like for us to not lose these thoughts. Regarding videoconferencing in general, what have you found to work best, and in which situations? I'll bet you have many insights in this regard.

What have been others' experiences with video and professional development online or at a distance? How have you used video face-to-face, and how might that translate (or not) to a distance education experience?

(And for next week -- How might video be effectively incorporated into online professional development courses?)

Thanks!
Jackie

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1356] Re: Videoconferencing and video online
From: Janet Smith (smith_at_literacy.upenn.edu)
Date: Tue Apr 06 2004 - 10:26:01 EDT

Hi Jackie,

We recently finished a literature review for TECH21 on videoconferencing and professional development that might be of interest. Some of the report deals with desktop videoconferencing, but the discussion is a bit fluid concerning the various types.

Here is a section of the discussion that might be of interest, though it is lit review oriented. Mary Russell can probably add more since she is working directly with the TECH21 desktop videoconferencing initiative.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Many of the tips for large-group videoconferencing also hold true for DVC (and for teaching in general).

Planning issues

  • Plan for the DVC event to be early in the day when the Internet might be less crowded.
  • Distribute session agendas and materials several days ahead of time so that expectations are clear.
  • Involve teachers in the development of programs for their professional development.
  • Make sure there is enough time for interaction.
  • Discuss etiquette and turn-taking in advance to avoid confusion and frustration.
  • Have a backup plan and maintain a telephone bridge if possible .
  • Make sure the set up area affords some sense of privacy.

Practical considerations

  • Avoid clothing that has bright colors and busy patterns. Wear plain fabrics of muted colors.
  • Enunciate and speak more slowly than the normal rate of speech.
  • Minimize abrupt motion because movement has to be compressed and decompressed.
  • Talk to the camera rather than the computer screen so you appear engaged with the other participants.
  • Avoid extreme close-ups with camera placement and be aware of the importance of eye contact between users.
  • Limit extraneous noises like coughing or saying “umm.” Instead provide non-verbal feedback like slowly nodding your head.

Pedagogical and design issues

  • Establish pedagogical outcomes first and use DVC to accomplish them where appropriate.
  • Exploit the motivational effects of DVC on the learners.
  • Seek interesting links/partnerships with other agencies and programs.
  • Involve all participants within the first few minutes so they don’t disengage, informal introductions or chat can be effective in reducing anxiety and creating rapport.
  • Encourage interaction by limiting instructor talk to no more than 10-15 minutes without learner responses and activities.
  • Use a variety of different media to engage interest.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The full report can be found at the following URL:

http://www.literacy.org/products/t21_vc_smith_v14.pdf

Hope this adds to the discussion a bit.

I've been glued to my computer reading posts for days now. I really like all the info. It has given me a lot to think about. Great job Jackie!

Janet

Janet C. Smith, PhD
Senior Editor and Manager of Internet Communications
National Center on Adult Literacy / International Literacy Institute
Graduate School of Education / University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-3111
phone: 215-746-6736
email: smith_at_literacy.upenn.edu

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1359] FWD: RE: Videoconferencing and video online
From: jataylor (jataylor_at_utk.edu)
Date: Wed Apr 07 2004 - 09:37:48 EDT

[From Duren, please read on ~ ]

I have been a participant in 5 or more "televised" videoconferences, and 3-4 "desktop" video conferences.

The "televised" video conferences were either "one way" or "minimally interactive - in that I was part of a large group and the presenter or presenters did most of the talking with one or two questions taken from each of several sites participating in the teleconference. It was a lot like being in a face-to-face 100 people "lecture" class in college. I could have slept through it and no one would have noticed. I didn't feel engaged at all - I could have watched the video tape and gotten the same experience. The video *quality* was good, but the speakers were very formal, stilted, and had little screen presence. Lastly, in my opinion, what little "question and answer" with the presenter that happened enhanced the experience very little. Oh - and I had to travel to wherever the conference was happening on *their* schedule not mine.

The Desktop video conferences were generally informal - more like meetings (or demonstrations of videoconferencing). I was sincerely disappointed by the video quality - very jumpy - and it's mismatch with the audio track - video was often seconds behind the audio. Quality was so poor that I tended NOT to look at the video as it distracted me from the task at hand. And in missing the video it turns out I missed very little of any importance. In all cases the video link to "see" each other was provided purely to give the participants a face-to-face feel - not to convey critical visual information.

In particular, I was able to gain *very* little from facial expressions due to video quality (and yes, some of these were recent). Body language - at least "large motions" would have been visible - except again, the participants were sitting down, and tended to move very little (likely because someone told them to keep motions slow or to a minimum due to video compression.) I found little value from the video for a fair amount of technological effort and/or complexity.

But then again, I am someone who is *comfortable* not seeing folks I am interacting with. E-mail, discussion boards, phone calls, etc. are routine in my life and I feel I can connect *without* video. For someone who is a very "visual" or "in person" collaborator, video contact - even poor video contact may be very important.

So yes, I feel it has a place in PD online/at a distance - depending on the material presented, the needs of the learners, and the technological limitations involved, but I think sometimes it is "over-hyped." I feel video for the sake of video is not a good idea. It is technologically more complicated, requires more monetary investment (for bandwidth at least, plus cameras), and delivers poorly in my opinion. Remember, I noted that just getting *microphones* installed by users for Centra was a significant technological challenge. Some of our practitioners can't get better than a 3600 connection to the internet from their place of employment, much less at home. And until it is more functional, easier to access, and more widespread, we aren't going to be very good at using it to its full capacity (practice improving implementation). Using it solely so we can see each others' "talking heads" is *not* in my mind, using it effectively for instruction. I'm waiting for advances in either the delivery of video signal or better access to WIDE bandwidth before I am going to start advocating for its inclusion in online professional development.

I'm waiting breathlessly for cars that drive themselves, too.  :)


Duren Thompson
Center for Literacy Studies

At 06:12 AM 4/6/2004 -0400, you wrote:
Good morning, Heide, Duren, Marian, All,

[snip]

Duren, I appreciate you sharing your insights on videoconferencing. While I can relate; I would also like to understand better. I hear you saying that you have had some negative experiences in this regard, but I also hear you saying that video as an online learning tool for professional development is a worthwhile endeavor. Is this correct? When you shared your experience of videoconferences/ presentations, were you writing in terms of your experience as a participant, an observer of, or a presenter in a videoconference (or any combination thereof)? Thanks in advance for clarifying.
(And for next week -- How might video be effectively incorporated into online professional development courses?)
Thanks!
Jackie

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1360] RE: Videoconferencing and video online
From: Eileen Eckert (eileeneckert_at_hotmail.com)
Date: Wed Apr 07 2004 - 13:16:45 EDT

I'm another who doesn't need video, so I tend to dismiss it; however, in order to get beyond the first-generation stiltedness and other bugs, don't we first have to go through those problems? Maybe in ten years we'll be saying, "Boy, remember when we were using just using text to communicate--how did we ever manage?!"

The first time I taught online, I included links to Science Friday archives of radio shows on cognition and learning. I had high-speed Internet then, so it was easy for me to access, and I thought it would be a great enhancement to the other materials in the course. I think one out of seven of my students was able to access it, and I ended up dropping it.

One approach is to use video as an enhancement rather than a required part of the course, and make sure everybody knows that if they can get it it's a nice extra but the essential stuff is also provided in other ways to those whose technological or other limitations prevent their using the video to full effect. What do you think?

Eileen

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1361] RE: Videoconferencing and video online
From: Duren Thompson (solveig_at_utk.edu)
Date: Wed Apr 07 2004 - 13:53:52 EDT

AH, using video as *content* is a different matter! I heartily support the effective use of video online to make a point, demonstrate a skill, or show content that is otherwise difficult to explain. A picture is really worth more sometimes than a 1000 words and a video is a 1000 pictures. My antipathy was primarily directed to the use of two-way video so participants can *see* each other -- trying to make an online class as much as possible like a "bricks and mortar" class. This, however, prompts me to questions why we want the online experience to be as much like the "traditional" as possible. Isn't one of the *benefits* of the online option an asynchronous format? That I don't *have* to be at a certain place at a certain time?

I agree, too with Eileen's statements about bandwidth - it is still a barrier for many in accessing video. I know that McGraw Hill, in order to overcome this with the online version of their GED software has chosen to distribute the content on a CD - which, when you open it, opens your internet browser and asks you to log in. You can work content offline and upload progress all at once at the end of your session or even at the beginning of the next. While this particular tool is not designed for professional development, something similar *could* be used for professional development delivery (the online PDK toolkit can be set up somewhat like this, although you have to know the drive letter of your CD ROM). This allows the video to be served form the local CD while you are online interacting with text content, exercises, discussion boards, etc.

Yes, Eileen, I think we do have to "practice" in using video-conferencing and effectively integrating it into our "skill sets." But there is *so much* to integrate into my skill set that I have chosen to put video on the back burner - hoping that when I get around to trying to work on it, it will have gotten better!  :) I trust that business and industry will work many of the bugs out at a far faster rate than we can - as *they* have the right kind of money to pour into the problem and *we* don't at the moment.

My concerns are really for the participants. In joining the "new tech"/video bandwagon, I want to be sure we aren't "overteching" them. Someone asked if we think the *technology* interferes with folks completing distance format professional development. I think the answer is yes. If you aren't comfortable using a computer, you are going to have to be pretty strong-willed or self-motivated to join an online PD experience, much less complete one. I worry that in trying out all this new stuff (like video) we might be making the technology "scarier" or more frustrating. Especially to *our* PD population who is traditionally lower in technology comfort and skills than even the average K-12 instructor.

Optional/enrichment is a good compromise at this time I think. Currently we make even chats in our courses optional - because we are worried that participants will feel frustrated that they can't attend at a particular time - and drop the course. We offer chats in order to address some participants "learning style" needs - some tell us that the chats are the best parts of the course. Others state they sincerely dislike them and caution us never to make them required. (Chatroom conversations can be very disconcerting if you don't ‘’’think’’’ that way.) Do you know what we hear the # one "stated" barrier to chat participation is? The lack of keyboarding skills. Those that type faster - get to say more, and more quickly.

Debra asked how many out there have open entry/open exit type online courses. I'd like to know how successful Synchronous methods are proving to be for adult education PD - particularly PD offered to full time professionals that does *not* have college credit attached. (Required or "voluntary" inservice-type sessions.)

Durne Thompson
Center for Literacy Studies

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1364] RE: Videoconferencing and video online
From: Thomas Nash (tnash_at_windham.k12.me.us)
Date: Wed Apr 07 2004 - 14:21:28 EDT

Though I have not participated directly in a video-conference course, I have experienced several state-wide adult education director's meetings and training via that medium. Though the benefit of locale was in my favor and was also the case for those at sites throughout our very rural state, the sessions provided too little quality, valuable interactions. For many of the reasons mentioned already, I too found it difficult following talking heads, not being able to experience the non-verbal communication and it nuances, and quite frankly remaining fully engaged especially when audio and video signals were less than desirable. It does have a future though I'm convinced, but just has to evolve, as do we in our acceptance - and use - of it.

Tom Nash
Director of Windham Adult Education
Windham, Maine

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1368] RE: Videoconferencing and video online
From: Marian Thacher (mthacher_at_otan.us)
Date: Wed Apr 07 2004 - 16:26:14 EDT

Wow, I really had a different experience than Duren, and others, with videoconferencing. First of all, I'm probably spoiled because all the county offices of ed in California are hooked up to Internet2, which allows us a very high-quality, synched videoconference experience. Second, I was using it, in one instance, for more of a brainstorming session than for formal instruction, and I felt like we were all in the room together, which was important for the dynamic of trust and sharing. Brainstorming is a good example because to feel like it's ok to throw out any idea that comes into your head, you have to feel pretty safe, and body language can help develop that trust. So videoconferencing seemed like the perfect solution. But again, my project is housed in a county office of ed, and the other participants were able to go to their county office too.

I have also experimented with videoconferencing from my desktop at home (on cable), with much less satisfactory results - slow, jerky picture and erratic sound. I agree that we aren't there right now to be able to do this from anywhere. But from places where we have a really fast connection I think it's worth consideration. And we are creating more and more of those places.

Marian Thacher
OTAN

nifl-aalpd@nifl.gov writes: <snip>

”My antipathy was primarily directed to the use of two-way video so participants can *see* each other - trying to make an online class as much as possible like a "bricks and mortar" class. This, however, prompts me to questions why we want the online experience to be as much like the "traditional" as possible. Isn't one of the *benefits* of the online option an asynchronous format? That I don't *have* to be at a certain place at a certain time?”
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