Strategies for Success: Teaching on the ICN

Cherie Post Dargan, Hawkeye Community College

(319) 296-2320, ext. 1701Office location -- Library Room 209

cdargan@hawkeyecollege.edu

Overview

What is the ICN? Introduction: my experience Part One -- Using the Equipment Part Two -- Preparing to Present in

the ICN Classroom Part Three -- Strategies for

Collaboration and interaction

What is the ICN?

Iowa Communications Network Two way audio/two way video Began in 1990, with one fiber optic

classroom per county (99), an endpoint at each of the three state universities, one at IPTV, and one on the state capitol for a total of 104

How does the ICN benefit Iowans?

Providing equal access to education is the ICN’s primary purpose.

The ICN’s most prominent users are K-12 schools, higher education and the Area Education Agencies.

The ICN also plays an integral part in state and federal government agencies, the National Guard, hospitals and librariesSource: ICN website

Breakdown of ICN Rooms

K-12 Schools 411National Guard 54Community Colleges 109State Agencies 49Regent Universities 39Federal Agencies 16Colleges/Universities 16Hospitals 12AEA's 17Public Libraries 51Total 774Source: ICN website

Other uses of the ICN

- Federal postal service training- Parole board hearings- Swearing in a new lawyer stationed in Iraq- “Virtual field trips” for over 78,000 K-12 students- Providing training to FirstHome lenders- Prepping over 800 medical practitioners on new Medicaid drug lists- Carrying distance learning classes through Iowa Learning Online

My experience

Began teaching writing courses over the ICN Fall 1994 at Hawkeye Community College (added Intro to Literature)

Taught a series of ICN/Web courses for the Marshalltown BVU Center, as well as for Mason City, Red Oak and Creston Centers

Here I am in the ICN Room at HCC

Professional benefits

HCC experience as an adjunct led to being hired full time in 1996

ICN gave me an opportunity to integrate technology into the writing classroom & transformed my teaching style

Professional benefits, cont.

It gave me my first experience using the Internet as a resource in the classroom

I began using list servs, email and discussion boards with ICN classes

All of these things gave me more confidence to teach in a computer classroom; the early design of those labs looked like ICN classrooms

Part One

Using the Equipment

Three rules for using the equipment Rule one: Use the technology–don’t let it

intimidate you! Rule two: Get others actively involved using

the technology too! Rule three: It’s okay to experiment!

The equipment includes

The Teaching Station --the touch screen monitor --the three cameras (teacher, student, and

overhead) --the teacher's computer monitor --the teaching station computer --VCRs

(sometimes two: one to record and one to play)

Equipment, cont.

Ceiling mounted LCD projector and big screen (in newer rooms)

Two big televisions (standard) Fax Machine Modern rooms have DVD players “Trouble phone” (links to other ICN rooms

and the technicians at Camp Dodge)

ICN Room, Tama Hall, HCC

The portable cart system

The portable cart is another alternative; HCC uses this cart to make it possible to offer more than one ICN session at the college

Frequently used as a receive site vs. origination site

My husband has a cart system at his two public libraries

The ICN portable cart

Now let’s take a closer look at a typical ICN room

Three cameras

The person at the teaching station controls the cameras with the touch screen monitor

Change camera views as needed The teacher camera—don’t be shy. Zoom in enough to let the audience see your

face!

The teacher camera

The student camera Most let you “zoom in” on students Once a student in a remote site presses down

on the microphone, that site appears in your monitor--if you want the whole class to see the student, you must select "remote" on the touch screen.

However, in the classroom, you need to select "student" when a student wants to say something.

The student camera

The overhead camera

Overhead—ideal for displaying a variety of materials--pictures or visuals in books and magazines, photographs, cartoons, or even objects.

It replaces the overhead transparency projector.

The touch screen monitor

The touch screen monitor: use either your finger or the mouse to select which camera view or site will be displayed.

You see what your class sees on the small monitor located in the middle of the teaching station—as well as on the big TV at the back of the classroom (marked “program”).

The second television at the back

The other TV at the back of the room shows you a remote site at all times

Check on sites by selecting that site’s icon on the touch screen

If you want everyone to see that site, select the remote icon

The VCR

The VCR—most classrooms have two One for playing only and one for recording

only. These are easy to use and can add to your

presentation.

Using the ICN room as a "production studio" of sorts

Tape yourself for a teaching sample for your portfolio.

Tape a presentation and use it to "sub" for yourself when you need to miss a class.

Tape a special guest. Tape individual or group student

presentations and play back to critique. Tape mock job interviews, speeches, or other

oral assignments.

Using the ICN room when not transmitting to another site

Show a movie. Have students do presentations, mock

interviews, or small group activity Use the overhead camera to demonstrate

how to assemble something or how to do something

Use the teaching station's computer to show a PowerPoint to your class

Provide a guest speaker with a great place to speak & use multimedia

Using the computer

Post the agenda Brainstorm Present PowerPoint presentations Post announcements, reminders, and deadlines. This is the single greatest tool, in my opinion. If your computer has an Internet hook-up, you

have even more tools to use.

Using the fax machine

Be careful: you can use up a great deal of time doing this

It is better to email handouts, agendas and other materials ahead of time as much as possible.

Your students from the remote sites can also submit in-class work by fax

Using the phone Phone is generally located on the side of the

TV cart to the right of the teaching station. Only connected to other remote sites There is also a booklet with phone numbers

for sites; keep this handy. Make yourself a simple sign with the list of

your sites, students, and their fax numbers.

Part Two

Preparing to present over the ICN

Preparing to present over the ICN

It’s a good idea to “check out” the room beforehand

How do you do this? Go to the ICN website and find the clickable

map; select your area, and then find the specific classroom

http://www.icn.state.ia.us/index.htmlThe ICN website

Look up the classroom on the map

http://www3.iptv.org/iowa_database/aeamap_action.cfm?AEA=6

Find the list of classrooms

http://www3.iptv.org/iowa_database/classroom_detail.cfm?nodeID=434

Here then is the link to the description of one room

Virtual tour of the ICN itself

Preparing materials

Do not use overheads; they are too shiny and will not show up well.

Always use materials with large enough font, and avoid scripts.

Real world materials

Display a book or document underneath the overhead camera and zoom in on it.

Use “real world” materials, such as newspaper stories, cartoons, photos, and editorials from the daily newspaper.

Practice in the room

Take some time to go in and “play” in the ICN room

Put something under the overhead camera and then sit towards the back of the room and see if you have to strain to see it.

Do this with any Powerpoint presentations as well; something that looks fine from 18 inches may be too small to read from the back of the room.

Some colors and visuals do not look as effective from a distance.

Part Three

Strategies for collaboration and interaction

Attitude is Key

I believe the attitude of the moderator is KEY

Many participants may be shy about using the technology; you need to show them that it is a tool, not a barrier

Humor helps, as does flexibility Once the newness of the technology wears

off, almost anyone can be successful in the ICN classroom.

Use the Technology itself

I have small groups of students come up to the teaching station

I teach them how to use the controls to work with a remote site—those students also come up to the teaching station

Lots of possibilities for small group work, with each group reporting back to the whole class at the end

Other ideas

I have done writing conferences, one on one over the ICN

Students at the remote site come up and sit at their teaching stations

They show me their work one of several ways: laying it down on the document camera, or sending it beforehand via email or fax

Include all participants

Acknowledge the students at remote sites; show their sites on the program television when someone speaks

Provide opportunities for students across sites to interact

Your goal as teacher or presenter is to make them feel like one group, so that they work together

ICN and hybrid courses

I have taught several courses for BVU where I was the only one at the origination site and my students were in various sites elsewhere

Incorporated the web for communication with a list serve and a website for materials

This situation can sometimes be a challenge; they may not realize that I can see what they are doing for the most part!

ICN and Innovation

My friend Lois Yocum, former teacher at Anson Middle School, and I won a Star Schools Award for partnering our students using the ICN

Paired students, wrote papers and gave feedback using email & ICN sessions

Two classes met at HCC for a pizza party: great experience, with unexpected benefit.

Many low income, high risk middle school students saw campus & programs

Conclusion

We’ve only scratched the surface The ICN is a powerful tool and the ICN

rooms are great for multimedia presentations

I’d like to see it easier for groups in the community to use the ICN for board meetings, seminars, and training