strategies for success: teaching on the icn
TRANSCRIPT
Strategies for Success: Teaching on the ICN
Cherie Post Dargan, Hawkeye Community College
(319) 296-2320, ext. 1701Office location -- Library Room 209
Overview
What is the ICN? Introduction: my experience Part One -- Using the Equipment Part Two -- Preparing to Present in
the ICN Classroom Part Three -- Strategies for
Collaboration and interaction
What is the ICN?
Iowa Communications Network Two way audio/two way video Began in 1990, with one fiber optic
classroom per county (99), an endpoint at each of the three state universities, one at IPTV, and one on the state capitol for a total of 104
How does the ICN benefit Iowans?
Providing equal access to education is the ICN’s primary purpose.
The ICN’s most prominent users are K-12 schools, higher education and the Area Education Agencies.
The ICN also plays an integral part in state and federal government agencies, the National Guard, hospitals and librariesSource: ICN website
Breakdown of ICN Rooms
K-12 Schools 411National Guard 54Community Colleges 109State Agencies 49Regent Universities 39Federal Agencies 16Colleges/Universities 16Hospitals 12AEA's 17Public Libraries 51Total 774Source: ICN website
Other uses of the ICN
- Federal postal service training- Parole board hearings- Swearing in a new lawyer stationed in Iraq- “Virtual field trips” for over 78,000 K-12 students- Providing training to FirstHome lenders- Prepping over 800 medical practitioners on new Medicaid drug lists- Carrying distance learning classes through Iowa Learning Online
My experience
Began teaching writing courses over the ICN Fall 1994 at Hawkeye Community College (added Intro to Literature)
Taught a series of ICN/Web courses for the Marshalltown BVU Center, as well as for Mason City, Red Oak and Creston Centers
Here I am in the ICN Room at HCC
Professional benefits
HCC experience as an adjunct led to being hired full time in 1996
ICN gave me an opportunity to integrate technology into the writing classroom & transformed my teaching style
Professional benefits, cont.
It gave me my first experience using the Internet as a resource in the classroom
I began using list servs, email and discussion boards with ICN classes
All of these things gave me more confidence to teach in a computer classroom; the early design of those labs looked like ICN classrooms
Part One
Using the Equipment
Three rules for using the equipment Rule one: Use the technology–don’t let it
intimidate you! Rule two: Get others actively involved using
the technology too! Rule three: It’s okay to experiment!
The equipment includes
The Teaching Station --the touch screen monitor --the three cameras (teacher, student, and
overhead) --the teacher's computer monitor --the teaching station computer --VCRs
(sometimes two: one to record and one to play)
Equipment, cont.
Ceiling mounted LCD projector and big screen (in newer rooms)
Two big televisions (standard) Fax Machine Modern rooms have DVD players “Trouble phone” (links to other ICN rooms
and the technicians at Camp Dodge)
ICN Room, Tama Hall, HCC
The portable cart system
The portable cart is another alternative; HCC uses this cart to make it possible to offer more than one ICN session at the college
Frequently used as a receive site vs. origination site
My husband has a cart system at his two public libraries
The ICN portable cart
Now let’s take a closer look at a typical ICN room
Three cameras
The person at the teaching station controls the cameras with the touch screen monitor
Change camera views as needed The teacher camera—don’t be shy. Zoom in enough to let the audience see your
face!
The teacher camera
The student camera Most let you “zoom in” on students Once a student in a remote site presses down
on the microphone, that site appears in your monitor--if you want the whole class to see the student, you must select "remote" on the touch screen.
However, in the classroom, you need to select "student" when a student wants to say something.
The student camera
The overhead camera
Overhead—ideal for displaying a variety of materials--pictures or visuals in books and magazines, photographs, cartoons, or even objects.
It replaces the overhead transparency projector.
The touch screen monitor
The touch screen monitor: use either your finger or the mouse to select which camera view or site will be displayed.
You see what your class sees on the small monitor located in the middle of the teaching station—as well as on the big TV at the back of the classroom (marked “program”).
The second television at the back
The other TV at the back of the room shows you a remote site at all times
Check on sites by selecting that site’s icon on the touch screen
If you want everyone to see that site, select the remote icon
The VCR
The VCR—most classrooms have two One for playing only and one for recording
only. These are easy to use and can add to your
presentation.
Using the ICN room as a "production studio" of sorts
Tape yourself for a teaching sample for your portfolio.
Tape a presentation and use it to "sub" for yourself when you need to miss a class.
Tape a special guest. Tape individual or group student
presentations and play back to critique. Tape mock job interviews, speeches, or other
oral assignments.
Using the ICN room when not transmitting to another site
Show a movie. Have students do presentations, mock
interviews, or small group activity Use the overhead camera to demonstrate
how to assemble something or how to do something
Use the teaching station's computer to show a PowerPoint to your class
Provide a guest speaker with a great place to speak & use multimedia
Using the computer
Post the agenda Brainstorm Present PowerPoint presentations Post announcements, reminders, and deadlines. This is the single greatest tool, in my opinion. If your computer has an Internet hook-up, you
have even more tools to use.
Using the fax machine
Be careful: you can use up a great deal of time doing this
It is better to email handouts, agendas and other materials ahead of time as much as possible.
Your students from the remote sites can also submit in-class work by fax
Using the phone Phone is generally located on the side of the
TV cart to the right of the teaching station. Only connected to other remote sites There is also a booklet with phone numbers
for sites; keep this handy. Make yourself a simple sign with the list of
your sites, students, and their fax numbers.
Part Two
Preparing to present over the ICN
Preparing to present over the ICN
It’s a good idea to “check out” the room beforehand
How do you do this? Go to the ICN website and find the clickable
map; select your area, and then find the specific classroom
http://www.icn.state.ia.us/index.htmlThe ICN website
Look up the classroom on the map
http://www3.iptv.org/iowa_database/aeamap_action.cfm?AEA=6
Find the list of classrooms
http://www3.iptv.org/iowa_database/classroom_detail.cfm?nodeID=434
Here then is the link to the description of one room
Virtual tour of the ICN itself
Preparing materials
Do not use overheads; they are too shiny and will not show up well.
Always use materials with large enough font, and avoid scripts.
Real world materials
Display a book or document underneath the overhead camera and zoom in on it.
Use “real world” materials, such as newspaper stories, cartoons, photos, and editorials from the daily newspaper.
Practice in the room
Take some time to go in and “play” in the ICN room
Put something under the overhead camera and then sit towards the back of the room and see if you have to strain to see it.
Do this with any Powerpoint presentations as well; something that looks fine from 18 inches may be too small to read from the back of the room.
Some colors and visuals do not look as effective from a distance.
Part Three
Strategies for collaboration and interaction
Attitude is Key
I believe the attitude of the moderator is KEY
Many participants may be shy about using the technology; you need to show them that it is a tool, not a barrier
Humor helps, as does flexibility Once the newness of the technology wears
off, almost anyone can be successful in the ICN classroom.
Use the Technology itself
I have small groups of students come up to the teaching station
I teach them how to use the controls to work with a remote site—those students also come up to the teaching station
Lots of possibilities for small group work, with each group reporting back to the whole class at the end
Other ideas
I have done writing conferences, one on one over the ICN
Students at the remote site come up and sit at their teaching stations
They show me their work one of several ways: laying it down on the document camera, or sending it beforehand via email or fax
Include all participants
Acknowledge the students at remote sites; show their sites on the program television when someone speaks
Provide opportunities for students across sites to interact
Your goal as teacher or presenter is to make them feel like one group, so that they work together
ICN and hybrid courses
I have taught several courses for BVU where I was the only one at the origination site and my students were in various sites elsewhere
Incorporated the web for communication with a list serve and a website for materials
This situation can sometimes be a challenge; they may not realize that I can see what they are doing for the most part!
ICN and Innovation
My friend Lois Yocum, former teacher at Anson Middle School, and I won a Star Schools Award for partnering our students using the ICN
Paired students, wrote papers and gave feedback using email & ICN sessions
Two classes met at HCC for a pizza party: great experience, with unexpected benefit.
Many low income, high risk middle school students saw campus & programs
Conclusion
We’ve only scratched the surface The ICN is a powerful tool and the ICN
rooms are great for multimedia presentations
I’d like to see it easier for groups in the community to use the ICN for board meetings, seminars, and training