“We Can’t Hear You!” Using Videoconferencing for Instruction, Meetings, and Professional Development

“We

Can’t Hear You!” Using Videoconferencing for Instruction, Meetings, and Professional Development Presenters: Dr. Dina Vyortkina, PhD, OIIT Director, Florida State University Mr. Javlonbek Meliboev, Head of International Relations, Republican Education Center - Ministry of Public Education, Uzbekistan Contributors: UEEP colleagues 1

To Make the Session Effective • 15 mins +questions at the end • Use Zoom chat to ask questions • Write down 3 things you learned/would like to try • Make sure to use resources

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Outline • Intro • Videoconferencing: many uses • Benefits – Educational – Administrative – Professional development • REC – Experiences – Lessons learned – Strategies • Issues, limitations, concerns • Make it better!

• Resources • Q&A 3

Why This Title? Why This Topic?

1. Lifeline during COVID-19 closures 2. Spending many hours in meetings 3. Using videoconferencing to facilitate UEEP project activities 4. Organizing workshops and PD activities (REC) 5. Aspiring to make meetings more effective!

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Let’s Talk!

1. What videoconferencing tools did you use? (Type in chat) 2. Do you find videoconferencing useful? (Show on screen or use icons for reaction)

3. What year was the 1st ever videoconferencing conducted? Make a guess! (Type in chat) 5

How It All Started…

• April 20, 1964: motion video telephone of AT&T at the New York World’s Fair connecting with California • Connection in real time, providing live images and audio between two or more sites

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Videoconferencing: Many Ed Uses 1.

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Conducting classes Connecting with students in other classes Introducing guest lecturers from around the world Bringing live events to ]students Facilitating student group work Conducting parent-teacher meetings Organizing professional meetings with colleagues Hosting professional development events (meetings, webinars, training sessions, conferences, etc.)

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Benefits for Education 1. Lifeline during pandemic on natural disasters 2. Organizing mentoring and tutoring sessions 3. Expanding educational opportunities in remote areas 4. Enriching standard curriculum 5. Giving students a more complete understanding of the world around them 6. Creating a global village: bringing the world to the classroom and taking students around the globe *Cost-effective: saving time, money, and effort

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Why in EFL? 1. Tutoring 2. Practicing language skills with native speakers 3. Seeing lip movement and body language 4. Facilitating opportunities for developing a combination of skills through multiple modalities: listening, speaking, reading, and writing (in chat) 5. Conducting virtual tours and e-attending of events for cultural awareness 6. Reinforcing IT skills 10

Benefits for Professional Development 1.

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Lifeline during pandemic on natural disasters Bringing unique contacts and networking opportunities Bringing experts in the field to the training rooms Expanding professional development opportunities to remote areas Being able to organize group video calls easily Enabling video, audio, content sharing, and recording Facilitating audience participation, engagement, collaboration, and cooperation Connecting people who would not otherwise be able to interact Keeping instructional process uninterrupted (no subs!)

Enabling teachers to practice learned skills right away Increasing number of participants as needed, using small or large groups

* Cost-effective: saving time, money, and effort 11

Administrative Benefits (Meetings) 1. Lifeline during pandemic on natural disasters 2. Being able to organize group video calls easily 3. Quicker decisions and timely interventions 4. Enabling video, audio, content sharing, and recording 5. Facilitating audience participation, engagement, collaboration, and cooperation 6. Increasing productivity 7. Keeping normal operations uninterrupted 8. Increasing number of participants as needed, using small or large groups 9. Cost-effective: saving time, money, and effort 12

REC Experiences • Zoom for PD, online seminars, workshops, and conferences • Hosted up to 400 attendees • Conducted satisfaction surveys and used feedback to improve upcoming virtual events • Most successful: – Relevant information participants can use – Additional information for planning purposes – Q&A – Interactive – With participation of foreign experts 13

REC Lessons Learned • Thorough planning of virtual meetings • Topics of professional interest and relevance • Cybersafety and protecting the virtual videoconferencing session from hacking

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Topic of interest

REC Strategies 1.

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Logistics & use of tech

Selecting interesting and informative topics Making a conference interactive Engaging participants in various activities Timing the virtual meetings when participants can stay focused and productive 5. Using various technologies during the videoconference 6. Creating environment when participants feel free to ask questions and provide opinions 7. Involving foreign experts to share ideas Interactivity & engagement

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Issues, Limitations, Concerns • • • • • •

Different communication mode Learning curve for using effectively Lack of personal touch Unfamiliar etiquette Missing out on body language Unreliable technology and poor connection – Time delay between responses – Poor quality of audio and/or video

• Being connected at all times/zoom fatigue • Equality and access to tech/internet • Security (zoombombing) • Chaos at the background – Poor light – Background noise – Clutter – “Multitasking” • High initial cost 16

Make It Better!

My top 6 (pre): 1. Logistics (location, lights, noise, background, headset, dress) 2. Cybersafety (links, password, registration, waiting room) 3. Content and its delivery 4. Interaction and engagement (what, when, how) 5. Get water, notepad, and pen handy 6. Arrange for a facilitator to monitor chat, IT check

• Realize the issues and limitations • Learn the videoconferencing platform • Consider critical success factors – Pre – During – After • Create a list of “do’s and don’ts” for participants • Interact and engage (e.g., break out rooms, polls, chat) • Use build-in tools (e.g., non-verbal feedback) • Keep it simple!

• Reflect om success and areas for improvement • Follow up with participants

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During:

1. Start 15 mins early to troubleshoot and for people to socialize 2. Announce house keeping rules 3. Vary activities, engage, interact 4. Keep attendees on task, motivate!

5. Use humor, ice breakers, health breaks, comfort breaks 6. Use tools (internal and external) 7. Have a strong conclusions 8. Provide resources 9. Request feedback

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Analyze feedback Reflect and act; lessons learned Provide resources as promised Prep for the next session!

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Resources • Diigo collection on videoconferencing

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Questions?

• Answering at the session • Addressing in paper (please use Zoom chat or project contact)

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Thank you!

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Ministry of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Valerie Haugen, Chief of Party Oʻzbekiston Barkamollik Uchun Ta’lim Dasturi Uzbekistan Education For Excellence Program Email Address: vhaugen@rti.org Skype Name: Valerie.Haugen Telephone Number: +1-202-288-8328 Telegram & WhatsApp Name/Number: Valerie Haugen/+1-202-288-8328 Oybek Kurbanov, Deputy Chief of Party Oʻzbekiston Barkamollik Uchun Ta’lim Dasturi Uzbekistan Education For Excellence Program Email Address: okurbanov@ueep.rti.org Skype Name: Oybek Kurbanov Telephone Number: +998-972-247-904 Telegram Number: +998-972-247-904

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