OpenSource Webinar / Web Conferencing Software: An Update

Open Source software does not always stay Open Source, and many of the products I’ve reviewed in the past either disappeared, were devoured by other products, were acquired by companies, or simply stopped the updates (rendering many fairly unusable).

So, I’ve put together a quick list of Open Source Webinar / Web-Conferencing software. They can be downloaded, and you can customize the look and feel, as well as providing hosting in an environment that you feel is more secure than using a commercial solution.

BigBlueButton. http://www.bigbluebutton.org

Let me state for the record that I am a BIG fan of BigBlueButton. The interface is straightforward and easy to use, and it’s flexible. You can participate with a video feed, or simply use an audio bridge. Participants can instant message as well as participate with audio bridge, and, to a limited extend, with video.  I also like the fact that BigBlueButton is accessible for Moodle 1.9 and above. However, there is a minor downside – your Moodle host may not have the latest plugin installed, and they may not be willing to install it.  So, there could be bugs. 

Video: Working with BigBlueButton in Moodle... 

In that case, the following options are available:

·        Option 1:  Change Moodle to a different hosting solution. Not always a good idea, since it’s not always easy to migrate everything to a new provider, especially student records and registrations.

·        Option 2:  Download BigBlueButton on your own webhosting provider. Some, like Fat Cow and Earthlink, will let you do so. However, check for bandwidth usage and data transfer fees. They can add up quite quickly.

·        Option 3:  Use a commercial hosting service such as HostBBB.com http://hostbbb.com/ or Generic Conferencing (http://www.genericconf.com). The downside is that your web conference / virtual class will need to be rather small to be affordable. For up to 5 attendees, it’s only $12.95 per month. However, with up to 50 attendees, the price escalates to $74.95.  In this case, it starts to seem as though a “per seat” solution such as one that Omnovia (their own interface, not BBB, although similar) offers ($50 / month, and $3.50 per seat) might be more affordable. It’s hard to say, though. It depends on how often you host webinars, and how many attendees you consistently have.


Getting Started with BigBlueButton in Moodle 2.3  

Note: I used to be an empassioned Elluminate devotee, but then they were acquired by Blackboard, and essentially imprisoned within an LMS. BIG Thumbs Down! I love solutions that can be standalone as well as integrated into your LMS (OpenSource and otherwise), and of course, if web conferencing software is OpenSource, it’s even better because can be a huge driver of innovation.

OpenMeetings. http://openmeetings.apache.org/

There is a Moodle Plugin for OpenMeetings, which is good if you’re hosting Moodle on your server. If you’re not, and you’re relying on someone else’s hosting services, you may not have administrative rights / permissions to add the plugin.

In that case, you’ll need to contact the administrator and ask them to go to the Moodle Plugin page and download the latest version.  Here’s a link to the Moodle Plugins Directory : https://moodle.org/plugins/index.php

Non-OpenSource Web Conferencing Moodle Plugins

WizIQ:  http://www.wiziq.com

WizIQ has a couple of very interesting products that will work in Moodle 2.4.  There is a Virtual Classroom plugin, along with a Live Class web conferencing module / tool. 

Interview with Eric Bockmuller, Tackk Learning: Innovators in E-Learning

Strategies for sharing instructional materials succeed when they work with the behaviors that people already embrace. This can seem like a moving target with social media, but there are ways to stay up to date. Welcome to an interview with the leadership, Eric Bockmuller and Dan Klammer, of Tackk, an innovative provider of ways for educators to share information and instructional materials.

1. What is your name and your relation to elearning?

Our name is Tackk and since our launch in September we've really seen educators embracing Tackk as a tool for the classroom and especially homework. We didn't set out to build Tackk as a learning solution -- just one to help people create and share content in the simplest way possible. The fact that Tackk is becoming so popular among educators, though, confirms  there was a real need for a simple content creation tool for students and teachers.

2. What do you think are the top two or three elements that contribute to effective engagement and learning in an elearning or mlearning environment?

We built Tackk with three core principles in mind:

1. We eliminate friction - No sign-up or login required, no design skills necessary,no community to join
2. We simplify creation - Instant editing and addition of images, video, and form fields
3. We make sharing easy - Share via email, social networks, embed or pasting your URL

In a nutshell, Tackk empowers everyone (not just designers and web developers) to create and share content on the web. This simple approach unlocks creativity and gives voice to more ideas - the cornerstone of any productive learning environment.

3. What is Tackk?

Tackk was co-founded by two designers (Eric Bockmuller and Dan Klammer) who were getting a lot of requests for one-off digital designs from friends whose tech skills maxed out at typing an email. Our idea was to build a simple tool that would let anyone create and share great looking content instantly on the web.

No software or login is required. No design skill needed. No community to join. Just visit the Tackk home page and start typing. When you’re done creating your Tackk, you can immediately share it with friends in your social networks or the internet at large. It’s no more complicated than tacking a flier to the coffee shop bulletin board.

4. Who uses Tackk and why?

One of our goals when we launched Tackk was to prove that a broad spectrum of people would find Tackk valuable across an equally broad range of uses. We were successful on both counts.  We see Tackks ranging from the birth of a new baby http:// tackk.com/etdmvm to selling cars and boats http://tackk.com/2006Crownline200LS, to recipe ideas http://tackk.com/eahow6. We’ve also seen people from all walks of life creating Tackks. In fact, more than half of our users don’t speak English as their primary language, with 18% of our users coming from Japan.

There is an obvious need in the market for users to generate and share their content on the web with a dead-simple solution. With most tools you're either limited by the number of characters and photos you can add or you have to commit large amounts of time into writing a blog, creating a video or building a website. Tackk eliminates all that and lets you share content on the web without any of those limitations.

5. Could you give a few examples of how / where / when Tackk has been used successfully?

Assignments:

a) Music reports: It looks like one class did reports on a wide range of artists -- from Justin Bieber to Ray Charles to the Rolling Stones -- incorporating images, multimedia and copy.

http://tackk.com/elvis-presly 

http://tackk.com/RayCharles1 

http://tackk.com/jackson5 

http://tackk.com/1532xv 

http://tackk.com/ChubbyCheckerSongs 

http://tackk.com/Metallicafanpage 

http://tackk.com/thedoors 

b) History/geography reports (some with citations):

http://tackk.com/qa2msk 

http://tackk.com/tiananmen-aufstand 

http://tackk.com/pva2j3 

c) Student career goals/plans:

http://tackk.com/u9ckc9 

http://tackk.com/0xtagm 

d) Government assignment... replacing Congress?

http://tackk.com/tackkboard/Dolce1gov

e) One of the first classroom uses of Tackk. Koko the Gorilla reports!

http://tackk.com/ceqo2m 

http://tackk.com/sb94rg 

http://tackk.com/h5rldl 

http://tackk.com/ywyf6s 

http://tackk.com/g1cffc 

http://tackk.com/5ap1b9 

http://tackk.com/koko-austin 

http://tackk.com/dnbcwq 

http://tackk.com/fk5ff8 

http://tackk.com/mgbpze 

http://tackk.com/ik4pqx 

http://tackk.com/byfry0 

http://tackk.com/lgra4u 

http://tackk.com/whitney 

http://tackk.com/5sptzb 

http://tackk.com/rmm6va 

http://tackk.com/6f8vsr

One of our employees even contributed his own Tackk, which was shared with the class, about his visit to Rwanda: 

http://tackk.com/r3j4j1

Communication among teachers:

a) List of resources for ESL teachers:

http://tackk.com/currentevents

b) Event promotion for educators:

http://tackk.com/gz1wqi 

http://tackk.com/mnyqmr 

http://tackk.com/krotcn 

http://tackk.com/n8lgab 

c) Sharing tips, best practices and education thoughts: 

http://tackk.com/980190 

 Communication with students/parents (facilitating class): 

a) Posting class resources and readings: 

http://tackk.com/tackkboard/McCright 

b) Post assignments and reminders:

http://tackk.com/gmf2az

6. what do you think are some of the most exciting trends right now?

It’s so obvious that it sounds trite, but the Internet has changed so many aspects of how we communicate and share stories. User generated content (or UGC) has become a powerful, democratizing force in how we decide lots of things -- from what products to buy to which leaders to elect. YouTube and Twitter, at their core, are tools for capturing and sharing stories and have empowered millions of people to have a voice in the world. However, many of the tools available to normal people are still more complicated than they have to be or don’t allow for robust storytelling. New tools like Tackk are emerging to make it easier for anyone to tell rich, engaging stories. 

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Free Download! 

Writing for Human Relations by Texture Press

Susan Smith Nash

Interview with Brad Parkins, McGraw-Hill: Innovators in E-Learning Series

Adaptive learning is expanding and being incorporated in a constantly increasing number of higher education applications. Welcome to an interview with Brad Parkins, McGraw-Hill Higher Education, where McGraw-Hill LearnSmart s a new offering designed for a personal experience. 

What is your name and relation to elearning?

I’m Brad Parkins, director of digital product marketing at McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

How would you define adaptive learning, given today's use of technology?

Adaptive learning is a method of education that seeks to personalize learning by using sophisticated technology to continually assess students’ knowledge, skill and confidence levels and design study paths that are specifically targeted to help each student improve in the areas where they need to the most.

Adaptive learning systems don’t just pay attention to whether or not you answered a question correctly or incorrectly. McGraw-Hill LearnSmart, for example, also weighs factors like how long it took you to answer the question, which incorrect answer you chose (if indeed you answered incorrectly), and your level of confidence in answering the question. That last part is key—for students to improve in areas where they have weaknesses, they have to know where those areas are. Students often get into trouble when they think that they know something but actually don’t.  [it’s the system that based on a number of factors it identifies what they know and they don’t know]

What are the benefits of adaptive learning?

By allowing students to focus their study time on the topics and concepts that are most challenging to them, adaptive learning has been shown to help students study more efficiently, develop greater proficiency and—most importantly— earn better grades. That’s part of the magic of adaptive learning.

Adaptive learning also benefits instructors: By better preparing students for class, adaptive learning enables instructors to spend more time delving into advanced concepts and engaging students in high-level discussion.

How do you use adaptive learning? Which are the primary fields of study that you believe are most amenable to adaptive learning?

In an adaptive learning environment, students use their outside-of-class study time to review course materials and answer questions that assess their knowledge and skill levels. Students can work in adaptive learning systems on their desktop or laptop or on their mobile device. We’ve designed the adaptive products in our LearnSmart Advantage suite so that students can use them on their phones or tablets even while offline and have their progress be automatically uploaded into the system the next time they come online.

Beginning this spring, we’re offering our adaptive learning products in more than 90 course areas, from American government to organic chemistry to Spanish. I really think that adaptive learning works in just about every area of study.

How do you motivate learners who may feel anxiety about being assessed online? Can adaptive learning help?

That’s a good question. In the vast majority of cases, schools or instructors decide to use adaptive learning systems in their course as a way of providing students with a more intelligent, more efficient way of preparing themselves, both for in-class discussions and more formal assessments. With all of the products in our LearnSmart Advantage suite, we’ve tried to take the stress out of assessment.

What makes some adaptive learning solutions better than others?

A few things come to mind, but probably the biggest differentiator is the amount of student data that’s been entered into the system. As students answer more questions within an adaptive learning system, the system becomes more familiar with student learning patterns and becomes better able to assess each student’s knowledge and skills to provide personalized study recommendations. In 2012, we reached two important milestones with LearnSmart: 1 million student users and 1 billion questions answered. We’re not excited about these numbers just because they’re big—we’re excited about them because they really speak to our ability to adapt to students’ individual learning needs and improve student performance.

What are the next steps for adaptive learning?

2012 was the breakout year for adaptive learning, but in 2013, I think we're going to see personalized learning through adaptive technology truly come into its own. By the end of the year, we’re expecting to see adaptive learning systems will be in use at every higher education institution across the country.

Where will adaptive learning go next? Already we’re seeing it move beyond the realm of course study tools into new areas of the student learning experience. Adaptive e-books, adaptive virtual labs – these are things that we’ve been waiting on for a long time, and they’re finally here. Personally, I can’t wait to see how tools like these start to improve the performance of students around the world. I truly believe we’re onto something big here.

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Free Download! 

Writing for Human Relations by Texture Press

Susan Smith Nash

Free Download: Writing for Human Relations

Writing for Human Relations, a writing guide with assignments, flowcharts, exercises, and readings, is now available as a free e-book, and can be downloaded or shared with your friends and colleagues. Here is the free download. 

One of the keys to effective human relations is the ability to see different points of view and to develop empathy and understanding of others' perspectives.

Free Download! Writing for Human Relations

Writing for Human Relations takes the position that writing helps you learn about yourself, your values, and also the views and values of others.

In addition to the idea that writing is necessary for self-awareness, Writing for Human Relations champions the idea that the process of writing forces you to think, and as you do so, you have more skill in identifying social issues and proposing changes that can lead to positive social change and community development.

Chances are, you, like hundreds of other learners, will love the flowcharts in the text, and you will find them to be helpful with the task at hand, as well as with other writing occasions. You may even find yourself internalizing the approaches, which gives you a very powerful tool for all your writing, whether for school, work, or social networks.

With a full array of inventive templates, charts, diagrams, outlines, and step-by-step suggestions which have been developed and refined in both virtual and face-to-face classrooms, Writing for Human Relations triggers the flow of ideas.

With engaging templates and flowcharts, it is easy to get started and add details and evidence, to create compelling texts. Above all, Writing for Human Relations brings solid rhetorical ideas and theories of discourse into action, and facilitates the production of engaging, effective writing that improves relationships between individuals, groups, and the larger world.

You may also purchase a printed copy. 

For E-Learning Queen readers:  Try out some of the writing guide flowcharts starting on page 50. E-Learning Queen will put together a gallery of writing that was inspired by or generated by using the flow charts! 

Higher Education Accreditation

If you're enrolled in a degree or certificate program, it is good to review accreditation. In very basic terms, there are two kinds of accreditation: "institutional" and "programmatic." If you're in a four-year liberal arts degree program, it is very likely that the accreditation has been granted to the institution, of which your degree program is a part. If you're in a certificate program or obtaining career or vocational education, it is probable that your accreditation falls into the "programmatic" area. If you’re involved in online education, your school may have both institutional and programmatic accreditation, depending on the agencies that have made the accreditation recommendations.

If you're working on a degree, chances are, your school has regional accreditation, which is considered by many to be the gold standard. At the same time, many excellent distance education programs are accredited through the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) because of their special knowledge and experience with education delivered at a distance.

If you're pursuing a career or vocational degree or certificate, your school may be accredited by ACCSC (Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges - http://www.accsc.org/). Further, if you're enrolled in a profession or specific career, your school will most likely have program accreditation. An example is NCATE, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (http://www.ncate.org). Alternatively, you may be enrolled in a college that has accreditation from the State in which it is located.

Keep in mind that in order for a college or university to receive a license to operate an institution of higher learning, they must go through a rigorous process which includes a detailed review of curriculum, lesson plans, institutional health, and records.

Accreditation is important for you as a student because if you obtain a degree or certificate from a non-accredited institution, you may need to provide extensive documentation about what you studied, the nature of the instruction, and the credentials of your instructor (or, if self-paced, self-guided independent study, then at least some of the assessments that you took).

What is an accrediting agency and what does it do?

According to the U.S. Department of Education (http://www.ed.gov)

"Accrediting agencies, which are private educational associations of regional or national scope, develop evaluation criteria and conduct peer evaluations to assess whether or not those criteria are met. Institutions and/or programs that request an agency's evaluation and that meet an agency's criteria are then "accredited" by that agency." (http://www.ed.gov)

Basically speaking, accreditation is a quality control issue for postsecondary education. The accrediting body follows a set of policies and procedures which are designed to assure the public that the institutions of higher education are offering programs of high quality and integrity.

The U. S. Department of Education does not accredit institutions, nor does it recognize accrediting bodies. However, the U.S. Secretary of Education is required by law to publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies, a printable view is available here: http://www2.ed.gov/print/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation.html. Accrediting agencies must

a) Define their geographic scope. The geographic scope of accreditation can be for a state, a region of the United States, or The United States (in total).

b) Show experience in granting accreditation or pre-accreditation in specific programs, degrees, certificates, or institutions.

c) Show experience in conducting accrediting activities for at least two years prior to seeking accreditation.

d) Demonstrate that its standards, policies, procedures, and decisions to with respect to accreditation have been accepted by educators and educational institutions.

e) Be accepted by peers in the same fields in which the body is seeking accreditation; employers, practitioners, and licensing bodies in the vocation or licensing field.

Is all accreditation the same?

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the U.S. Department of Education recognize a number of different types of accrediting agencies, which have been published in the following list: http://www.chea.org/pdf/CHEA_USDE_AllAccred.pdf

Most people do not realize that there are four different types of accrediting agencies:

a) Has voluntary membership of institutions of higher education, and the accreditation allows the institutions to participate in the Higher Education Act (HEA) programs (including financial aid);

b) Has voluntary membership of institutions of higher education, and the accreditation allows the institutions to participate in the non-Higher Education Act (HEA) programs;

c) Has voluntary membership of individuals in the profession of the programs, or "has as its principal purpose the accrediting of programs within institutions that are accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency; (http://www.ed.gov)"

d) Is a State agency that has as its principle purpose the accrediting of institutions of higher education and higher education programs.

The types of accrediting bodies can be categorized in other ways as well:

Regional Accrediting Organizations (the "gold standard")

National Career-Related Accrediting Organizations

National Faith-Based Accrediting Organizations

Programmatic Accrediting Organizations

How does one keep from having a proliferation of accrediting agencies?

In the U.S., the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) has been formed by a group of 3,000 academic institutions which advocate for self-regulation with respect to academic quality. Currently, they recognize 60 accrediting organizations. One of their main goals is to eliminate degree mills and accreditation mills, and to assure that the accreditation process is at all times coherent, uniformly applied, and aligned with high-quality standards.

What does the Department of Education say about accreditation?

For a full description of the functions of accreditation and the procedure that is followed by accrediting agencies, you may visit the Department of Education's website: http://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg2.html

To summarize, here are a few highlights:

Accreditation Functions:

Verification

Identification of acceptable schools

Transfer credit determination

Facilitate investment decisions

Protect against external pressure

Continuous improvement

Faculty and staff involvement in evaluation and planning

Criteria for professional certification and licensure

Helping determine eligibility for Federal assistance

Accrediting Procedure:

Establish standards

Engage in self-study

On-site evaluation by external team

Publication of status

Monitoring the accredited institution(s) / program(s)

Periodic re-evaluation

The Future

Accreditation has been challenged by technology and the need to be able to evaluate distance education programs as delivery mechanisms, technology, and the ability to interact synchronously and asynchonously evolve.

Also in transition are assessment techniques and the ability to determine if learning outcomes have been achieved.

It's an exciting time, and there is no doubt that we will start to see a need for additional accrediting agencies that specialize in elearning / mlearning.

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