A Communication & Sharing Tool
From social networking to video chat rooms, there is a
wide-variety of web-based tools for communication available for instructors and
learners. While many of these tools were never thought of for educational
purposes, the fact is that teachers have found and will continue to find ways
to use them meaningfully to enhance students’ learning experiences in VLEs or
in F2F classrooms. AnyMeeting is one of those Web tools that
probably was not thought of to be used in teaching contexts, but it is indeed
useful when communication is needed among members of a community of learning.
AnyMeeting
can be classified as a communication and sharing Web 2.0 tool. This platform
allows instructors to hold webinar-like sessions with students and to hold
virtual classes in which all participants can fully interact via video/audio or
just audio, along with the use of a microphone. Another interesting fact about
this Web 2.0 tool is that teachers can also project any kind of document via screen share, Youtube videos directly
from http://www.youtube.com,
etc. Additionally, speakers -during the session- can “switch” roles with
participants by means of promoting them to speakers,
especially if they have a question or want to voice an opinion or comment.
Although this communication tool has been designed for small businesses to host
online meetings for free, it can be definitely used as a powerful tool for
eLearning within VLEs.
How can online / blended learning instructors envision
their students using this kind of communication and sharing tool? As part of
our extra class assignments, working students, as well as those living far away
from college campus, can find a great help
in AnyMeeting. On the one hand, learners
can hold a six-partner conference-like meeting where they can use video and
audio simultaneously just by using the free account the platform allows anyone to
have. On the other hand, students can
avoid having to commute to get together with peers in campus or elsewhere; they
just need a device with a webcam [a smartphone, a tablet, a computer] and a good connection to the Internet to hold
a meeting, share documents, presentations, and the like. If combined with Google
Docs, all participants in the meeting can cooperatively work on the editing of
a collective document.
As part of my teaching at the university level, I have
personally used this tool with my Teaching Practicum students as a way to
instruct them on course content and teaching practices. However, I have also
encouraged them to use the tool to cooperatively work on their course projects.
Since our Moodle platform does not allow users to hold live virtual classes, this free tool can be of great help. Students
can perfectly be assessed on the use of AnyMeeting
by checking their projects and by asking them to invite their instructor, as
long as s/he is available, as a mere participant and listener. Understanding
that it is difficult for many students to find time on their tight agendas or
travel long distances to get together with peers on campus, why not to take
advantage of a free and user-friendly tool ready to be used.
Sample
Activity
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Objective: After being trained on how to use AnyMeeting, students who need to work
together on a course project will sign for an account to hold virtual meetings
and to discuss, decide, and work on it with at least two to three virtual
meetings.
Instructions. Understanding
that you have to travel long distances or have a tight schedule, work with
the communication platform along with Google Docs –if necessary- to produce a
report after you have discussed the reading provided by your instructor.
Remember:
·
There’ll be peer assessment to
guarantee equal shares of work.
·
You must include an invitation for
your instructor so that s/he can hop in.
·
Attendance is mandatory once you and
your partners have agreed on a date and time for group’s meeting.
·
A minute of your meeting has to be
uploaded unto your class platform to be reviewed by your teacher.
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Created
by Prof. Jonathan Acuña, Universidad Latina, Costa Rica
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E To fully develop and comprehend this teaching issue,
it’s advisable to research and expand these areas:
1
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Social networking in VLEs
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2
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Web-based tools for communication
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3
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Educational uses of non-educational web
tools
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4
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Teaching students how to host virtual meetings
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5
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How to participate in virtual meetings
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Professor
Jonathan
Acuña-Solano
ELT
Instructor & Trainer based in Costa Rica
Freelance ELT Consultant four OUP in
Central America
For
further comments or suggestions, reach me at:
@jonacuso –
Twitter
Other blogs and sites I often write for my students at
the university are:
Get new ELT material and ideas by
visiting my curated topics on http://paper.li/ and http://scoop.it/
Published on September 26,
2013
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Zirilli,
D. AnyMeeting
– Free Online Meeting Sofware Review (23/10/2012)
Retrieved from http://youtu.be/v_7lczSnc9c
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Get a copy of "AnyMeeting a Communication and Sharing Tool by Jonathan Acuña" over here.
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