short shorts

A hybrid student told me that as far as students are concerned, any teaching tutorial had better be short. "How short?" I asked. "What's the average length of a youtube video?" he said, laughing.

According to a 2012 Pew Center for journalism report the median length of popular youtube videos was about 2 minutes. Another source says the average length (not limited to popular ones) was around 4 minutes (as of 2010).

In order to make tutorials shorter I have finally come around to taking the advice to write scripts before recording. This seems cumbersome, but I'm finding it's the only way to bring the time down.

narration and voice in tutorials

My first deep exposure to online video tutorials was watching Adrienne Mitchell's screencasts for Math 10. Some of Adrienne's strengths include her quiet, direct and simple way of explaining the steps.

Recently I shared some of my own tutorials with Adrienne. She remarked that I don't sound like myself. I agree! I sound weird on my videos. Why? I have been unconsciously mimicking Adrienne's style.  When I teach live I am high energy and sometimes high volume, joking around, drawing analogies, telling stories. I need to find my "voice" on video.

A speaker at the League for Innovation conference in Dallas this year confirmed my hunch on this.  She recommended that video narrators "perk up" the voice and energy level several notches above live performance levels because the camera dulls the presentation.

I am doubtful that there is a single piece of advice for every narrator, but I'd like to get my videos closer in line with my live teaching.  Here's an example of a tutorial I made as part of this "voice" experiment. I'm not where I want to be yet, but this seems closer.

metacogntive math tutorials - lessons learned and still learning

There are excellent math tutorials online, from Adrienne's Lane-aligned set to Khan Academy and more. Most of them feature algorithms - breaking down an approach to solving a particular category of math problems into a series of steps to follow. There are fewer tutorials demonstrating math thinking in applied problems (aka "story" or "word" problems).

Applied problems challenge students at several levels, requiring:

• translating words to math (requiring skill in reading and language)
• identifying the nature of the problem (what answer is required)
• identifying how to solve the problem (choosing math operations to use and in what order)
• sometimes solving a series of problems using one answer to solve another problem, etc.
• identifying the unit of measurement, beyond a numerical answer (dollars, gallons, meters, etc.

Since I have been gradually shifting to a meta-cognitive, strategic approach to Reading I have been thinking about how to do the same in Math. My goal is to make math thinking more visible to students. I want them to see what strategies I choose from, why I choose different strategies, and how I use the strategies.

Towards this end I recorded three tutorial demonstrations. I wrote out solutions with Notability on the ipad, and then recorded a narration on Screencastomatic. Here is the tutorial on the steps, and here is a sample problem, a 2d sample problem and a 3d sample problem.

I chose difficult, layered problems and narrated the steps I followed and my thinking.

I then showed these test tutorials to students. Based on student feedback and my observations I am now going to adjust my approach:

• break the tutorials into short chunks in a series (whole problems were longer than 5 mins., the best practice for reading thinkalouds is 1-2 mins.)
• use software that allows me to write as I talk (seeing so much text already written out during the narration was visually overwhelming "like a math text")
• show mixed use of strategies instead of one size fits all steps
• make a set of tutorials showing solution of the same problem in different ways, with help from Julie Pfaff and Adrienne Mitchell
• show problems solved at the estimate level - just the thinking without actual number solution

Screencastomatic and screencasting

I've been having some trouble with Screencastomatic, the free, cloud-based screen-casting site.  The recurring issue is updating java (a repeating cycle of requests) and compatibility with java on a Mac.

In frustration I did a trial of Camtasia (not free). Camtasia worked fine, but was more complex than I need, and so promises a steeper learning curve/bigger time investment.

I also checked in faculty tech A/V media expert Ian Coronado at a faculty tech Tuesday brown bag in the ATC. Ian had a workaround and some thoughts about the future. The fix was to download a copy of Screencastomatic which I can use without access to the web, which may work in the short run without the same java problems (so far, so good).

The future question, though, is how long programs that rely on java will continue to work, since apparently java is no longer being supported (if I have this wrong, my apologies, this is my layman's paraphrase).

Ian suggested checking out ink2go as a cheap alternative ($19.99). (Note that this is not software our college provides, so I'm considering whether to buy it myself.) Some benefits:

• you can screencast what's on your computer 
• your cast is an .mov file
• you can annotate/mark up what is showing on your screen

Ian will be offering a faculty tech session on ink2go for interested folks on Tuesday, June 4 from 4 to 5 p.m. (I believe that will be in the ATC classroom.)  The more the merrier!

A good friend is embarking on a new adventure to teach online. I've done some online teaching and have been an online student off and on for 10 years. I offered to pass on lessons learned the hard way, and am writing this post to organize the thoughts.

It's not as easy as it seems to create online environments that are student-friendly and content-centered.

Students need to know:

• What do I have to do?
• When do I have to do it?
• Where can I find the things I need?
• How/when/where will I find out if I am going in the right direction?

Here are some best practice checklists (aspirational goals).

Big picture: keep aiming for simple, clean, organized, and visual.

1. Course structure (minimize procedural knowledge required):

• strong and repeating weekly routines (deadlines and assignment structure repeat each week)
• use calendar feature to show all term deadlines in advance
• units open in advance and for long periods, allowing students to manage their study time
• immediate or quick feedback (computer auto grading or your grading)
• offer alternatives/support for written directions in form of online models and audio directions
• transparent grading - give students online access to their progress
• post Code of Conduct link in course block
• post links to Moodle help in course block

2. Course layout online (make online navigation predictable and quick, minimize frustration)

• organize website consistently with course (topic names, etc.)
• keep topic or week blocks as short as possible (avoid long lists of links, minimize scrolling)
• use the "jump to section" feature so students can avoid scrolling
• type description for each resource to create another way for students to find it 
• use an image for each topic block to help students navigate and quickly identify location
• choose a non-docking theme 
• choose a theme with good contrast for links and a color scheme that is welcoming
• eliminate non-essential blocks

3. Communicating with students (encourage students to read posts and avoid blocking by students):

• set feedback expectations explicitly (e.g. I can respond M-F within 24 hrs., often sooner)
• set grading expectations explicitly (e.g.  I usually put grades online within 72 hours or sooner)
• use forced subscription forums like instructor news sparingly and intentionally
• keep online communications short and visually organized (see below)
• post and send online communications in workday hours - draft and hold for sending if nec.
• post netiquette links and expectations and monitor online posting regularly

4. Encourage student engagement (require immediate presence and monitor frequently)

• record welcome screencast that includes a picture of you
• record short tour of the website for Day 1 -show students where things are & when to do what
• make clear requirement for Week 1 online activity - Day 1 and 2
• if possible have an hour orientation class in a computer lab Week 1
• lab class: do hands-on Moodle exercise requiring use of each online skill to be needed
• use regular routine to watch student activity online - use attendance module for transparency?
• let students know on Day 1 that you are watching their online activity (and repeat regularly)
• post models for online discussions and contribute yourself authentically
• survey students about course several times, start in Week 2
• create student help desk encouraging students to help each other when you are offline

5. On-screen text and resources (respect needs of online readers and minimize frustration):

• put docs and resources into google docs - no Moodle upload of files
• create Moodle links to google resources and use "open in new window" setting
• limit to short chunks of text (online reading habits are very different!)
• organize text with headings, etc., using predictable styles
• keep visuals clean - one font, minimal marking (underlining, capitals, italics, size changes, etc.)
• limit screencasts and audio to 2 mins. if possible, max 5 min. chunks
• use sans serif font like Calibri for visual impaired students (universal design)
• type descriptor of images (universal design)
• aim for captioning of script for video (universal design)