Comments on: Dialing Insanity http://bcisdvcs.wordpress.com/2007/11/08/dialing-insanity/ Experiences, curriculum thoughts, and technology rants related to educational videoconferencing. Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:59:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU hourly 1 By: Roxanne Glaser http://bcisdvcs.wordpress.com/2007/11/08/dialing-insanity/#comment-17711 Roxanne Glaser Fri, 09 Nov 2007 03:48:21 +0000 http://bcisdvcs.wordpress.com/2007/11/08/dialing-insanity/#comment-17711 I don't understand gatekeepers and GDS and E.164 aliases and all the things that are supposed to make connecting easier. From the vendor presentations, it appears that if you have an end-to-end single vendor solution and only connect to those on your network, all will be simple. I always ask vendors about connecting with people outside the network because that is when vc really gets fun...when you are meeting and collaborating with sites from many different places...that is when the hemming and hawing begins. That said...we missed our roll call in Megaconference because we had registered with the gatekeeper and completed the test call, but today with everyone in, something was different and after four times getting dropped and our endpoint spontaneously rebooting, we gave up. I think it is good for me to experience some things that are frustrating so I can remember how it is for a classroom teacher who might be nervous about his or her first connection. Jerry, I agree, there are many things that are frustrating, but the end result can really be amazing. I can be having a stressed out day and when I see the students and what they are doing, it makes it all worth while. :-) I don’t understand gatekeepers and GDS and E.164 aliases and all the things that are supposed to make connecting easier. From the vendor presentations, it appears that if you have an end-to-end single vendor solution and only connect to those on your network, all will be simple.

I always ask vendors about connecting with people outside the network because that is when vc really gets fun…when you are meeting and collaborating with sites from many different places…that is when the hemming and hawing begins.

That said…we missed our roll call in Megaconference because we had registered with the gatekeeper and completed the test call, but today with everyone in, something was different and after four times getting dropped and our endpoint spontaneously rebooting, we gave up.

I think it is good for me to experience some things that are frustrating so I can remember how it is for a classroom teacher who might be nervous about his or her first connection.

Jerry, I agree, there are many things that are frustrating, but the end result can really be amazing. I can be having a stressed out day and when I see the students and what they are doing, it makes it all worth while.

:-)

]]> By: Janine Lim http://bcisdvcs.wordpress.com/2007/11/08/dialing-insanity/#comment-17694 Janine Lim Thu, 08 Nov 2007 18:49:16 +0000 http://bcisdvcs.wordpress.com/2007/11/08/dialing-insanity/#comment-17694 That may be true Jerry, but in these scenarios it's the complicated dialing that's coming onto the VC scene that's causing the problem. Many tests were done to make these connections happen, and in both cases the schools know and are using appropriate communication behavior. That may be true Jerry, but in these scenarios it’s the complicated dialing that’s coming onto the VC scene that’s causing the problem. Many tests were done to make these connections happen, and in both cases the schools know and are using appropriate communication behavior.

]]> By: Jerry R. Steuerwald http://bcisdvcs.wordpress.com/2007/11/08/dialing-insanity/#comment-17692 Jerry R. Steuerwald Thu, 08 Nov 2007 18:40:25 +0000 http://bcisdvcs.wordpress.com/2007/11/08/dialing-insanity/#comment-17692 Janine, There's no doubt that many teachers are put off by technology glitches like the ones you described in your blog today but in my experience with K-12 users in Indiana I think most of this would diminish if receive sites took the time to read documentation sent to them about a particular video conference and tested their equipment before the conference started. I just had a conference call this morning where there were five sites connected and two of the sites didn't have the call in numbers even though I sent that information 3 times and all the remote sites didn't use proper IVC protocol. Schools are making this technology harder than it actually is by refusing to take responsiblity for their own equipment and behavior when using it. Sorry for the venting I look forward to seeing you next week in Indianapolis at the CILC Symposium. Jerry R. Steuerwald Distance Learning Specialist Wilson Education Center Charlestown, IN Janine,

There’s no doubt that many teachers are put off by technology glitches like the ones you described in your blog today but in my experience with K-12 users in Indiana I think most of this would diminish if receive sites took the time to read documentation sent to them about a particular video conference and tested their equipment before the conference started.

I just had a conference call this morning where there were five sites connected and two of the sites didn’t have the call in numbers even though I sent that information 3 times and all the remote sites didn’t use proper IVC protocol.

Schools are making this technology harder than it actually is by refusing to take responsiblity for their own equipment and behavior when using it. Sorry for the venting I look forward to seeing you next week in Indianapolis at the CILC Symposium.

Jerry R. Steuerwald
Distance Learning Specialist
Wilson Education Center
Charlestown, IN

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