Promethean – the interactive whiteboard

and great classroom tool

I have first used a Promethean board last week when I delivered my first lecture on behalf on On Track, a program that aims, among other things, to prepare Scottish college students to smoothly make their transition to university. The lecture addressed students taking courses at Reid Kerr College in Paisley, UK.

I was prepared with a powerpoint as I was told that the classroom had a projector. However, when I got to there I discovered that they had what looked to me a big TV screen – it had its own speakers system – linked to a both a computer and a projector. Then I was given an interactive pen so I immediately knew that what I had in front of me was a great tool.

Promethean is an interactive whiteboard and I believe it change the whole teaching and learning experience.It’s like a huge tablet PC. It has plenty of features and can be used virtually in any teaching environment, no matter the level and no matter the subject.

Here are some features that I loved:

• interactive polls – the class can be involved in a vote during the lecture (this could help the lecturer explore student opinion or check whether they understand the concepts presented)
• writing on board - helps annotate presentation, highlight important notions, note student answers (to make sure everyone understands the writing use in  conjunction with writing recognition tool)
• save changes - saves all annotations made to a document (great for exam preparation or for archival)
• record on screen activity - recording with sound allows the lecture for example to be later shared on a variety of platforms and be reused in other learning environments. Think here of the online video guest lectures I delivered in the past using TokBox or Skype but had trouble recording for future analysis. Or think of using the collaborative platforms I’ve mentioned in previous posts and recording the whole process for future research. With Promethean this could be possible – use online tools, interact with the screen, annotate presentation and record it!

Promethean however can be considered a rather expensive piece of equipment (I was told it costs around £3,000 per piece) and requires training of staff. Furthermore, the board works best when used within a community where lecturers share their experiences and where students are encouraged to explore new technologies. It also requires schools to reassess their position towards adoption and use of technology in the classrooms. This takes time, needs practice, and requires access to funds. Nevertheless, whoever uses it is in for a fun ride.

Certificate

I have received in the post today a certificate recognizing me as a Fellow if the Higher Education Academy as evidence of my “expertise and commitment to enhancing and supporting the student learning experience”.

This certificate is linked to a post-graduate course I have taken last year focusing on Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. The course gave me a more methodological approach to the teaching process which I have applied when upgrading the design of the new media course I teach in Belgium at Katho.

Live Video Guest Lecture – Florida Southern College

I had a video guest lecture to Florida Southern College, to the class of Dr Chris Fenner. I talked about the Olympic Movement and new media from a historical perspective. Questions about the impact of emerging technologies on society in general and the Olympic experience in particular were asked.

Unlike my previous guest lectures, given to the University of Missouri-Columbia or the University of Kansas, that were done via Skype, we used a browser-based solution: TokBox. Some technical difficulties made things more challenging but the sound and video quality when the internet connection functioned at full speed were very good. The platform also enabled embedding a Slideshare presentation reducing thus the hassle of figuring out how to present additional material while keeping the video on screen.

The presentation is below:

I believe the class was a novelty for the students as well as for the college as a whole. Students engaged with me both by answering and asking questions and they seemed to genuinely enjoy the lecture. This shows that there is some great potential in integrating live video into traditional in-class, on-campus lectures.

Many thanks to Chris Fenner and James Lynch for making this possible.

NOA impressions

Going at conferences is an important and integral part of a PhD’s academic pursuit, quest and knowledge as well as of recognition. I was very lucky to be invited, only 5 months after starting my programme and my research, to give a presentation at the National Olympic Academy in London. I was very nervous since, with all my public relations practice, training and experience, I have never been in such a situation like this: to present my work to such diverse audience with different levels of knowledge in relation to my work yet very keen on hearing what I have to say and most of all, quite critical (in a good sense) of what they hear. I thought the presentation went well, though after seeing myself in the video (maybe I will upload it one day) I thought my nervousness was more than obvious and that my non-verbal behavior gave me in. So, to my surprise the feedback I got about the presentation was overwhelmingly positive. Needles to say, I returned to school with fresh forces, improved ideas and a better motivation.

Culture @ the Olympics Calendar

Andy Miah and I started last month an online public calendar. Our intention is to put here all the conferences, call for papers, colloquiums, presentations, round tables and so on and give researchers and not only an opportunity to keep track of what is going on the academic world. As such, if you know of any such event and you would like it to be put on our calendar and sent to our friends, peers and contacts, feel free to contact me. And, happy visiting both the Calendar and the Culture @ the Olympics website!