Avoid excessive movement; move and gesture slowly and smoothly
Speak in strong, clear voice - adjust to audio delay.
Audio
Be aware of microphone sensitivity
Unnecessary to speak extremely loud
Unnecessary to face microphone
Muting
Announce intention to mute
Mute all far end sites during presentation or lecture
Mute to mask near end noise
Video
Face Camera
Divide eye contact with near end and far end (favoring far end with more eye contact)
Announce intention to switch video source
Preview document camera before sending
Clothing & Backgrounds
Be aware of contrast with white or black boards
Don't wear light colors if working in front of whiteboard
Don't wear dark colors in front of blackboard
Avoid Plaids, Prints, Red, & White
Non-shiny Pastels Preferred
Avoid loud and/or highly reflective jewelry
Text and Graphics
Limit text to 7 lines and 7 words per line
Avoid Red, Orange and Yellow Text
Use Light Letters Against Dark Background in videoconference (opposite for face-to-face)
Limit to 3 Different Size Fonts Per Visual
Limit to 4 Colors Per Visual
On Air
Arrive 15-30 minutes before "Air" Time
Coordinate with far-end
Set Camera Presets
Start/stop on Time
Look at Camera to Maintain Eye Contact (especially with far-end)
Introductions and roll-call
Agenda Review
Announce intentions before switching sources
Use Participant Names
Teaching on Videoconferencing
Humanize the course by focusing on the students not the delivery system.
Encourage classroom interaction
Give students experience with the equipment
Encourage interaction between sites
warm-up activities
Alternate learning activities: brain storming, buzz/breakout session, case study, debate, demonstration, discussion, field trips, group to group discussions, group work sessions, guest speaker, individual practice exercises, interview, lecture, panel discussion, reactor panel, role playing, questions and answers, trigger video, video clips
Summarization of the lesson and student feedback
Be courteous of your fellow participants
Take turns speaking
Keep noise to a minimum
Ice Breakers at beginning of each session
Use names of sites and people
Do not become a talking head
Pay attention and show interest
Avoid distractions
Keep on task
Leading Discussions
probe for additional information
shift or refocus discussion
ask direct questions
clarify unclear statements
restate questions
Inform the instructor of technical problems.
Take advantage of attributes of each technology
Distance Education Tips
1. Distance Education Exists to Help Meet the Instructional Needs of Remote Students.
Identify Your Audience (Who Needs this Course and Why Do It by Distance Education?).
Make Sure the Use of the Technology is Appropriate for:
The Audience (Remote AND Local)
The Course Objectives (Not technology for its own sake)
Interactivity
2. Teaching Strategies to Remember
The Teacher/Student Relationship is Still the Primary Learning Relationship.
Interact With and Involve Your Students With the Lesson (Don't Be a Talking Head!).
Use a Variety of Resources to Communicate With Your Student.
3. Become Familiar With Whatever Technology or System You Use.
You Don't Have to Be an Expert.
Be Aware of the Possibilities and Limitations.
Know Where to Get Help.
Preventive Measures
Taking the following measures can help you prevent problems before a session starts or avoid problems during a session, saving time in the long run.
Schedule time in the conference room to allow for room setup and equipment checks before participants are expected to arrive.
Using preview, check that all cameras are working. If you can see all the preview images, you can rule out power and cables as sources of problems that may arise.
Test the audio with remote rooms, and adjust the volume as needed.
Test sending and receiving still graphics with remote rooms, confirming that all were received.
Know how to contact technical support.
Bring to every class a list of sites involved and the telephone number of each remote videoconference room. You can get this list from technical support. Having these numbers handy will allow you to contact remote rooms quickly and inform participants of actions you will take and about how long they need to stand by.
