Collective knowledge building tool Voicethread and Online Polls/Surveys - Wk9

Retrieved from:  http://fluidsurveys.com

As indicated in my previous post dedicated to Voicethread,  is a service that allows you to creation and share content while incorporating video/audio narration.  What sets it apart is the ability to post comments that are audio, video or the usual text method.  Most services have text based comment or response capabilities only,  which limits learning possibilities, outcomes and engagement.

As a learning tool I can easily see this being used instead of live chat in online courses where it can be extremely difficult to get everyone together on something like Google Hangouts to have a discussion.  I also see this as a more engaging and more interactive than strings of typed comments in a forum.  It would allow learners to post a audio/video responses to discussion topics and produce something that is much closer to a live discussion than forum posts, especially when viewed after everyone has contributed. 

I see this tool as allowing for a more authentic discussion experience than say, a forum.  That is probably one of the ways I would incorporate it.  While I consider this a collaborative tools,  the collaboration is about the learning more than the content itself.  Learning from one another is beneficial but learning from one another in a way that is a bit more human than text is even better.

Polls and Surveys

I've used FluidSurveys before, a Canadian site might I add, and I was really satisfied.  These are great learning tools as far as feedback is concerned.  Feedback is gateway to improvement but often we don't receive feedback about things we've done or are scared to ask for some by fear or criticism.  What's great about this is it can be done anonymously so people are therefore more honest.  This is also a great way to encourage people to answer questions they might not be as comfortable to do so, especially if their point of view goes against popular beliefs.  Finally it's a great way to get statistical data to supplement research or arguments for instance.  I strongly believe in asking for feedback from my learners as a way to get a pulse of what works for them and what does or which of my techniques or methods they prefer.  The best way to improve is by being told what you do well and where you could improve.

I took a few minutes to build a quick anonymous survey on digital media piracy, available here, and included it to my scenario.  I'm excited to find out what kind of results I get and hopefully more than two people take it.

Privacy being one of the most talked about subject of the digital world, this week I decided to share a great link I found through my Feedly on educating children about the many facets of digital privacy.
Click here to access these great little videos

Post your comments, opinions, suggestions below as usual.

Mat