Integrating Visual Communications Processes in Online Courses to Enhance the Learning Experience of Deaf Students in Online and Distance Learning

Transcription

1 Integrating Visual Communications Processes in Online Courses to Enhance the Learning Experience of Deaf Students in Online and Distance Learning Simon Ting Cathy Clarke Aju Cherian Instructional Developer Digital Media Specialist Educational Technology Specialist NTID/RIT NTID/RIT NTID/RIT About Us. We currently work respectively as an instructional developer, digital media specialist, and instructional technology specialist in the Educational Design Resources department at NTID. Two of us, Simon and Cathy, both have extensive experience designing online courses for deaf students using IdeaTools, an online course management system that we created at NTID. Last year, Aju joined our team and has been working with us, lending his support especially to our video applications. INTRODUCTION PEN International Technology Symposium, June In the 2008 PEN International Technology Symposium, two of us (Simon and Cathy) gave a presentation together with Zach Szafran and Regina Kiperman Kiselgof. In the presentation, we described a project in which we explored the feasibility of building a low cost video conferencing system using free open source software components with off the shelf webcams and personal computers. As we reported at the time, even though we did not achieve all our goals, we did succeed in building a workable web based conferencing system capable of supporting the online equivalent of activities and processes (such as lectures, class presentations, group discussion, and working on team projects) that are usual in the traditional classroom. System Upgrades After June After the presentation, we continued to work on our system, making improvements. We added support of up to 16 webcams simultaneously and upgraded our whiteboard and remote collaboration functionality. We also introduced some new classroom management features, such as the ability for instructors to enforce turn taking. The original system was based on Red5, an open source implementation of a Flash media server. We rewrote our application; it is now based on the Wowza Media Server. Red5 is open source and free whereas Wowza is a licensed commercial product with professional support and offering secure video streaming. Secure video streaming allows us to offer users better privacy protection. We integrated the meeting system with IdeaTools, the online course management system (CMS) that we created at NTID. IdeaTools integration allows us to give instructors and students "one click" access to our videoconferencing tools, eliminating time consuming system setup.

2 We also added an online webcam recorder as one of our system tools. Video recording is an integral part of Wowza and even the Red5 server that we originally employed, but we only took full advantage of the capability after our presentation at the last PEN International Technology Symposium. SYSTEM TOOLS AND CAPABILITIES Our system consists of several functional modules organized using a tabbed user interface. Together these modules offer the necessary functional support for web based video conferencing and remote collaboration. Video Chat Room. The centerpiece of the system is the video chat room. This is capable of accommodating up to 16 webcams. In practice, however, we found that on most computers, when there are more than four video cameras, video dimensions tend to be too tiny and the videos themselves usually too choppy for the signing to be clear. This will likely improve with continuing improvements in camera, video display, and broadband technologies. Until technology can permit more user webcams to operate simultaneously, we have implemented a turn taking feature as a workaround, giving instructors the option to work with fewer cameras but to turn off one or more cameras selectively in order to give other students their turns to use their webcams. The video chat room allows teachers and students to see and sign to each other on a web page. Users need a webcam if they wish other participants to see (and hear) them, but no camera is needed to view other people. Users without webcams can still participate by means of IM style text chat. Whiteboard. A whiteboard offers diagramming tools for brainstorming during an online meeting. In pilot testing, we found that it is impractical to use a mouse for sketching and annotating. To make the tool more useful, we added the ability to upload and overlay images, photos, Word documents, and PowerPoint slides on the whiteboard. This allows it to be used as a remote projection tool for presentation purposes.

3 Shared Files. Both instructors and students can upload and share their files online. Instructors can use this function to post handouts and students to submit their assignments. However, this is not really a useful feature as IdeaTools itself offers excellent authoring and course management tools for creating and managing handouts and course assignments. Incidentally, this is one of the advantages of integrating our online meeting and course management systems. We'll say more about the benefits of system integration later in this presentation. Chat. This is a garden variety IM style application. It is provided so that users who do not have a webcam can still participate in meetings using this communication mode. REMOTE COLLABORATION Our implementation of remote collaboration, also known as remote desktop or application sharing, depends on the ability to take control remotely of a computer. In our system, this capability is provided by a small and free open source program called TightVNC, customized to work with IdeaTools. Users see the computer desktop in a panel adjacent to the video chat room. As they chat, they can take turn to control the remote computer and perform tasks on the computer, such as editing a Word document, creating a PowerPoint presentation, or manipulating a Photoshop image file. As they work they can switch back and forth between working within the tab or outside in full screen mode.

4 IDEATOOLS INTEGRATION A major difference between our conferencing system and similar commercial products is integration with IdeaTools, the course management system (CMS) that we created at NTID. IdeaTools has better multimedia support than most CMS products. It has built in tools for creating interactive lessons, online assignments, and other course content. Integrating the functionally discrete systems allows existing IdeaTools content to be readily accessible to support real time learning activities during online class meetings. Many NTID instructors and students are familiar with the way IdeaTools works, which greatly reduces training needs. IdeaTools integration offers instructors and students "one click" video conferencing. In effect, instructors and students can join a videoconference by clicking a button without leaving the course environment. Instructors can even incorporate video conferencing activities in their course calendar for convenient scheduling. Integrating the CMS and video conferencing systems helps to reduce the learning curve associated with video conferencing.

5 WEBCAM RECORDING Overall, we were happy with the system that we assembled, but we were disappointed with its recording functionality. We had to rely on third party software to do that. Even then, the quality left much to be desired. But in the course of our experimentation, we discovered that Red5 and Wowza offer the ability to record video (and audio) streamed from a webcam (or any video camera connected to a personal computer via a USB video capture device.) With relatively little effort, we were able to create and successfully test an online webcam recording tool that allows users to use their webcam to record and save video to the server through their web browsers. Live webcam recording adds a new dimension to online teaching. Most online lessons and learning activities are, of necessity, text based. Instructors create and save handouts and lessons as text. Students submit homework and assignments also as text. Any video used must be pre recorded. Video typically plays a secondary role compared to text information due to the time and effort necessary to capture, compress and encode video for online purposes. Webcam recording opens the way for making ASL an integral part of the online learning experience of deaf students. Instructors can create video content for classroom use with the same ease of creating and saving a text based handout. Students can submit their homework answers in ASL or text or both. This makes it possible for teachers of the deaf to create lessons and design online learning activities using ASL, either by itself or in combination with text, to reinforce, evaluate and document student learning.

6 PROJECTS In the two years since we presented our proof of concept video conferencing and remote collaboration system, NTID professors have made use of our systems in several distance learning and remote team collaboration projects. A pleasant surprise has been that we were able to discover new uses for our system going beyond conventional distance learning projects. More on that later. Distance Learning/Remote Collaboration In the most ambitious project to date, an instructor at NTID and another at Gallaudet University used our system to conduct weekly online class meetings involving students at both universities over a period of several weeks, with students collaborating remotely on team projects and making class presentations online, utilizing media such as PowerPoint, online videos, and other web resources. This was part of a pilot distance learning course in deaf theatre history. In another project, a team of NTID faculty and students worked with alumni members in Washington, D.C., New York City and the state of Colorado, to create a demonstration Photoshop design project for the ImagineRIT Festival in May Students and alumni discussed and brainstormed the project over several weekly sessions in the spring of 2009, culminating in a 6 hour final session in which the entire team worked intensively to complete a display banner project. The entire final session was part of a wall TV display. Video mail/video homework The webcam recorder has turned out to be a surprisingly productive tool, leading to a number of innovations allowing video processes to become an integral aspect of a wide range learning activities beyond distance learning. It allows us to create a video mail application so that instructors can send quick video mails to single students or groups. It also allows instructors to create video homework where

7 students can submit answers using ASL or text or both. The homework can be configured as a vlog discussion, similar to traditional text based discussion boards. Job Search Training One of our original collaborators, have used the system to record mock interviews as part of the Job Search Process course that she's teaching. Each student takes part in two mock interviews, with the sessions recorded so that both instructor and student can watch the videos together to evaluate the student's interviewing techniques. In Fall 2010 she will begin piloting a remote interviewing application allowing prospective employers and students to meet online for job interviews via webcams. Since the system supports multiple simultaneous webcams, it will be able to accommodate sign language interpreters. Teacher Education (MSSE) Teachers can set up a video camera in their classroom to record a lecture and post the video online after class. The video can be synchronized with a PowerPoint slideshow used in class. The Master of Science in Secondary Education (MSSE) program at NTID uses a dual video camera system as part of a training setup to help their student teachers get ready for teaching internships. Each student is recorded teaching a sample lesson, with one video camera showing the student

8 teacher and the other showing the class. The video is available for viewing online by both student teachers and course instructor immediately after class to help student reflect on and refine their teaching and classroom management techniques. There are plans to make these videos part of every student's teaching portfolio. Sign Language Resources (Science/Math Lexicon) The Lexicon Builder is a new application for systematically recording and evaluating signs used in science by students, teachers, and interpreters. It is a webcam recorder system, which allows saving new or revised signs with ease. Typically, about a dozen signs can be created per hour since discussion is required for best conceptual representation. If the conceptual signs are discussed in advance, as many as signs may be created per hour. The quality of the videos is comparable to that of the signs produced in a studio with a digital camera system. However, the approach used over the past few years included setting up the camera and lighting in the studio, recording the signs, downloading the data through the use of imovie, editing the sign videos to remove extraneous movements on the DV tape, converting the videos from QuickTime to FLV, and, finally, uploading the videos to the lexicon. Productivity wise, the webcam recorder used in the Lexicon Builder is much more efficient. There is no need for reserving a studio; nor having a camera operator, and nearly all the steps listed above are eliminated. With an extension to the chord for the mouse, a person can start and stop the camcorder on his/her lap and can work alone with the Lexicon Builder.

9 Future Projects We are always on the lookout for new uses for our application. Below is a list of projects that we are discussing with various NTID faculty and staff: Online video helpdesk Math word problems homework system Video brainstorming and pre writing activities Video wiki (Translation Wiki) IN CONCLUSION Two years ago, we set out to build a video conferencing and remote collaboration system. We were happy with what we achieved. Our application may lack some of the bells and whistles of commercial systems, but it offers most of the functionality we need implement a number of pilot projects. Our chief concern was to create a tool simple enough for most instructors to use for course related learning activities. To that end we integrated our system in IdeaTools, the course management system that we created at NTID. IdeaTools integration offers one click access video conferencing, reducing the learning curve for course related videoconferencing activities. Conventional thinking tends to consider video conferencing and remote collaboration in the context of distance learning. Our experimentation indicated that such systems have application beyond distance learning. By adding online video recording capability to our own system, we were able to extend it use to video mail, video homework, video discussion boards, and create new applications for teacher education, job search training, and ASL lexicon development. We are also investigating other possible uses, such as video helpdesk, math word problem solving, video brainstorming/pre writing activities, and video wikis. In this sense, we think of our system as an innovation platform that facilitates instructors in setting up projects to experiment with new instructional approaches to enhance the online learning experience of deaf learners, particularly by incorporating ASL in such activities. RELATED CONTENT In addition to this presentation, a number of others at the Technology Symposium involve tools and applications developed by the IdeaTools team. We encourage those interested to review the materials provided related to the other presentations and poster sessions: Presentations: T9B Use of Visual Communication Tools Inside of Distance Learning Aaron Kelstone, Simon Ting, Cathy Clarke

10 T10A Using Social Networking Techniques to Enhance Learning for Deaf Students Online Cathy Clarke, Simon Ting W8A Beyond Academic Writing: Web 2.0 Social Networking and Self Publishing In the Writing Classroom Rose Marie Toscano W8D Structured Online Academic Reading (SOAR): Enhancing Reading Comprehension and Learning ThroughEmbedded Definitions, Pictures, Videos and Questions Nora Shannon, Simon Ting, Cathy Clarke Poster Sessions: M4PA Web based Interactive Video Application as a Strategy for Employment of Deaf Professionals Regina Kiperman Kiselgof, Linda Gottermeier, Simon Ting, Cathy Clarke M4PJ IdeaTools: Building Online Courses with Integrated Video Communications and Social Networking Capabilities Simon Ting, Aju Cherian, Cathy Clarke M4PO A Website for Independent Vocabulary Practice Eugene Lylak More Information. If you are interested in experimenting with these or other IdeaTools applications, feel free to e mail us for more information: Cathy Clarke, clcedr@rit.edu Simon Ting, sktedr@rit.edu