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Virtual Classes As a class visit the Canvas virtual classroom. (Visit other classrooms if feasible.)Print screen and comments:Read the article below. Pay attention to the pros and cons of a virtual tools for teaching a ‘virtual’ class (March 2011, EL teaching matters, Page 13)Russell Stannard welcomes new distance-learning products but warns they require special skills to work well2368550132715With massive cuts in higher education, the panorama for distance-learning courses has been turned on its head. Universities and institutions are tuning into the possibilities of the ‘virtual classroom’ (VC). There is a whole array of VC products on the market, with names like Wimba, Captive, WebEx and Elluminate. But what do they really do? And what role can they play in the provision of language tuition or distance learning?All these tools work in basically the same way. You create a ‘room’ with a web address which you forward to all participants. They enter the room and can normally see a variety of windows including one on which they see the presenter via a webcam. Other windows are interfaces to the chat facility and a central screen, where the presenter loads the content they want to show.What can be shown on the screen and how the participants interact with that content varies depending on the tool. All the software I have seen uses an interactive whiteboard, and permission can he granted to participants to write on the board, offering the possibility for group work and brainstorming. Most VCs also allow the presenter to reveal their computer desktop to the participants — useful if the teacher needs to demonstrate a piece of software. Some of the tools allow the participants to take control of the presenter’s computer and use software there. So, you can teach someone how to do something on your computer and then let them take it over and practise it. Letting participants view your desktop means you can show them anything that is on your computer.Loading files, pictures and even video is often clunky, and it’s a good idea for the presenter to do this before they start. It is not always plain sailing, with some files needing to be converted to the correct format. Once the files are on the screen, the presenter and students can normally interact with them using pen tools (the equivalent of writing on the board) and text highlighter tools (like the one in Word’s formatting bar).Sound quality is often disappointing. Participants can become discouraged when they realise they can’t always openly speak. It is not a fluid and open forum like a lecture or class, and students need to do the equivalent of raising their hands before the presenter gives them permission to speak. With smaller groups, it is possible to leave the airways open and allow conversation free rein among the participants, but once you have five or more people in the virtual room background noise from each microphone and the complexity of managing the conversation make this impossible. Presenters need new skills when using these systems, which take a while to get used to.The experience of the webcam (a video camera built or plugged into the computer and pointed at the user) can be equally disappointing. Some systems allow both presenter and participants to be seen, but this just becomes unrealistic with large numbers — it’s pointless if all you see is a sea of heads. In reality only the presenter needs to be viewed via webcam.Other VC tools include polling systems that allow for quick questions and feedback, breakout rooms that allow the presenter to create smaller groups and a variety of feedback mechanisms like applause and places to add questions. They all have a chat facility for talking to individuals or communicating with the whole group.In smaller language learning groups of four or five students, the tools have a lot of potential. The biggest drawback is the training the presenters need. Things do go wrong and you need the experience of previous sessions to know how to deal with problems. Annoyingly it is often at the start of the class where most problems occur. To use any of these systems you normally require the dreaded plug-ins, which must be downloaded from Adobe and other companies. Your microphone and camera all bring their own set-up problems. If computers ever truly become ‘plug and play’ a lot of the stumbling blocks will disappear.In truth, the VC experience is a far cry from what most people imagine. Once you are over the initial problems and the wow factor, you begin to focus on what can be achieved with these tools. They are powerful but take a whole new mindset. It’s not a virtual classroom; it’s a completely different teaching and learning context. But those that master it could end up making a lot of money.Russell Stannard is a principal teaching fellow at the University of Warwick, where he teaches information and communication technology.The article mentions several programs that are used for virtual classrooms. Research these classrooms (Wimba, Captive, WebEx and Elluminate) and write your results.Results: We focused on Canvas. I learned about the different features Canvas has to offer. First, we learned about the conference feature. You can create a conference so that you can meet with your class members virtually. You can web chat with them, as well as type to them throughout the conference. You can also send messages privately.You can also show students what you are seeing so that you can teach them.Next, we looked at the collaboration feature. You can work together with your classmates to edit a document.I learned that Canvas has some really useful features for virtual classes. While this system does not work exactly perfectly, it does have potential. ................
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