Google Docs

11 August 2011
Pam and I presented Google Docs to Community Connect as part of the ePcop MOOC.

A new person to work with
It was nice to work with Pam as I have not worked directly with her before. We didn't manage to get together before hand as we seemed to miss each other. But I think it worked well.

Session content
Pam covered Google Docs general stuff and I covered Google forms and showed my Google e-Portfolio.

Problems
I created a Google form and intended to share the application and ask participants to contribute by adding questions to the form. I thought this would be a good way to involve the participants and to get a range of different question types. But! When I tried the link to get into it I seemed to be the only one able to edit the form. It took me to a sign in page with my email address as the username. I wondered if this was because I had asked my computer to remember me. But! when I tried it on my husband's computer I got the same result. So, I scrapped that idea and created a form with the same question in various question types and just demonstrated it in application share. I felt very isolated when I used application share in Blackboard Collaborate, it was the first time I had used it in the new format and it takes up most of your screen so I had to rely on Pam to watch the text chat for questions. She, of course, did that very well for me. Next time I will see if I can resize the application share.

How did it go?
I felt that our presentation went well. Pam was very well prepared and great to work with.

MOOC - exciting stuff! Blackboard Collaborate??

MOOC Introduction
Just attended the Blackboard Collaborate MOOC introductory session. And it is going to be MASSIVE! Great to see the fantastic attendance. Congrats to organisers.

Blackboard Collaborate
I was a bit thrown by the new format of Blackboard Collaborate.
Negative
I missed the layout facility and found it confusing not to be able to instantly see who was speaking. Also I like to see the chat full length so that I can catch up with it after concentrating on the whiteboard.
Also found it confusing to find the microphone, smiley faces, etc but I am sure that it is just that they have moved.
Positive
I was pleased that I didn't drop out but noted that some people did. It is very frustrating to drop out and I was pleased to see those that did persevered and jumped back in again.
Pleased to find that the Web Tour loaded much quicker.

MOOC works! - learning already
I have just been on the epcop Learn Space and read a blog about how to make your blogs interesting - this is looking like a lump of text - oh, well, maybe next time it will be more interesting.
Decided to try to add a photo and some subheadings - maybe that will add some interest!

This is a photo from the recent holidays taken on the only fine day - spent the rest of the time huddled inside next to the heater and out of the rain. It shows that the MOOC is working already as I have never added a photo to my blog before!