Tag: conference

VuRoom:Instant Video Collaboration for Skype

3
March 10, 2010
by Mark

Application: VuRoom: Instant Video Collaboration for Skype

I’m not a huge user of the Skype service, although I know of schools and individuals who do. As a tool in education, this service is becoming more and more necessary. That’s why I was pleased to see the advent of VuRoom. Simply put it’s a plugin multiple party video conferencing tool for Skype. ViVu, the makers of the program, say that the quality of the video feed is high. The key features of the VuRoom are

  • Multiparty Video Conferencing
  • Invite Skype contacts
  • Invite anyone with a browser and a telephone
  • Share slides, video and desktop
  • A personal ViVu folder
  • Compatible with both Windows and Macs

Currently there is a 15 day free trial on offer, however there is a cost of $9.95 a month for continued use, which would mean that anyone you want to collaborate with will need to subscribe to the service as well. (See comments below)

Unless you’re a hardcore Skype user, and before shelling out the $10 per month look at other alternatives such as TokBox, where you can simultaneously video chat with up to 20 people for free.

Popularity: 7% [?]

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Vitta Day One – Afternoon

1
November 24, 2009
by Mark

And so the day continued. Lunch I had early due to my session prior to that being canned. It was a nice view over the racecourse though and I managed to settle the thoughts in my head a little. I decided to go and sit in on a session with @jennyluca whom I had met earlier in the day. It was an introduction to Web 2.0 tools, and though I was familiar with all she presented (I had even done a similar one) it was well done. I was a little off put though by the amount of delegates who seemed to be looking at her like stunned mullets. She asked whether people were familiar with Pageflakes or Netvibes, and aside from myself only one other person put their hands up. With that answer I wondered what sort of audience Vitta is actually targeted to? Is it for teacher’s interested but with little experience, or is it for teacher’s who are using and wishing to extend their knowledge and draw on ideas from other educators? Jenny twittered me later saying that it was hard to gauge how well it was going with the audience from the front. I knew exactly where she was coming from.

My second session of the afternoon was on Junior IT. The booklet had it marked as suitable for primary teachers and principals. Instead, it turned out to be a secondary teacher talking about the methods he’s used to engage kids in a secondary program. I took early leave and feeling a headache coming on I headed back home, beating the traffic and having a mixed reaction to Vitta-Day One.

I’m heading in there again tomorrow for Day Three. I hope it’s a little more streamlined. I am thankful though for the connections made – that has helped make this conference most worthwhile. I look forward to strengthening those some more on Wednesday.

Popularity: 3% [?]

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VITTA so far, Day 1

2
November 23, 2009
by Mark

Trying to spin a positive on the day, but after taking a wrong turn and arriving 20 minutes late, having a session cancel last minute and a session where the presenters only had a week to prepare it’s been a mixed day.

I arrived a little later than anticipated this morning due to my car deciding to take a wrong turn. Making my way through registration I found the main session with Larry Johnson talking about 7 ways technology is all around us. I came in, as I said late – right when he was talking about the ever growing presence of the internet and the reach of mobile (cell) phones. Wanting to ‘live’ Twitter the event, the boffins that be had turned off the Wi-Fi in the room and nobody was able to do so.

My second session, the main presenters had only a week to put together something, and it unfortunately showed. What they had to share was great, however they didn’t have the freedom or the time to explore their topic to the full extent.

My third session cancelled and I was left cleaning out the delegates bag. There is a bin somewhere here overflowing with a small forest. Unfortunately there wasn’t any single sided sheets that I could reuse.

Hope the afternoon bodes better….

Popularity: 4% [?]

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Slide to Open; VITTA Conference – Melbourne (23-25th Nov)

0
November 22, 2009
by Mark

Slidetoopen.jpgThis week I will be attending the VITTA conference, ‘Slide to Open‘ here in Melbourne. I’ll be trying to keep up the blogging and Tweeting as I can this week. I’m looking forward to each of the sessions and hope I can write some reflections as I go. For those of you coming, looking forward to seeing you. If you can’t attend, follow the #vitta09 hash on Twitter to keep up with everything. The official address for VITTA is @vittaconference.  If you’re there, I’d love for you to make yourself known and come and see me. My program is listed below, and the bold type indicates the Keynote or compulsory morning sessions that all delegates attend.

  • Monday

    • Seven ways technology is unfolding, everywhere we look – Larry Johnson (Horizon Project)
    • Powerful Learning Practice – Leanne Compton and Cara McCarthy
    • Reasoning, resilience and responsibility in 2020 – Daniel Ingvarson
    • Contemporary Approaches to Learning and Teaching – Clare Scott and Fiona Turner
    • Junior IT – where to now? – Kevork Krozian
  • Tuesday

    • FUSE Teacher Portal – Find, Use, Share Education – Sandra Phillips (Manager, KnowledgeBank Next Generation)
    • ICT work programs, term planners yearly planners – Vicky Symons
    • Future or fiction? – Sue Inness
    • Developing an ICT Scope Sequence in Your School – Mark Richardson
    • Copyright and Open Education in the Digital World -Sylvie Saab
  • Wednesday

    • Classroom 2.0 and LearnCentral – Steve Hargadon (Classroom 2.0)
    • How ‘open’ is ‘open’? – The privacy challenge – Gregory Frank and David Taylor
    • The long tail of personal learning networks – Camilla Elliot
    • Cyber Safety in the Web 2.0 Environment – Lee Burton (I’ll be introducing Lee and his session)
    • eConnect – communicate and collaborate! – Jill Reading and Kevin Daly

Popularity: 3% [?]

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