You.com

My Digital Portfolio

Our Final Course Project

I decided on two sites for my digital portfolio--about.me and vizualize.me.  I checked out several sites for this project, and found these two the easiest to use.  I had trouble finding a single site that provided everything I was looking for, so I chose simplicity in my presentation.  I initially wanted the ability to embed videos and other elements, have room for text, photos, etc.  I found it difficult finding a site that allowed me to embed HTML code outside of the Google Sites, and I wanted to try something new, so I settled on about.me for my main page, and also created a link to my vizualize.me.  Below is a screenshot of my homepage.  I initially used the HTML code provided by about.me to embed into Blogger, but it changed the layout, so I chose to include a hyperlink instead (below).  

http://bit.ly/zepsportfolio

My greatest internal debate with this project was deciding how much I really wanted to share.  For example, I did not link my Facebook as this is a personal site for me.  I even debated putting on my resume, however, I figure if people wanted to access information about me, there were already many sources, as evidenced in our Digital Dossier task!  I then debated who I was truly marketing to with this assignment.  Was it my students, my students' parents, or fellow educators with similar curriculum.  Also, with a marketing background, I know the value in continually promoting myself, as I constantly fear that Business Education will be phased out of schools.  Therefore, this site would be a great tool for networking purposes and job opportunities, should the need arise.  It was with that realization I chose to include my formal resume.  I included several links to sites I've used in the past several years, as well as my school website which has a lot of information about my classes and student exemplars.  This is a great opportunity to take all of the different pieces of technology we've gathered and created through the years, and give them a home base!  Hope you enjoy!!

Broadcast Yourself

Reflections on Broadcasting my own Webinar:

One major thing to note here, as Steve Dembo, my professor, pointed out…..TEST, TEST, TEST, AND TEST MORE!!  I spent several days testing and the night before my webinar, I still wasn’t satistfied!!  Lol!!

When given this assignment, I will admit, I was nervous.  It's one thing to invite people into your classroom (aka--comfort zone), but to broadcast yourself to the world is a whole separate matter.  Especially when you're live, and you can't edit out the mistakes.  In addition, I decided to broadcast my entire 6th grade class, and well, you just never know what a 6th grader is going to do or say!!  So, I thought this was a great opportunity to challenge myself and try something new!

Getting Ready:

It took a while to find a free site that I liked to use for my broadcast.  I ended choosing Livestream.

After creating an account, I set up my webcam and microphone with ease, and began testing a live feed. This was the easy part.  The hard part, initially, was deciding how to share this with others.  I asked some students and parents to test the link a few days before our scheduled show.  In my first go around, parents and other viewers had to create an account in order to access our videos.  The other issue was the videos, as I was not able to get a live feed.  We recorded clips, then posted them to a blog of sorts, then the participants could watch them.  While I like the "archived nature" of this, I wanted a live feed and a direct link where participants did not have to create an account to view us.  

Click here to view one of my Test Sessions (seen above), but know 

you'll have to create an account to see it (case in point).

Then, I realized I could download a live version of Livestream broadcasting, and with this, participants just had to click a link to connect directly to our broadcast!!  I tested the link with coworkers in my building, in other buildings, and with my family members to be sure they could all simply click on our link and see us live. This being establishing, I told my students to tell their parents about our show, I posted the link onto my Homework Hotline Website, I emailed staff, friends, parents, and relatives the direct link, and I made a bunch of phone calls.  We were ready and the kids were excited!

Our Class Webinar:

I picked my 6th grade class because we were in the middle of an Internet & Social Networking Safety Unit. In the classes leading to our broadcast, I shared statistics with my students, then had my 6th graders take a Google Form Survey so we could see immediate results on what was happening with our own kids.  We talked about recent cases where kids were getting in trouble with improper usage of social media sites, texting, and online "relationships".  I felt this would be a great topic for the parents to hear, and appropriate content for our first Webinar.  I took the chance of not rehearsing anything with the students ahead of time as far as Webinar content.  I did, however, want them to share our survey results, so I printed out each question and the results and handed them out to the kids.  This way, I could involve several kids in the discussion and they could speak pressure-free as they had something to say.    At the end of the broadcast, we had the option to save our recording.

Watch live streaming video from mrszep at livestream.com

(If the above embedded video isn't working, click here to view our archived Webinar.)

Reflection:

This was a GREAT experience!!  The kids loved participating and I loved allowing them the opportunity to share their content online.  We were so excited when people started appearing in our chat room, especially the parents who joined us!  It was great for the kids to see that people were watching, listening and participating.  As participants commented on the survey results, I realized this is a great way to educate parents and community, as well as the kids. I really liked how Livestream allowed me to save the video at the end. This way, I could post the video on my website for more parents to view if they were not able to attend live. Also, the kids loved that they could watch the video later.

In the future I realized a few things.  First, if I use this type of format again, where the only video seen is us and the only communication is in a chat format, I would designate someone to be in charge of the keyboard to respond more efficiently to the participants.  I was trying to facilitate the session on video and respond on keyboard, and it was too much.  

Also, I would like to run a Webinar where participants are also seen via Webcam.  Christopher McCaffrey, the Instructional Technology Coach for my school district, watched our Webinar and stopped in to see me later in the week to provide feedback.  He recommended using Google Hangouts for a future Webinar, enabling all participants to be seen and heard.  With this technique, participants need a Google+ account, which is something they would need to create ahead of time.  At Wilson School District, all staff and students are using Google, so this would be a great way to connect our two Middle Schools in a future live discussion.  I suppose it depends on the purpose of the Webinar....I will use Livestream again when the focus is to share out, and I will use a Google Hangout when the focus is to collaborate.  

I am excited to conduct another Webinar, and so are the kids!!

My Personal Webinar Experience

I initially had trouble finding a Webinar that was being streamed at a time that worked for me, that had applicable content for my subject-matter, and that I didn’t have to pay for a subscription to view.  I finally I found edweb.net and signed up for Game-Based Learning which was aired from 4-5 pm on Mon, Dec. 2. 

The archived Webinar is located in the Gamed-Based Learning Community. 

If interested on content or comments, click on links below:

Link to Archived Pages of Webinar

Link to Comment

My Reflections:

Easy to sign up and easy to log on.  I was signed in about 20 minutes ahead of time, and thought it was great that a representative from the site came on 15 minutes early to say hi, do a sound check, welcome everyone.  She asked if anyone was new, and I chatted that I was, and was kind of excited to see her and hear her say, “hi Kristi, welcome”!  I noticed all the participants joining and saw people from all over the US as well as other countries and cities like Romania, Ecuador, and Rome.  I’ve often thought this, but suddenly the point was truly driven home, that this is the future of education.  I truly see traditional schools becoming more hybrids in our virtual world.  The session promptly began at 4 pm when Jeff from Hershey, PA introduced himself and began his session.  I liked how I could see him speaking and also see his computer screen.  He showed slides, videos, and charts.  It was also engaging to read the stream in chat area and to also participate.  The hour flew by. 

Pros/Strengths: 

I truly believe people can find a free Webinar on anything.  I was able to interact live via a chat room.  I was not connected via webcam or audio, but I actually found this as a plus because I could focus on the instructor and not what everyone else was doing.  Also, I felt comfortable taking notes during the process. At the end, two instructors came on to conduct Q & A addressing questions from the chat throughout the session.  I thought this was great.

Cons/Weaknesses: 

The content was not quite what I was expecting.  The show was literally using “Off-the-Shelf” games in the classroom, such as SKYRIM, Assassins Creed III, Bioshock Infinite, and World of Warcraft.  Being a High school History teacher, Jeff is able to incorporate this into his curriculum and justify it with Bloom’s Taxonomy and 21^st Century Learning Skills.  For example, Jeff has kids conduct population statistics in SKYRIM to see if the characters can sustain life with available food during the Mid Evil time period.  With Bioshock Infinite, students analyze Social Darwinism in the Futuristic society.  Students write essays about the impact and influence of race and gender in the game World of War Craft.   While this was very interesting to hear, there is NO WAY my school district would approve these games in my middle school classroom!  I thought the content would be how to create games to be used in the classroom.  Also, my previous pro is also a con regarding the fact that I, as a participant, could not be seen or heard.  While I liked that I was at a comfort level to take notes and could focus on the presenter, I also feel not being seen can takes away from accountability and participation.  For example, I caught myself thinking of my to-do list for the evening a few times! 

Incorporation in the Classroom as Attendee:

I like this type of webinar for my middle school students, if it was shorter.  The hour would not hold their attention, especially if they can wander off without being “caught” because there is no webcam on them.  This is a great way to add enrichment to my curriculum—allowing students to find a topic and further their knowledge.  I see many benefits for my Career Concepts class, such as connecting with businesses, entrepreneurs, and even learning concepts.  The format of my show, with only the instructor being seen, is great if I want the kids to pull information for further learning, especially since they can take notes at their discretion.  For students to collaborate ideas, however, I feel a 2-way web cam experience would be even better for them for accountability and interaction as they share ideas and hear others. I love how the entire webinar is archived for later viewing, as is the chat log and presentation slides.  This is great for students to refer to and as a teacher, I could log on and verify via the chat log if my students were active participants.  

Incorporation in the Classroom as Broadcaster:

Webinars would be a great way for the kids to share out what they are learning and connect with parents and local communities, which gave me the idea for my own classroom Webinar experience, as seen in my next blog post!

Yes, I will definitely use this in the future with my kids!!!