Report on ELive Training Oct 19

REPORT ON ELIVE TRAINING WITH STUDENTS
Kimberly Butt

Thursday, Oct 19, 2006 (10:20-12:00 and 1:00-1:30)
Jill’s class – 19 students


TECHNOLOGICAL GLITCHES/PROBLEMS

When the students initially logged in to ELive and activated their microphones, there was a lot of feedback and other noise. Voices were garbled and sounded distant. There was some static, delay and echoing. After about two minutes (estimated), the feedback and garbled voice quality diminished. I thought that through all the noise I could hear Jill in the background helping the students, and since then I have found out that, yes, she was there helping the students to adjust their microphones.

In two individual cases, there were major problems with a headset (loud static) and with speaker levels (child could not hear anything), which were later corrected by the Jill.

Elizabeth suggested that we purchase 30 more headsets in case we run into problems with those we have now.

A further observation was the presence of background noise from the classroom. The microphones detect much more noise than the four students’ voices. The teacher’s instruction and the voices of classmates were continually present. However, I noticed that it was worse for some microphones than others, leading to the question of whether proximity and location in the classroom would solve this issue. While I was able to ignore its presence, it raises the question of whether students would be able to overlook the noise when using ELive independently if the problem cannot be resolved.

This is something we’ll need to maybe sort out before we start the activities.


STUDENT BEHAVIOURS

Students logged on to ELive as individual users. The transition time between groups was approximately five minutes.


Some students became immediately comfortable using ELive, while others were slower to adapt to its use. In each group of four children, usually one child seemed to know instinctively how to operate the microphone and direct messaging, while another one or two of the children needed to be prompted several times in how to complete the training tasks (clicking on the microphone icon before speaking, etc). Likewise, some children understood the French prompts immediately, while others needed rephrasing and sometimes English translation. I also spoke in English a number of times when we encountered the trouble with one of the headsets and the speaker level.

I quickly learned that privileges should be given to the students only when needed for a specific task, and then taken away again. When training the first group, I gave all students access to all privileges from the beginning. However, this proved to be a distraction, as some began typing in direct messaging before the other students had even finished logging in.

We may need to look for an alternative solution to this problem. Perhaps with time the students will become more used to the tools and will then be less likely to be distracted by them.

TIME

The initial training session took almost twice as long as anticipated. In the planning stage, Elizabeth and I estimated that 15 minutes would be a reasonable amount of time in which to train a group of four students. However, in training the first class, it took me almost 30 minutes to train some groups, depending on what issues we encountered. As a result of this, one of the groups was only partway through their training session when their lunchtime began, and they missed the first ten minutes of their lunch break. This problem of time also meant that not all groups could be accommodated during the planned morning session, and the training had to be continued after lunch.

Also, student response time was slower than real time. In waiting for a response to a question, it was not unusual for ten seconds to pass before seeing a student’s microphone icon activated, and then several more seconds to pass before hearing a response. I don’t know whether this may be the result of a slight audio delay, a hesitation due to unfamiliarity with the technology, slowness in processing French instructions, or difficulty screening out background noise in the classroom. It could also be a result of insufficient bandwidth. This is a latency problem.

Report on ELive Training Oct 23

REPORT ON ELIVE TRAINING WITH STUDENTS
Kimberly Butt

Mon. Oct 23, 2006 (1:35-3:05 pm) and Tues. Oct 24 (1:15-2:30 pm)
Wendy’s class - 24 Students


TECHNOLOGICAL GLITCHES/PROBLEMS

When the first group of students initially attempted to log on, three out of the four computers took much more time than the first, and the first student and I sat waiting for the other three for some time while the login process was occurring. I don’t know if the computers were simply slow booting up, or if the students were having difficulties logging on, but it raises the issue of login as a potential problem for students using this technology. If it is a persistent problem, then there may be implications, since the use of this technology between places involves much scheduling and timeframes.

There was also a very pronounced initial audio delay. In speaking with Wendy at one point during the session, she suggested that maybe the connection speed was not set properly. She had been told, however, that the school had a cable connection, and this is what she had selected during ELive’s setup.

The sound that I was hearing from two students’ headsets was choppy and intermittent, like a cell phone with a poor signal. I could hear only every second word or so. I do not know the cause of this problem at this time, but it would be good to determine the cause. It makes communication nearly impossible, to the same extent as a defective headset. As I see it, there is no way students would successfully use ELive under either of those circumstances.

One technological issue unique to this class involves the use of the microphones. For some reason, very often the students seemed to click the microphones on and off too quickly, and I would not catch any part of what they had said, or I would just catch the end. The exact reason for this is a mystery. I really don’t feel that this is something the students were responsible for, because it was occurred exclusively on these four computers, whereas this problem did not arise in any of the other three classes. Maybe it had something to do with the audio delay or the possibility that the Internet connection speed was not correct. To deal with this problem, I needed to instruct the students (in English) to click on their microphone, count to three in their heads, and then begin to speak. This solution worked fine for the purposes of training in ELive with me. However, it calls into question whether this problem might interfere with other activities in the project, as well as future independent use, as it may impede students’ desired “spontaneous” output.

STUDENT BEHAVIOURS

One student disappeared from the session in ELive, and I initially thought that he had lost his computer connection. However, I soon realized that it was entirely my fault --- I had accidentally clicked “Remove Participant” which is next to “Send to Breakout Room” when the moderator right-clicks on a participant’s name. My sincere apologies to this student! Now I am aware of how easy it is to make this mistake, so it hopefully won’t happen again. However, it highlights the potential problem that a student (if given moderator status in, say, a breakout room) might click this and boot other students out of the ELive session. This would fool up their activity, especially given how long some computers take when starting up an ELive session.

I noticed that many students asked different sorts of questions than the one I prompted them to ask. Like in another class, I simply accepted whatever questions they asked each other, as I didn’t want to discourage them when they were speaking French. Sometimes, I would accept what they said, as well as give them additional prompts to answer the question (“Qu’est-ce que tu n’aimes pas?”).


TIME

I was able to train four groups of four students during our first scheduled session (Oct 23 1:35-3:05). I trained the remaining eight students the following afternoon (Oct 24 1:15 to 2:30).

Report on ELive Training Oct 24

REPORT ON ELIVE TRAINING WITH STUDENTS
Kimberly Butt

Tuesday, October 24, 2006 (8:55-10:15am)
Paula’s class – 14 students


TECHNOLOGICAL GLITCHES/PROBLEMS

From the beginning of this training session, there was a delay and an echo, in which I could hear everything that I said to the students at the same time that they were hearing me. While this was a nuisance, it was also useful, because I knew that students were still listening to what I said, and therefore their delayed response was predictable. This was only possible, however, when at least one student’s microphone was turned on.

For one student, there was a very loud humming sound whenever she turned on her mic. I could hear myself perfectly, but could not hear her at all. I spoke to her in English to explain this problem, and instructed her to see if she had plugged in her headset correctly. I am not sure at this time, but I think Paula helped her with this. After several minutes, the problem was fixed and I could hear her as well as I could hear the others.

For about four or five students, I needed to instruct them (in English) to move their microphones away from their mouths, and to lower the sound for their mics. This seemed to improve the voice quality when students’ voices sounded mumbled and muffled. When these changes are made, it is easier to hear what they are saying.


STUDENT BEHAVIOURS

I observed two students attempting to use direct messaging (DM) while they were in the brief breakout room session, despite the fact that I had not given them DM privileges. I knew that this was happening because a yellow circle appears in the DM column across from the student’s name. I need to recheck the ELive manual, because I had thought that it was impossible for them to use DM without privileges. However, maybe it is possible to use DM privately even without privileges.

One child in the same group continually raised his hand, starting within the first minute of entering. At first I ignored it. However, later in the session, I asked him if he had a question. When he said “no”, I explained that by clicking the raise hand icon, it seemed that he needed to ask me a question, because that is what it’s there for. He said that he hadn’t been clicking it. I dropped the subject. However, no other child, before or since, has had a problem with the mysteriously raising hand!

Two other students, I observed, did not seem to communicate during their breakout session. I know this because I can see, whether I am in the breakout room or not, whether the students have turned on their microphones, because a yellow circle highlights the microphone icons next to their names when they do. Perhaps they did not understand the question that I prompted them to ask each other (Demandez à l’autre ce qu’il/elle n’aime pas). In fact, I have noticed that many students in all the classes so far have had difficulty with this prompt. Usually, I enter the breakout rooms and rephrase the prompt (Eg: Jane, complete la phrase: Susie n’aime pas…). Sometimes I do this during the wrap-up back in the main room, where students can first hear the model from their classmates.

Also, I have noticed that (perhaps due to not understanding the prompt) students often ask each other different questions in the breakout rooms, such as “Où est-ce que tu habites?” When they do, I accept whatever they say because I don’t want to discourage their use of French.

Two students who were in a group of two seemed very reluctant to respond in ELive. Even though their microphones were turned on and I had determined that they could hear me and that I could hear them, they would not respond to the questions, both in the main room and in the breakout room. In case they could not understand what I was saying in French, I spoke in English to them on several occasions, but they were still reluctant to reply. Additionally, one of them began writing in DM in English. I explained to him that students were only allowed to use French in DM, and he seemed to accept this.


TIME

I trained fourteen students (three groups of four and one group of two) from 8:55 to 10:15 – that is one hour and twenty minutes, and we finished just in time. This averages out to twenty minutes per group.

Report on ELive Training Oct 30

REPORT ON ELIVE TRAINING WITH STUDENTS
Kimberly Butt

Monday, October 30 (9:00am-12:00pm) and Tuesday, October 31 (8:55-9:25am)
Lindy’s Class – 29 Students


TECHNOLOGICAL GLITCHES/PROBLEMS

The first of our technological problems occurred when I was trying to log on to my computer in Tony’s lab in the Education Building. I was unable to login after four attempts, and Tony determined that there was a problem with the network. Luckily, the network was functioning by 9:15, and after I quickly logged in and got myself set up in ELive, I called Lindy on his cell phone (who was waiting patiently with his students), and we were able to begin.

While the first student appeared in the participant’s window shortly thereafter, it took quite a while before the other three appeared. This was due to troubles with the other three computers, which Lindy had to restart, accounting for the delay.

Due to all the strange noises (static, garble, whooshing, echo, and delay), Lindy and I often communicated, while troubleshooting, by using Direct Messaging. It occurs to me that this holds important implications for the negotiation of meaning in second language activities. In face-to-face communication, we have other facilities available to us to negotiate meaning, such as gestures, facial expressions, and lip reading; whereas in ELive, we can use the white board and the direct messaging tool to clarify meaning. I directly experienced the need for this while Lindy was attempting to explain what was happening with the other three computers. I had a great difficulty trying to decipher what it was he was saying, so he typed it in DM, and I was able to understand.

Regarding the feedback and echoing that has been commonly experienced among all four classes, it has occurred to me that perhaps there are speakers built into the PC towers, which are presently enabled. I need to speak with someone who is more knowledgeable than me about computers to learn if this is a possible reason for the feedback and echoing. If so, then we need to look at disabling them, and hopefully this would eliminate this problem.

At one point during the training of Lindy’s class, I could hear Lindy’s voice twice in the background. That is, I would hear him say something very clearly through one student’s microphone, and then hear it again one second later through another. I can think of two explanations: one, that perhaps he was standing very near the first student and the second computer was far away; and two, that the second computer was delayed in transmitting the sound. Either way, it still prompted me to consider a potential issue for students using ELive. That is, what is the effect, if any, on a student who can hear the student next to him/her speaking twice? If the computers are situated next to each other, then the students will first hear each other speaking in real time, and then hear each other again after the signal is transmitted in ELive. Would this be a distraction to them?

Background noise – Mid-morning, Lindy’s students left the session for recess and went outdoors. Lindy remained in the classroom for several minutes in an attempt to work an audio problem. During this time, the classroom was empty, which for me was the first time I had used ELive without activity in the background on the other end. What a significant difference in the quality of sound! I could hear Lindy perfectly.

STUDENT BEHAVIOURS

Use of DM and whiteboard – Just as Lindy and I had used DM, so did the students. What differentiated this session from the first three classes’, I should explain, is the fact that Elizabeth and I concluded in a recent meeting that limiting students’ use of privileges in ELive was too restrictive. Starting with Lindy’s class, I was to grant all students all privileges (microphone, DM, and white board) from the very start of the session, and then observe at what point, if any, it got to get out of hand. The rationale for this was that most students are used to multitasking in these sorts of environments, and we should see what their natural behaviours are in ELive so that we can figure out how to harness these behaviours to maximal potential in ELive activities. So, that is what I did for this class. I noted that some of the students looked to each other for help by using DM when they did not understand what I was asking them. For one group, they actually answered the questions in DM.

The students really seem to love using the white board. Only in one case did a student get so preoccupied with using the whiteboard that I failed to regain his attention. The rest, for the most part, especially love doodling on the board during the last minute or so before exiting ELive.

Use of mics – Some of the students need reminders to turn on their mics before they speak. I am sure this is something they will quickly grow out of as they use the technology more.

Implications of delay – As I mentioned, there is often a delay between one party speaking and the second party hearing what was said. What sometimes happens as a result is this: the student asks me a question, I reply, the signal takes quite a few seconds to get to the student’s computer, the student thinks that I haven’t heard and asks the question again before my response gets there. This gets very messy. One way that we can deal with this might be to discuss this with the students, explaining that sometimes there is a delay and we need to wait longer for a response than we would in a face-to-face or telephone conversation.

Shouting – Lindy raised a concern about students shouting into their microphones, which was disruptive to the regular classroom instruction. This is a very valid concern, because we certainly do not want to interrupt students’ learning. The students may be raising their voices because of the level of extra noise we are getting. It is at times very difficult to hear or understand what someone is saying. To attempt to eliminate this problem, we should make sure that all students know how to adjust the volume for their microphones and speakers. This can be done by going Tools -- Audio -- Audio Setup Wizard, which will walk them through the process of adjusting both. Also, all students should know that they should see green and a tiny bit of yellow in the small windows above the sliders for the mic and speakers.

TIME
Logging off - The students sometimes are very slow and seem very reluctant to leave the session. Also, I was puzzled when two girls who had logged out five or ten minutes previous suddenly reappeared in the participant’s window before disappearing again. This reluctance to leave is a great thing in terms of their enthusiasm, but a bit of a drawback where timing is a concern. If we want to accommodate several groups in a morning, we need to work out a way to ensure the transitions run smoother. Maybe we could award points for the quickest transitions?