Full Circle Associates

I just received a request for some quick suggestions for picking a web meeting tool. I cobbled a few quick thoughts here (really ought to edit this properly, but maybe later.)  I’d love any additional opinions and suggestions.

My Selection Criteria

OK here are the criteria I use for evaluating web meeting systems, followed by a few quick brand comments. But you need to know, I am very focused on interactive engagements, so I’m biased away from tools that are broadcast-centric and hierarchically controlled!

Purpose, Purpose, Purpose! What are you going to do?

First be clear on the range of purposes you need the tool to support. There is a big difference between a “broadcast model” and a small group working session. Some tools can’t handle that range, particularly at the more interactive end. For broadcast to large groups, you need a host that can support that many connections, so consider size range. Consider what types of content you need to share/host and what kinds of activities you need to foster.

Related to purpose is cost — if something is REALLY important, does it also have a budget line or do you need to use just free tools?

Specifics (in no specific order!)

1. Audio Connection Technology: Can it accommodate Phone bridge AND VoIP – this may not be crucial for you, but when I’m working internationally, it is.

2. Recording: Can it record calls? Do you need just the audio or do you need the audio and video? Do you need them separate? Can those calls be saved in a non proprietary format? (I.e. Blackboard’s web meeting is a proprietary file that has to be replayed via their web platform. It can be export to a common .wav  or mp3 (for audio only ) files but you have ot know how to do that. ) Is file size an issue?

3. Diverse Participant Roles/Controls: It has a chat room where participants can chat peer to peer and not just mediated through a moderator. Webinars create a pretty significant power imbalance when only the moderator(s) can allow anyone to do anything. For a broadcast situation, this is fine. For engagement, you need more options for devolving control and agency to participants in an appropriate process and with appropriate technology. This means:

• a peer to peer chat room (I MUST HAVE THIS FEATURE!!!)
• ability to easily pass moderator roles to a person or more than one person. (For example, if you have to be the moderator to use the white board, then can you make EVERYONE a moderator.
• sometimes having a private chat option is important
• sometimes a controlled/moderated question queue is important. (I don’t tend to use those myself…)

4. White board. I can’t help myself, I’m visual. Particularly I like whiteboards where everyone can participate. I also like it when whiteboard tools can be used to annotate slides.

5. Applications/screen sharing: For web tours, showing things, etc.

6. Ability to share slides: Both in-app and via screen sharing. Sometimes one is better than the other. That said, please don’t bore me to death with your slides!

7. Do you need video? Some platforms support one camera at a time, others (like Adobe connect) support multiple cameras giving that sense fo F2F conversation. (Called multi-point video display)

8. Bandwidth tools: Does the platform have technology to ameliorate the impacts of diverse participant bandwidth?

9. Polling tools:  I like these — and ease of use of the polling tool is important to check. I like both planned and ad-hoc options.

Advice: Don’t believe the hype — TRY IT!

Don’t just believe the marketing materials! Try it and try it with the size group you plan to work with!

Tools I’ve Tried:>

• Blackboard Collaborate (formerly Elluminate) – Great whiteboard, very stable, proprietary recording format, good adjustments for different bandwidths, higher on the cost end… @thatchmo also likes this tool!
• Adobe Connect – good for multi-camera video, decent white board, chat room, etc.
• WebEx – there are different webex products – make sure you trial the one you are looking for. Some are more broadcast oriented, some are more collaboration focused.
• LiveMeeting – Very higherarchically controlled. I would not recommend.
• GoToMeeting – recently changed and I have not evaluated the newer platform. I’ve read that there are some challenges in recording meetings.
• MeetingBurner – for smaller, team meetings, but not so great for large groups
• I’ve also used Google+, Skype, etc, but I suggest you avoid systems where people have to have a username/password. These are, however, great for ad hoc groups and G+ recording and autoposting to YouTube is slick! We used it this past fall for an online course. @BonnieZink likes G+

Resources:

• Robin Good is always noting the most recent info in the field http://collaborationtools.masternewmedia.org/ - he is my first go-to resource
• http://webconferencing-test.com/en/online-meeting-home
• http://web-conferencing-services.toptenreviews.com/
• http://www.networkworld.com/reviews/2012/102212-desktop-videoconferencing-test-263197.html
• http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9234680/7_low_cost_videoconferencing_services_Which_is_best_for_your_meeting_

And if you for some bizarre reason want more to read on webmeeting process:

• http://www.fullcirc.com/2007/01/25/what-are-your-most-useful-synchronous-online-facilitation-practices/
• http://www.fullcirc.com/tag/videoconferences/

Now, what are you thoughts? Criteria? Recommendations?

I had the great pleasure of leading a webinar yesterday with The Nature Conservancy on Strategic Communities of Practice. We focused on gaining some shared sense of what we mean by “communities of practice,” a framework fo looking at them strategically, some of the basic roles involved in communities and a quick peek at evaluation options.

There was some lively interaction in the chat. Many of these folks work in parts of the world where web based online interaction is not so great, so a wonderful thread on mobile-device-supports for communities emerged. If you know of any great examples, please share. ( I just found this one with a quick search and also suggested looking at http://www.mobileactive.org. I think some of the Twitter chats could serve as a model for a mobile-based distributed conversation by a community as well! Here are some examples in education.)

In addition, the good folks at TNC said I could share the webinar recording. I’m not sure if you can bear 90 minutes of recording, but just in case, here is the link. I’ve put the slides below as well, but as usual, they don’t make a ton of sense without the narrative. Thanks to Olivia, Nicole and Gillian at TNC for being such fabulous hosts and webinar facilitators!

via Strategic Communities of Practice.

[Edited Nov10 to note that at the bottom of the post, I've uploaded a PDF of the Google Translated version of the web discussion. I so appreciated the spirit of this conversation, even though we were working across languages with machine translation.]

This week there is what looks to be (using Google Translate) a great online conference called UBATIC+, a virtual gathering about ICTs and teaching in higher education hosted by the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was great to be asked to offer a short (14 minute) contribution which Silvia Andreoli has captioned in Spanish. I’m impressed — I’m not always so easy to follow!

via NANCY WHITE – YouTube.

I’m trying to follow along as best I can — my video and discussion launches Friday and I wanted to have some context for the conversation. And to get used to Google translate’s view of ICTs in higher ed! Language always presents such an interesting barrier. I don’t speak Spanish, but because of my Portuguese, I can decode some things. But I still find it incredibly tiring. It is important to remember this feeling — at a gut level — because so often I’m the one talking a mile a minute in English to people who are trying to think through two or three languages!

Updated: Here is a quick PDF of the web conversation. UBATICDiscussions

They have 20 free slots still open if you are up in the Vancouver area!

JIBC is hosting a World Café style Speaker Series on Tuesday October 16th, 2012.

Description:

There are many practices from the field of facilitation that can engage individuals quickly and meaningfully into learning processes. When we shift process, shift the locus of engagement from “teacher to learner,” we also shift away from simple transmission of information into discovery, ownership of learning and, most important, meaning making. Come experience some of these practices and see if they have meaning and application in your classroom.

Facilitator:

Nancy White is going to facilitate this great session. Nancy is the founder of Full Circle Associates. She helps organizations connect through online and offline strategies. She is internationally recognized as an online interaction designer, facilitator and coach for distributed learning, teams and online communities. For more information check out: http://www.fullcirc.com/about/about-nancy-white/

For registration contact: Tracie Gavriel, facultydevelopment@jibc.ca

Date: Tuesday October 16th, 2012

Time: 5:00 – 5:30 Food | Refreshments, 5:30 – 7:30 Collaborative Session

Location: JIBC Café. 715 McBride Boulevard, New Westminster, BC.

via Practice for Engagement in Learning in the Classroom «.

Have you been intrigued by my AIN12 posts? Here are some more goodies via Viv McWaters - Applied Improvisation Network 2012 World Conference (with images, tweets) · vivmcwaters · Storify. Look at all the little gems, or perhaps more aptly, facets that the tweets expose. I think you had to be there for the gems. I think my favorites are:

• “‘Go towards the thing you’re scared of.’ Gary Hirsch#ain12“
• “@improvapy: “Trauma sucks people into the past. Laughter pulls people into the present.” Genie Joseph#AIN12“
• #AIN12 @brentdarnell Traditional training is a conspiracy create by sellers of 3 ring binders
• #ain12 Matt Smith: “do what you can to get into a sense of gratitude before you perform” …or teach, or host, or lead, or…
• Adam Blatner: “I’d rather learn something new than be right” #ain12
• “You have to find people who are broken and help them heal. Laughter is my weapon of mass construction.” Genie Joseph #AIN12

Gotta love “laughter is my weapon of mass construction” from a woman who uses improv to help soldiers heal from the trauma of war. Mind blowing.