Inspiration, skills, and feedback via video: Introducing Russell Stannard

Have you come across Russell Stannard? He has been doing some really interesting things around recording video feedback for students, as well as creating (free) videos for teacher professional development. It is well worth checking him out, especially if you teach English as an Additional Language or have a similar language support role.

Below is an extract from the monthly newsletter that you can subscribe to if you want to stay up to date with the work Russell is doing.

"Welcome to the January 2012 TeacherTrainingVideos.com newsletter. Happy new year to you. I didn't send out a newsletter in December so you will get 2 this month and each one will have new content. I have quite a few new videos set up to share.
This month there are new videos on how to use Smartboard software. So if you use a Smartboard IWB then these videos will really help you. There are also new videos on the fabulous Audioboo podcasting tool. If you want to create podcasts or get your students to create them, then you will find these really useful. There is also a set of videos on a fabulous video mail tool, which is great for getting your students to do speaking activities. There is also my latest audioboo, an recent article of mine in the Guardian and lots more: http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/iwb2/index.html

Audioboo-Great Podcasting Tool
Audioboo is a great tool for podcasting and it is free. It can also work with smart phones, so great for doing podcasts on the run. The videos take you through everything and even show you how to connect your audioboos so that they can be found on iTunes! Great tool and easy to use.
http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/audioboo/index.html

Jing
If you want to learn to use JING, the fabulous tool I use for creating the feedback videos, then here is the link.
http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/Jing/index.html".


 

Create, collaborate, communitcate (John Trealor, DEANZ 2010)

Image by hazelowendmc via Flickr

John Trealor ( Education Director, Asia Pacific) gave a demonstration of Adobe Connect. He showed a range of the functionality including using multimedia, creating content for sharing with a range of people (i.e. to share information after an online meeting...and you can also see who has actually looked at it afterwards). John suggested that this could be a good formative tool that could give you feedback on your presentation skills.

 One of the key things that was emphasised was the engagement of participants. One example that he gave was 'In a Nutshell' (a collection of 5 minute, or less, video resources from the University of Southern Australia). The topics are related to learning and teaching, and have been created in Adobe Connect. The only equipment required is Adobe Connect, a video, and a microphone. Another example that he gave as an easily accessible bank of resources that complex covers concepts and skills around nano technology was Nano Hub. Links etc will remain live so users can follow hyperlinks as they view the video.

I wonder how many people from this presentation will go away and try this resource? There are a couple of issues that may not have been covered very clearly - for example, it is an expensive tool, and it is not possible to go and try it out for free online before purchase. It is likely that a whole institution would have to sign up to have Adobe Connect. Bandwidth is an issue, too. Also, based on some of the research that was shared yesterday there are some professional development considerations around the use of Webinar technology like this, especially if it is going to be used to empower learners rather than replicate lecture formats online....

Moodle in New Zealand Schools (Jacqui Land - Moodle Moot NZ 2010)

Image by hazelowendmc via Flickr

This session was taken by Jacqui Land (Jacqui is a teacher at Papanui School in Christchurch), who opened by talking about the Moodle community, and the fact that it is open, caring and sharing. The Moodle in schools site is an NZ Ministry of Education initiative, and a lot of the development has been done by Catalyst.

Jacqui gave a 'guided tour' of the site. The Moodle in Schools home page has a variety of forums, screencasts, sample courses, school stories and a demonstration. You can access the site also to see which other schools are using Moodle which could be a good way to network, and possibly share ideas, and even courses (that are all categorised on the site). You can add videos and other resources for the Moodle in Schools community. The sample courses resource is pretty useful as you can go and get inspiration for your own course design, or some courses can be zipped and download the course (but it has to be used under the Creative Commons licensing requirements).

It is well worth having a look at the site if you are planning to implement Moodle in your school, and you can pose questions to schools, IT folk, etc who have already made the leap.