Elluminate

If i were using elluminate for a program I would really have to plan the course out. I think that I would use it for my broadcasting class as an after hour work question session as well as an in class way of me being able to help the students at their computers not having to walk around the room trying to get to everyone. The are definitely some pros to using it because of the fact that it advances the use of computer technology among students and gives the a chance to use the new technology. Students really enjoy using technology for the most part but then you have he few that don't enjoy computers. And that brings up the cons because some students don't enjoy using new technology they feel that the challenge is too much. You also run into the problem of those that can not pick up on the technology, and that slows everyone else down.

Elluminate Drafting Style

I will start off by saying; I think that a CTAE course would be one of the most difficult curriculums to conduct an Elluminate course in. Due to the fact that there is so much hands on exploration that takes place in our classrooms. For example, in Engineering Drawing & Design we deal primarily with CAD programs and the introductions of different views of objects. I would have to make certain all students had direct access to the CAD software I was introducing. Also, to be certain that the PowerPoint used in Elluminate had video capabilities. This way I could demonstrate the content area and they could download the video and have it on hand for future references. If not, I could learn more about the screen share command that Dr. Burns used in class this pass Monday. By letting the students have a visual of the exercise assigned, I feel I could demonstrate the use of the program well enough they could complete the assignment on there on. I’m confident enough in my abilities as well as the software utilities I could come up with something.

Drafting on Elluminate

If I were designing an Architecture and Engineering class to be delivered through Elluminate, I would definitely have to plan many different types of activities. First off, whenever I introduce a new topic, I am usually using some sort of CAD program to explain the skill. My Elluminate session would have to have video capabilities as the whiteboard would not be suffice for the lesson.

I also would have to take into account the need to practice the skills learned in the class session. In a face-to-face classroom setting, I am able to walk around the room and observe a student's progress. If I were using Elluminate, I would do the same by setting up individual break-out rooms and enter each room and have a few minutes of one-on-one instruction with the students. Break out room also could be used as we do in NTI. As a transfer-in, I could have students collaborate in their groups to complete some type of review assignment to reinforce the previous content.

These are a few ideas to get the creativity flowing. I'm sure as I began to use the software and it's capabilities, I would come up with different types of strategies for teaching the content.

Elluminate Live

I would love to use Elluminate Live with broadcasting students. I remember when I first began to edit. I had to call my "mac" mentor and communicate over the phone while editing and asking him questions. He had a mac with the same program and so he would answer my questions while we both looked at the software. All of this was done while we both had crooked necks from using the telephone against our ears. How nice it would have been to use the Elluminate system to work together with the new speaker/headsets. As a student, I have found Elluminate to be a great tool for learning. As a teacher, the resource would be a great tool for teaching. The interaction of a classroom or a program would encourage both learning and teaching. Broadcasting is already technical, so to incorporate Elluminate, seems natural. I can envision this software for my students. I could help them with problems and assignments when they are editing outside of the classroom. Not only would my students have interaction with me and other students regarding the lessons, but they would be fine tuning their "online" application skills.
One thing to consider is that not all students have access to computers. Maybe the software could be used in the classroom initially to train the students. After that, those students that have access to computers could benefit at home. Those who don't have at home computers could use computers in the public library or other hopeful options, such as a relatives home.
I would teach the main lesson in the broadcasting lab at school. Alternative learning and additional training could be done after hours for those who had access to a computer. I find that not all of my broadcasting students want to edit. Some prefer filming, anchoring and scriptwriting. Hopefully, the true editors will find a way to access the additional learning time via Elluminate.
I would initially set up with my students the Elluminate program. We would have in class training. The school would provide the headsets. After this we would establish a time for "group learning" online. Those students that need financial aid for headsets, I would provide out of the broadcasting budget. Since Elluminate is on the computer and editing is done on the computer, I can think of many activities to work on with the students. We could learn how to edit together and troubleshoot problems. We could investigate other websites that teach filming and editing tips and share them. One more idea is to work on scriptwriting together. You could visualize the script and discuss it via the internet. This new program venture would develop via trial and error. The reward awaits for those students who make the time and effort to take hold of the opportunity.

Elluminate Live

Designing a course for Elluminate Live would require meticulous planning. You have to have multiple backups plans in case your technology fails. You would also need a great deal of patience for the variety of technology skill levels of the students, and be patient with their technology hiccups. To piggy back off the skill levels of students, you would need to take into account their performance abilities when you create assignments and tasks for them to complete. Activities to include in Elluminate Live would require every student to be active and engaged with some type of responsibility/accountability. It is easy for a student to get off task on the “Internet”, so I would use grouped assignments. I would take advantage of the Internet and create research assignments while students are grouped, allotting time for researching and then a specified time to discuss what they found (maybe share links on the whiteboard).

Elluminate Class

Being that I'm a culinary teacher I feel that using a class structure like elluminate will only work for classes like sanitation or nutrition. Delivering information for classes like this is pretty much lecture. For high school students I feel that a class designed in this manner will be a huge challenge for most students, due to the fact that I feel they mainly need to physically see the instructor and utilizing more hands on techniques. But for a class that consist of mainly lecture it may work to the point that power points,group assignments and various whole class discussions will work because you can conduct a larger class size and possibly cover more information. I do feel that the challenges will out weigh the benefits when it come to high school students. Since you will not be standing in front of them you can't tell if they are really grasping the information being presented or if they are paying attention at all. For adults its great because with various schedules it makes it easier to jump online where ever you are when the class time start. Most teenagers are not that responsible to stop what they are doing to go and log in to an online class.

So all these things would have to be seriously considered before attempting some thing like this on a high school level. With so many distractions ( cell phones, television, ipod, etc) I feel that it would be easy for students to loose focus on what being taught. If this technique was used I know all activities would have to well structured and designed to hold the students attention. SO it would have to be something as a teacher you know they would enjoy for the duration of class. I would maybe have them teach portions of the lesson so they would have to be on point. Work on projects, create power points relevant to the lesson and maybe even design some games focused around the games shows we see on TV daily. This will make it much more interactive and maintain the students attention.

Me personally I enjoy our elluminate class when we work on group activities. It allows everyone an opportunity to participate in class because you basically have no other choice. I also really enjoy being able to be at home or work to complete class/assignments.

Elluminate

Designing a course for Elluminate would offer significant challenges for high school students. Although I believe that any course could be adapted to this technological format, the considerations for general population students would be enormous. First of all, the things I would need to consider; internet access, computer literacy, responsibility, dependability and of course training. Secondly, knowledge and assessment of the individual students would be an important detail in the initial planning phases of an elluminate course. Finally, Healthcare Science as the subject matter will offer a few challenges of its own as well as the high school setting itself. Considering all of these factors, I would be most likely to utilize this as a combination course, live dates and elluminate dates, and with advanced level students only.

The types of activities that I would like to use would include groups, small groups, whole group discussions, brainstorming, panel discussions, lecture, student presentation and group projects. I am not so sure how videos work within this environment but I would use it if adaptable. There are many positive attributes of Elluminate; however, I have difficulty visualizing the program for high school students. I think that it could allow a more detailed or in debt coverage of Healthcare Science theory, especially for the introductory courses. Additionally the technology at hand could improve student accessibility and utilization of technical tools for group projects and presentations. Ultimately, Elluminate has been a wonderful experience for me and has given me additionall insight into the technological advancements that are available to us.

Designing Elluminate Live

One consideration is the knowing and understanding the technical knowledge and ability of the student/client population that you are going to serve. Besides each person’s knowledge and ability, network connections, for example dial up, and Internet Providers will play a factor on how well each student would be able to connect and participate. Another consideration is the ability and age of each student’s computer, for example the IBM 5150 PC ;>) would be impossible to operate in today’s environment. The individuals’ technical understanding could be resolved by taking some courses to help them better understand and perform computer work online. There are several ways to resolve the hardware, software and connection issues. Certainly purchasing and upgrading would be the first and most convenient. Other ways to resolve the connection and hardware/software issue would be to borrow an up to date computer, go to a friend’s house, use one at school or go to a library that provides computers and computer connections.

Another consideration is each individuals learning style or modality. For instance the interpersonal learner that learns best by sharing, comparing and cooperating also learns from eye contact and body language to open communication channels with others. These learners usually try to see things from another person’s point of view, blending it with theirs, to help them gain more understanding. Often they try to maintain peace and cooperation in a group. They often learn from another person’s perspective. Generally they would be able to share, compare and cooperate on line but would not be able to rely on eye contact, (the evil eye, ;>), or body language. They quite possibly would be more reserved in sharing and restricted in learning by not being able to use their full sensory input. The use of web cameras would quite possibly remove those obstacles for the interpersonal learner, making it feel more like a classroom.

Generally there are positive and negative considerations for each of the learning styles pertaining to on line learning, Elluminate. This rule applies to life. Each learning style should be evaluated with a list of what is supported and what is not for the online classes. Also, it should be remembered that we learn from multiple styles having different allocations of how much we learn from each. It is finally up to us as students to manage how we learn by developing all of our learning modalities.

Thanks,
Ron

Designing an Elluminate Class

I think the content and your objectives determine how you want to design the Elluminate class. If you were going to do straight lecture with question and answer you could easily use Elluminate to deliver the PowerPoint and then allow students to chime in. You could have a reasonably large class. The more group work you want to do the smaller the overall class size should be. The training and time need to get use to the program is essential. I think plenty of time has been allowed in our class to get use to it. The pace has been good for me. However, our class is fairly large. The more people in the class the wider the range of abilities are in using this technology. More time may be needed to get everybody up to speed and comfortable with the technology. If you have a lot of content to deliver you may not have the time for that so you need to limit the size of the class. Also, I think instruction in etiquette is needed. How we interact on Elluminate is different than when we are in person in a classroom. Since we don't see faces and may not recognize voices it is more important to announce who is speaking. It is important to know about using the on and off mic button. I think most people have figured it out by trial and error. Also, facial expression is lost even when you hear the voice and misunderstandings or misinterpretations can occur more easily. Feelings can get hurt more easily, tension can build more easily, etc. I think this needs to be thought out and addressed in the beginning to help everyone realize and understand these things. I don't think you should assume everyone knows how to interact in this type of environment. Also, in small group all the members may feel comfortable jumping in but other groups may not. You may have a very silent group who are just waiting for someone else to start. You have a lot of silence wondering who is actually there and participating. I think that group leaders need to be assigned by the instructor before groups are assigned so that the conversation will keep going. Overall, I am enjoying using Elluminate for our class though I am still fearful of how group work will turn out.

Designing an Elluminate Live Course

When designing an Elluminate Live course, I would carefully consider the target audience or student population and perform a needs assessment to determine the overall design of the course and the objectives. The activities would include whole group and small group assignments using the some instructional strategies learned in NTI. In the Health care Science classes, Elluminate Live can be used to delivery the theory using power point presentations before mandatory on site lab experiences.

Truthfully, I would use the same design that Dr. Burns is currently introducing to us in this course. Everything is going well with our class now that we are more comfortable with the technology. Being a participant in this class and experiencing Elluminate Live really helps feel up to date with technology. This experience is also an excellent conversation "piece" when talking with friends.

Elluminate Live

There are always considerations with instruction. Is the equipment available to all students, and proper instruction for its use. I feel our students are more capable, and more at home with technology. Of course we need to have our objectives mapped, then make it interesting. With the internet at our disposal this should be easier. We can offer alternatives that require little effort compared to a traditional classroom. Time considerations to maximize participation, and careful planning would be essential to this type of setting. I subbed for a business class yesterday and the lesson plan for that day would have worked well in this setting. So many students fail their first semester in college do to the lack of regiment they received through high school, I believe this would help their transition. With technology levels of today, and the lower cost of this technology why would we not use it?

Elluminate Live

First, you would need to know how many students would be in the Elluminate Live class. Then, you would need to get a user license for that many students. Next, everyone involved would have to down load the Elluminate Live program, and have the equipment needed to participate during the online class. You would have to make sure you had your lesson plans and power points ready to go. At least one meeting is essential with the students in person to go over the rules and to make sure everyone has everything needed for the class. You would need a rubric explaining the expectations of the class. Also, a syllabus is needed to let students know the dates and times of online sessions. In addition, plenty of tech support is good to have during the online class. I would want to instruct an activity on the first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution. One activity on the topic could be open discussion. Students would choose one of the amendments. For example, they could choose the second amendment and open up the discussion by stating the federal laws that pertain to the amendment. Students would each have a time to discuss the contents of the amendment. Get students thinking by having them declare if they are in favor of or against gun control? Then, have both sides defend their views. Close out the lesson by having all students going to the teacher’s blog and give an in-depth account of their beliefs. This could lead into your next meeting online by having students rewrite the second amendment in the way they think it should be written.

Elluminate

One of the first things I would consider is what are my objectives for presenting a class on-line and who would my target audience be. Would it be feasible to have high school students
participate in an Elluminate course? This may not be the best option for HS but I can definitely see it becoming the new "way to teach" for technical schools and post secondary. With the economy shakey at present, an elluminate course could prove to be an ideal option for working students. I could also see NTI expanding and creating more elluminate courses in the future. I for one would love to have a constuctive discipline course offered. I think more material can be covered at a quicker pace than in an open classroom setting.

But, as a Healthcare Science teacher if I did use elluminate I would use it primarily for group projects/work. I really like the power points (I am a visual learner) and the ability to download and print off. I like the idea of collaborative learning. I would also use elluminate and offer it to other Healthcare Science teachers for lesson planning and getting new ideas for the material we need to cover. Sometimes as teachers we really don't have the needed collaboration within our own field of teachers. Maybe I will suggest this to the CTAE people and see what their thoughts are!

I think I would have a difficult time adapting to elluminate as a teacher. Kudos to those who are technical capable. I am technically challenged and find it very confusing from a teaching stand point. However if I was going to teach elluminate live, I would use consistant small groups. One I think it gives the students security. Secondly, it would be less confusing for me.

Given the opportunity to teach elluminate: I would teach to my advanced class. This would give me an advatage. I would know my students and their dedicated to education. I would use activities such as: question sheets, discussion groups, and some type of module. I am not sure how difficult this would be, but I am sure I would figure it out. Atleast I hope! :)

Elluminate

If I were going to use elluminate in one of my classes, there are lots of things that would have to be considered. The first consideration I would have to address would be if my students had access to the necessary technology needed to participate in the course. My students are from the lower economic level and alot of them don't have computers at home and rely on the ones at school or the library to complete their work. I would have to jump over that hurdle first. The second consideration would be their level of computer knowlege and ability to access Elluminate. I would have to educate them on the program, how to use it and how to hook up the headset and microphone and then assess thier abilities to use the system by trial and error, much like we have done for this class. Another consideration would be their level of maturity and motivation. As adult learners, we are motivated to attend these sessions and focus on each lesson because our job depends upon this and because we have paid for the course. I don't feel like most of my lower level students would have the maturity to attend class and pay the necessary attention that an elluminate lesson involves. As for the activities I would include, I would like to use short film clips, group work and PowerPoint lessons. The white board would be used for student presentations and of course classroom discussion would be a major activity.

Overall, I love the elluminate technology for myself, but I feel that it may be a little advanced for my students just because the motivation to attend an independent learning session such as this type requires just is not there most of the time.

Elluminate

If I were to do Elluminate lessons I would need to consider the knowledge base of my students as well as their interest levels and academic abilities. With that said, I can see how Elluminate could work for most students and in all of my curriculums. I believe I could easily implement lessons on medical ethics allowing the students the opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of ethical issues. I would also like to try some group work and use the white board as a communication tool.
Reading and writing are really being pushed at my school and Elluminate lends itself well in achieving that goal.
One of the things I really enjoy about Elluminate is that I already know my classmates and can recognize their voices. With that said, as communication occurs, either with the white board, messaging, or voice, I can visualize that person.....guess I'm a visual learner. Knowing the people you are working with makes it fun and adds an element of interest. If I were working with strangers I would have a tendency to be much more reserve.

If I ... Elluminate Live

If I was going to be delivering a course via Elluminate Live, I would have to consider many things. First of all, I would have to consider my students. I need to know how much they know about technology so that I know how much time I need to spend teaching the technology aspect of the course. This would help the course run smoother and save time in the long run. I would need to consider the learning styles of my students. Do they need a Powerpoint so that they can visually see the lesson? Do they need to do an activity? Everyone learns differently, and that should be considered. I would have to consider the schedule. Some students may be teaching until 3:45, so I do not need to start my class at 4:00. I really like the Powerpoints and the group work that is possible with Elluminate Live. It is really nice to be able to read along while the instructor is talking. The group work allows students to check their understanding and to compare understandings.

Josh - Guidance Interview

I think that doing this assignment will be a huge benefit for me as I really don't know much about my school's Guidance Department. I have met the head of the department before and I think that she will be great to work with. I have also decided to interview a few of the other counselors as well. As I am wanting to not only do this project for this assignment, but for future North Cobb students, I intend to get the most out of this. Getting to know what services are offered by the department for students and teachers, will make me a better resource for my students, especially when they have personal issues.

I have enjoyed the blog experience so much that I am doing it with my students now. It is going very well and I think everyone should give it a shot if you haven't yet.

Interview Post

Hey!

I think that building a relationship with all staff is important - with guidance and administrators being right up there. Interviewing a guidance counselor will be helpful because I feel like I know my admin fairly well and interact with them on a daily basis. (By choice, not because I am in trouble.) :) I think that many different departments never see each other and I think there is a disconnect between guidance and many of our teachers. I interact with them but have never really had an opportunity to discuss matters that are important to me, my students, the future of my program, or how a better relationship can be developed through class presentations, collaborative projects, career testing, etc. This will be helpful to see things from their perspective and gain insight on what they do on a daily basis - or on a long term basis from working with an upcoming 9th grader all the way through graduation.

Thanks!
DP

Interview (KJ)

I think the most important aspect of this assignment will give me a chance to have some face time with the counselor of my chosen. I have chosen to speak with the ninth grade counselor at our school. Reason being, I have a ninth grade advisement class. It just made sense for me to speak with her and open the door to a better relationship with her and help give me a better understanding into my ninth grade students as well as the other students in my classes. I feel the more you learn about the trials and tribulations our students face on a daily basis, the better we can reach them on their level. Also, feel the more we inform the schools about our CTAE programs the more of an opportunity we have to give the students a look into a career field they might not have ever been exposed to.