Renita Johnson-HarrisonEDTL 506

• Real-time communication and collaboration• “Same time-different place” mode• Engages people instantly

• Same time participation can be challenging• May be costly• Requires significant bandwidth to be efficient

• Audio conferencing• Web conferencing• Video conferencing• Chat • Instant messaging• White boarding• Application sharing

*I am familiar with most of these, and have used all of them except for white boarding and application sharing. I really find them useful, efficient and very effective.

• Create speaking avatars• Includes great learning resources• Great way to have students participate in class• Fun way of providing instruction• Motivates students• Great way to translate languages

*I use voki on my wiki space to provide instruction to the students. They have also presented material in class using voki. It is really great, especially for the shy student. They really enjoy creating avatars, and it also motivates them and gets them involved. I even use some of the teacher resources they have available. Great ideas!

• 3D virtual world of sharing and creating• Collaboration• Avatars• Professional Development• Resources• Meetings and chatting

*WBR has a virtual island where everyone in the parish was required to design/create an avatar. We hold meetings there, collaborate and there are many resources available for our use. Our district tech person has provided professional development through second life also. It is great because it allows us to meet without having to be there physically. In addition, it is our own community of people. Very convenient, efficient and effective.

• Engages everyone, every time, everywhere• Designed specifically for education• Mobile learning and collaboration(two-way audio

and text chat, whiteboard collaboration, polling)• Virtual classrooms and offices• Online, blended and mobile learning• Wimba and Elluminate combined

*This is something very new to me. I am interested, especially with the use of mobile devices and being able to hold live classes and meetings via a mobile device. This is exciting!

• To me, Google is in a world of its own• Blogger• Docs• Calendar• Mail• Search engine• Sites• Maps• Books• News*You name it, and Google has it. I use it every day. We use Google docs to share documents at the school which is easier, faster and more efficient. In addition, Google Drive keeps everything organized for us. We also share a calendar for upcoming events, sports and use of the computer labs. I remember creating a Google site for an assignment in grad school. It was great. I do love Google and I am learning new things about what it has to offer often.

• Free video calling any where in the world• Call mobile and landline phones• Free Skype to Skype across the world• Group video calling• Screen sharing• Instant messaging• Send files• Conference calls

*We Skype all the time in my class. I even Skype sometimes to discuss homework and group assignments in grad school. But, my students and I took part in the Cat in the Hat program in our parish where we read books to elementary students via Skype. Just the other day I had my students working in groups, and one of my students was not there. We Skyped her in to the group discussion. Of course we got permission from her mother. It was great!

• Provides rich, high-quality multimedia experiences

• Web conferencing platform• Virtual on any device across desktop platforms• Webinars• Collaboration, communication and screen

sharing• Effective and secure• Join meetings instantly*The first time I was introduced to adobe connect was with Dr. Gautreaux. We held class a few times that way because it had been canceled during regular time and he also used it just to give detailed instructions on a group assignment. I was totally impressed. Being a presenter during my capstone allowed me to see and utilize it from another perspective. Fabulous! I would love to be able to use this with my classes.

• Free on-line learning management system• Create own on-line course/web site• Upload content• Form wikis• Add grade able assignments• Collaborative activities• Interactive

*I use Moodle to provide more materials for my students and for the parents to use as a resource. The on-line textbook can be found there and recordings of the stories we read, interactive quizzes, handouts, etc are on my site as well. We even have a district Moodle site where we can find resources for lesson plans, extended professional development topics, webinars, content trailers, etc. It is a great tool. I have not used it to its full capacity yet, but surely plan to as I learn more of its features. We also use it for on-line courses at Nicholls, and it helps keep everything organized.

• Google Chat– Chat from desktop– Send and receive files– Chat within gmail

• iChat– Instant messaging developed by Apple– Audio, video and screen sharing– Multiperson chat

*I do like the idea of chatting with multipersons using one device. I think ichat interest me more because of the Apple products I own.