E-portfolio Assignment #3: Communication Tools:
Select two or more synchronous or asynchronous communication tools other than email for your LMS course site. At least one of these must be accessed from within the LMS environment.
Tool 1 – Vista Chat (synchronous)
Why I chose it?
I chose Vista Chat because I have had many opportunities using it for several of the eight ETEC courses I have completed so far including ETEC 533 – one of the more recent ones I have taken during this past spring term. Also, in my own LMS course site for this course, I will have a Vista chat room that will be similarly set up like the ones I utilized in other ETEC courses.
This communication tool has allowed me to communicate with my partners in various ETEC courses. For example, in ETEC 533 it has allowed us to share ideas and finalize content for our group project (www.madmack.ca/etec533).
What does this tool bring to the educational experience?
Vista chat allows synchronous communication to happen with all participants using a keyboard – much like MSN Messenger.
Besides having a designated space to communicate via the keyboard, there is also a whiteboard space similar to a desktop publishing program (e.g. Page Plus) where non-text content (e.g. pictures, drawings, etc.) can be viewed by all who is in the Vista chat room.
What are its limitations?
Unless there are specific chat rooms created for specific group members (e.g. chat room for working group 1), every student who will log into the same chat room will automatically see the synchronous discussion happening. This can cause confusion, inconvenience, and conflict. For example, that is what happened in ETEC 533 when our group met at a specific time in the one only Vista chat room and another group also planned to meet at the same time – not knowing that we were going to all be in the same chat room at the same time caused one of the groups to be inconvenienced and sign into MSN Messenger.
Furthermore, while participating in a Vista chat, one can not access other Vista sources without fully exiting from the Vista chat room. For example, when I wanted to review information within the ETEC 533 as I was in the Vista chat room with my group, I had to sign out of the chat room in order to gain access to the learning module content. Thus, one can not be in the Vista chat room and looking at Vista course content at the same time. When I am creating my own Vista chat room on my LMS for ETEC 565, this is still the case; however, there is a warning about the above issue. As one can see, this can also cause inconvenience and inefficiency.
Does it work?
Vista chat does work very well. Apart from not being able to navigate and chat at the same time in Vista, I have not encountered any lag while communicating with my group members in ETEC 533. In my Vista LMS for this course, I have set up a common room that can host a chat and a whiteboard – similar to the common chat room within other ETEC courses.
A reflection about my experience selecting and implementing this tool
Having used the Vista chat room various times during the last term in ETEC 533 and knowing that I will implement one in my LMS site for this course, it was an easy choice for me to select Vista chat to access. Hopefully, the synchronous issue of having the student being able to view Vista content while participating in Vista chat at the same time can be corrected soon – as that correction will eliminate inconvenience and will only create efficiency.
Tool 2 – Flickr Webpage (asynchronous)
Why I chose it?
Besides teaching students, one of my other passions is digital photography. Starting in 1999, I took the liberty in being involved in shooting photographs. Many of my friends and relatives have always wondered why I do not have a portfolio/eportfolio to showcase my work. Therefore, in the beginning of October 2008, I subscribed to get a professional account (enables the user to upload unlimited amounts of pictures and store them in an unlimited of digital space) with Flickr – one of the leading websites that host the work of photographers.
Now that I have an eportfolio to showcase some of my photographic work, people can take their time to look through my work, decide if they want to hire me to shoot their event, and contact me through email. Since creating a website account with Flickr, I have shot a wedding this past May and am shooting another this July. From a business point of view, I would have to say that this form of asynchronous communication is paying off.
What does this tool bring to the educational experience?
Flickr provides a digital space to showcase photographic work. For me, this tool has given me many beneficial opportunities to see the different angles, exposures, compositions, and settings that other photographers have used and are using. Thus, Flickr has provided me with a valuable education experience that will only further improve my own photography skills.
What are its limitations?
Anyone can sign up and have a free Flickr account; however, the limitation to this type of account is that there is a limited amount of megabytes one can upload per day (i.e. 100 megabytes per day). So, if one exceeds the uploading limit – that individual would have to wait another 24 hours before having access to upload more pictures.
To combat against the inconvenience of an uploading restriction, one can pay to have a professional account which would provide an unlimited amount of uploading at anytime and unlimited storage of digital photographs. However, this option comes with a monetary cost and this can pose to be another limitation for some. To create a professional account, an individual can pay $24.95 US for one year or $47.99 US for two years.
Does it work?
I believe my website account (www.flickr.com/photos/jasonlui) works in providing me with not only business opportunities in just shooting events (e.g. weddings) but in continuing my passion for photography. As mentioned above, this type of asynchronous communication has been successful for me because it has given two of my recent clients a showcase to view my work, time to explore what I can do, and because they like my photography – they have contacted me and hired me to shoot their weddings.
A reflection about my experience selecting and implementing this tool
There are other website companies (e.g. Shutter) that provide similar services as Flickr. I chose Flickr because it was recommended to me through a friend and I have seen in advertised around. In order to jumpstart my photography portfolio, I selected Flickr to host my digital photographs.
When I first started using Flickr, I utilized a free account setup. However, I soon found out that it was time-consuming and inconvenient for me to wait in order to upload my pictures to present my work. Since implementing and paying for the professional account, I appreciate the unlimited uploading of pictures and the unlimited storage space for my work.
References
Anderson, T. (2008). Teaching in an Online Learning Context. In: Anderson, T. & Elloumi, F. Theory and Practice of Online Learning. Athabasca University. Accessed online 3 March 2009 http://www.aupress.ca/books/120146/ebook/14_Anderson_2008_Anderson-DeliveryQualitySupport.pdf