Session 5- Nov 1: Technology Comparison
Dale Engman, ETEC 674, Dr. Newberry, November 2, 2006
Telecommunications Technology Comparison
Introduction
So you have Power Point figured out and have posted it on the Internet and can lecture in your classroom, but can you walk around the room and present at the same time? Sure there are a few gizmos out there that can help you do this, and I bet you got a special remote control with your LCD, or maybe a friend gave you a “tech toy” that can control a Power Point, but can you write on the screen from ten feet away? This technology comparison looks at a hardware device and new software that can be used with a Palm or Pocket PC device which can make you a super presenter that is not tied to the mouse and the envy of all your fellow teachers. This might not be the biggest break through in telecommunications, but you will be using wireless technologies and once either of these two technologies has been mastered, they can be used in conjunction with anything on the Internet and will have you navigating the telecommunications highway.
Media Choices and Task Differentiation
In a traditional lesson the teacher would present a Power Point presentation and lecture to the class allowing time for questions and comments. The teacher would use the LCD, computer, mouse, and keyboard to answer the questions or provide guided instruction for the class. With the implementation of the Smart Slate Airliner or Pebbles Slideshow Commander the teacher would modify their lesson to create a more interactive lesson allowing students to participate by using either technology to write on the presentation or to show skills in the Power Point software to the classroom.
The Smart Slate Airliner allows a teacher to control their computer and all applications wirelessly using Bluetooth technology. The Smart Slate is portable and allows the teacher the freedom to move around the classroom and allows the teacher to hand the Smart Slate to students to have them use the tethered pen to either control an application on the presentation computer or to write with its ‘digital’ ink.
Wouldn’t it be nice to dim the lights, turn on your LCD, and then present your presentation without leaving the front of the room? Many people have handheld devices and would love to be able to break free of being trapped behind the keyboard and mouse. Pebbles Slideshow Commander allows a teacher to control their Power Point, and a few other applications via Bluetooth technology using a Palm, Pocket PC, or even some of the new Smart Phones ( note: if your lights are hooked into your computer, yes you would be able to dim them, but unfortunately I was unable to test this option out). The person using the handheld device would be able to write on the presentation using Pebbles.
Both of these technologies would rank low to medium in media richness due to the one way nature of presentation, but when you allow the students to interact with the Smart Slate or the Palm device you are raising the media richness to a higher level because the presentation is becoming more of a face to face interaction and according to Rice and Shook (1990) the richest communication medium is face-to-face meetings followed by telephone, e- mail, and memos and letters. Granted you are not receiving information back from the actual Power Point, but from the instructor and the fellow classmates allows the student or teacher to as Newberry (2001) said in reference to Daft and Lengel (1984):
the criteria for ranking a medium's ability to carry information can be based on the ability of the media to, relay immediate feedback, provide feedback cues such as body language, allow the message to be created or altered specifically for an intended recipient, and transmit the feelings or emotions of the communicators.
Thinking about Newberry’s (2001) three tiered matrix I would argue that the student or teacher would be able to rank each of the two technologies as high in feedback, multiple cues, message tailoring, and emotions given the fact that the technology is using the Power Point as the vehicle or media.
Taking a look at social presence Newberry (2001) stated that the degree of social presence in a communications activity may have a number of different impacts on the participant's perception, appreciation, participation, or level of satisfaction. In light of this I would argue that social presence would be high given that the student goes from a non-participant in the traditional Power Point presentation and goes to an active ingredient to the presentation with either of the two technologies used for this comparison. This gives both the presenter and the audience a higher rate of satisfaction and would lead to greater appreciation of the material being presented.
Media Comparison
After installation of the Smart Slate Airliner the teacher just presses the on button and they have the computer at their control. In the classroom that this comparison was done the instructor was able to use the slate anywhere in the room and was even able to step outside while he spoke to the principal and still control the computer. According to the Smart Technologies website the Airliner will work from 52 feet (16 m) away (statistic from: http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Products/AirLiner/). The ability to switch between pens, the mouse, and eraser with the ease of the stylus made it easy for the teacher and students to use. One weakness of the Airliner was that you have to be able to see the screen to write or use the mouse feature. Because there is no ‘on screen’ display students in the corners of the room had difficulty participating from their chairs, but the wireless nature allowed for the student to move to see. The disruption to the class could be an issue with the teacher which could be resolved by printing up a screen shot that is scaled to the size of the display on the Airliner. During the lesson the instructor was able to move freely around the room and present the Power Point, pause to write on the screen, and allow students to do the same. Upon completion of the show the instructor was able to show additional skills without having to return to the computer. Overall the instructor and the classes’ attitude to the Smart Slate Airliner were favorable.
After contacting Dr. Brad Meyers at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute
School of Computer Science at the Carnegie Mellon University and getting access to the Pebbles Slideshow Commander (website: http://www.pebbles.hcii.cmu.edu ) the instructor was more than excited to try out this new technology. He went to work reading up about the new software and unfortunately at the time of writing he was unable to actually get his Palm which was loaded with loaded with Slideshow Commander and computer interacting to present to an entire class. For the remaining portion of my comparison I will refer to Pebbles as part of being in the audience of a presenter using Pebbles and my own experience using Pebbles. Watching someone write into their hand and to see the Power Point come alive with that is pretty amazing. When the presenter hands you their tiny handheld and you see the Power Point on the handheld that is also on the wall is neat, but being able to sit in your chair and write on the tiny display to have it seen by all is pretty mind blowing. A strength of Pebbles is the ability to not have to bring a laptop with your to present. A few weaknesses are getting it set up to recognize your handheld device, the small display screen on the handheld makes it difficult to write legibly, and it seemed to lock up the instructors handheld. If the instructor got the Pebbles software installed and working in the classroom setting I believe the instructor would find it quite useful in the presentation and lecture modes, but not too handy with the student interaction portion of the lesson mentioned above. If one was to check back in a few weeks you may find more exciting stuff here about Pebbles which only has been given kudos from everyone else I have spoken with.
Conclusion
There is no doubt in the instructors mind that both of these technologies can unlock and harness the power of a traditional lecture and presentation in any classroom. If I was to try a different handheld device and have more time to attempt using the Pebbles software you would have two great reviews of these technologies. The Smart Slate Airliner did not come without its installation and discovering issues, but once resolved the ability to use the device was not an issue. Concluding with the ability to leave the keyboard and mouse and to navigate the classroom while being able to carry on a presentation was the goal of this technology comparison and it was accomplished with one of the devices. The students seemed to enjoy the lesson using the Smart Slate Airliner more than the traditional lecture style of the instructor which would lead one to think that both the media richness and social presence were much higher than normal.
Bibliography
Daft, R. L. and R. H. Lengel (1984). Information richness: a new approach to managerial behavior and organizational design. Research in Organizational Behavior 6, 191-233.
Newberry, B. (2001). Media richness, social presence and technology supported communication activities in education. Retrieved November 1, 2006 from, http://learngen.org/resources/module/lgend101_norm1/3000/3100_3/3120.html
Newberry, B. (2001). Raising student social presence in online classes. WebNet 2001 Proceedings (In Press).
Rice, R., and Shook, D. (1990). Relationships of job categories and organizational levels to use of communication channels, including electronic mail: A meta-analysis and extension. Journal of Management Studies (27:2), 195-229.
Telecommunications Technology Comparison
Introduction
So you have Power Point figured out and have posted it on the Internet and can lecture in your classroom, but can you walk around the room and present at the same time? Sure there are a few gizmos out there that can help you do this, and I bet you got a special remote control with your LCD, or maybe a friend gave you a “tech toy” that can control a Power Point, but can you write on the screen from ten feet away? This technology comparison looks at a hardware device and new software that can be used with a Palm or Pocket PC device which can make you a super presenter that is not tied to the mouse and the envy of all your fellow teachers. This might not be the biggest break through in telecommunications, but you will be using wireless technologies and once either of these two technologies has been mastered, they can be used in conjunction with anything on the Internet and will have you navigating the telecommunications highway.
Media Choices and Task Differentiation
In a traditional lesson the teacher would present a Power Point presentation and lecture to the class allowing time for questions and comments. The teacher would use the LCD, computer, mouse, and keyboard to answer the questions or provide guided instruction for the class. With the implementation of the Smart Slate Airliner or Pebbles Slideshow Commander the teacher would modify their lesson to create a more interactive lesson allowing students to participate by using either technology to write on the presentation or to show skills in the Power Point software to the classroom.
The Smart Slate Airliner allows a teacher to control their computer and all applications wirelessly using Bluetooth technology. The Smart Slate is portable and allows the teacher the freedom to move around the classroom and allows the teacher to hand the Smart Slate to students to have them use the tethered pen to either control an application on the presentation computer or to write with its ‘digital’ ink.
Wouldn’t it be nice to dim the lights, turn on your LCD, and then present your presentation without leaving the front of the room? Many people have handheld devices and would love to be able to break free of being trapped behind the keyboard and mouse. Pebbles Slideshow Commander allows a teacher to control their Power Point, and a few other applications via Bluetooth technology using a Palm, Pocket PC, or even some of the new Smart Phones ( note: if your lights are hooked into your computer, yes you would be able to dim them, but unfortunately I was unable to test this option out). The person using the handheld device would be able to write on the presentation using Pebbles.
Both of these technologies would rank low to medium in media richness due to the one way nature of presentation, but when you allow the students to interact with the Smart Slate or the Palm device you are raising the media richness to a higher level because the presentation is becoming more of a face to face interaction and according to Rice and Shook (1990) the richest communication medium is face-to-face meetings followed by telephone, e- mail, and memos and letters. Granted you are not receiving information back from the actual Power Point, but from the instructor and the fellow classmates allows the student or teacher to as Newberry (2001) said in reference to Daft and Lengel (1984):
the criteria for ranking a medium's ability to carry information can be based on the ability of the media to, relay immediate feedback, provide feedback cues such as body language, allow the message to be created or altered specifically for an intended recipient, and transmit the feelings or emotions of the communicators.
Thinking about Newberry’s (2001) three tiered matrix I would argue that the student or teacher would be able to rank each of the two technologies as high in feedback, multiple cues, message tailoring, and emotions given the fact that the technology is using the Power Point as the vehicle or media.
Taking a look at social presence Newberry (2001) stated that the degree of social presence in a communications activity may have a number of different impacts on the participant's perception, appreciation, participation, or level of satisfaction. In light of this I would argue that social presence would be high given that the student goes from a non-participant in the traditional Power Point presentation and goes to an active ingredient to the presentation with either of the two technologies used for this comparison. This gives both the presenter and the audience a higher rate of satisfaction and would lead to greater appreciation of the material being presented.
Media Comparison
After installation of the Smart Slate Airliner the teacher just presses the on button and they have the computer at their control. In the classroom that this comparison was done the instructor was able to use the slate anywhere in the room and was even able to step outside while he spoke to the principal and still control the computer. According to the Smart Technologies website the Airliner will work from 52 feet (16 m) away (statistic from: http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Products/AirLiner/). The ability to switch between pens, the mouse, and eraser with the ease of the stylus made it easy for the teacher and students to use. One weakness of the Airliner was that you have to be able to see the screen to write or use the mouse feature. Because there is no ‘on screen’ display students in the corners of the room had difficulty participating from their chairs, but the wireless nature allowed for the student to move to see. The disruption to the class could be an issue with the teacher which could be resolved by printing up a screen shot that is scaled to the size of the display on the Airliner. During the lesson the instructor was able to move freely around the room and present the Power Point, pause to write on the screen, and allow students to do the same. Upon completion of the show the instructor was able to show additional skills without having to return to the computer. Overall the instructor and the classes’ attitude to the Smart Slate Airliner were favorable.
After contacting Dr. Brad Meyers at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute
School of Computer Science at the Carnegie Mellon University and getting access to the Pebbles Slideshow Commander (website: http://www.pebbles.hcii.cmu.edu ) the instructor was more than excited to try out this new technology. He went to work reading up about the new software and unfortunately at the time of writing he was unable to actually get his Palm which was loaded with loaded with Slideshow Commander and computer interacting to present to an entire class. For the remaining portion of my comparison I will refer to Pebbles as part of being in the audience of a presenter using Pebbles and my own experience using Pebbles. Watching someone write into their hand and to see the Power Point come alive with that is pretty amazing. When the presenter hands you their tiny handheld and you see the Power Point on the handheld that is also on the wall is neat, but being able to sit in your chair and write on the tiny display to have it seen by all is pretty mind blowing. A strength of Pebbles is the ability to not have to bring a laptop with your to present. A few weaknesses are getting it set up to recognize your handheld device, the small display screen on the handheld makes it difficult to write legibly, and it seemed to lock up the instructors handheld. If the instructor got the Pebbles software installed and working in the classroom setting I believe the instructor would find it quite useful in the presentation and lecture modes, but not too handy with the student interaction portion of the lesson mentioned above. If one was to check back in a few weeks you may find more exciting stuff here about Pebbles which only has been given kudos from everyone else I have spoken with.
Conclusion
There is no doubt in the instructors mind that both of these technologies can unlock and harness the power of a traditional lecture and presentation in any classroom. If I was to try a different handheld device and have more time to attempt using the Pebbles software you would have two great reviews of these technologies. The Smart Slate Airliner did not come without its installation and discovering issues, but once resolved the ability to use the device was not an issue. Concluding with the ability to leave the keyboard and mouse and to navigate the classroom while being able to carry on a presentation was the goal of this technology comparison and it was accomplished with one of the devices. The students seemed to enjoy the lesson using the Smart Slate Airliner more than the traditional lecture style of the instructor which would lead one to think that both the media richness and social presence were much higher than normal.
Bibliography
Daft, R. L. and R. H. Lengel (1984). Information richness: a new approach to managerial behavior and organizational design. Research in Organizational Behavior 6, 191-233.
Newberry, B. (2001). Media richness, social presence and technology supported communication activities in education. Retrieved November 1, 2006 from, http://learngen.org/resources/module/lgend101_norm1/3000/3100_3/3120.html
Newberry, B. (2001). Raising student social presence in online classes. WebNet 2001 Proceedings (In Press).
Rice, R., and Shook, D. (1990). Relationships of job categories and organizational levels to use of communication channels, including electronic mail: A meta-analysis and extension. Journal of Management Studies (27:2), 195-229.
posted by dengman | 10:09 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home