My thanks to edublogs…. I am not gone forever, just browsing and writing around.

What does it cost? For the most part FREE.

How it could be used for teaching? There are a range of options here.

Most Web polling software are free and they require no technical knowledge. Lets take a look at a few, but there are plenty more than that. Note the key differences are HOW users vote and How you interact with the site.

1. The very first polling software I used was SurveyMonkey. I used it to gather student feedback about the course. I then used this information to develop and steer the course. In the post 16 sector, gauging and responding to the students was very important. Still a very powerful tool, basic subscribers (FREE) are limited to a total of 10 questions and 100 responses per survey. So good for a cohort or group but if you want to go beyond 100 respondents, and up to 1000 or gain access many more features, there is a cost. 8/10

2. Micropoll- This web poll service doesn’t require registration and you can create a quick poll by simply typing all the possible choices in a text box separated by new lines. Great for quick hit question. Micropoll provides a variety of colored themes and you can embed polls in websites either as JavaScript or a Flash movie. You get to see poll responses on a world map and the paid version also supports SMS polls.

3. Google Docs – Simply fantastic. Create a new form in Google Docs with a range of questions styles. Its already been used to gather cross college data in our establishment. With the help of some online colleagues, we have added the function of instant grading. Here is a highly developed spelling test formwith extras, marked instantaneously – now I have your attention don’t I. Or how about lesson review forms for students to feedback to teachers. Here is a form for Unit 4 from the OCR Nationals, two groups in two separate rooms competed against one another. Tom Barrett does a great job with Google Docs. With the pros, come the cons. Poll embedding options in Google Docs aren’t very convenient and users can’t see the results after voting but you can convert answers to gadgets….. but that’s another meal.

4. PollDaddyis the most popular online polling software focused as an online solution. A free account from PollDaddy allows you to create surveys and polls for your website, blog and social network profiles.

5. StrawPoll – This is an interesting service that lets you run live polls on Twitter. Good for your PLN not necessarily for school.

6. Poll Everywhere – This could be a student poll, but also good for conference or staff CPD participation. I hope to work with Poll Everywhere in the New Year. Although fine as a web poll, Poll. Poll Everywhere also offers SMS Polls where people can vote though text messaging on mobile phones just like polls conducted on TV or radio. The basic plan is free though it only allows 30 votes per poll.

There are more, Notifu, Vizu Polls and Toluna. The question is, what works for you.

Which polling software is right for me?

All the services discussed above offer some unique options. For instance, Notifu allows polling via email while Micropoll lets you create polls even without asking for your email address. So, if you are doing a poll with students and want to use the result instantly or present the results go with Poll Everywhere, their ppt integretion is very neat.

If you are a doing a presentation in a conference room and need opinions of participants over a certain topic, try Poll Everywhere again, hoping everyone has either a phone or laptop they can join in with.

If you need polls for embedding in web pages, Poll Daddy, the free version of PollDaddy offers unlimited polls and unlimited number of votes, however you will need the Pro version for if you want to prevent fraudulent multiple votes from the same IP address.

For use with students and staff responses, I dont think you can beat the ease of Google Docs. Certainly if you want the students to fill in data, then Google docs rocks. Bring the data to life with Google Gadgets or Many Eyes.

Polling in action….

The reason for this post is that we recognised that we were missing the expertise to appoint objectively and on the day we were supported by Simon Walker, CTS Moodle ‘expert.’ His objective viewpoint aided the interview process and although it took an additional three contested discussions before we finally appointed, his input was crucial. This investment in the day was crucial as I truly believe that appointing the right staff is a key factor to future success.

Quick and simple,

OR, get a Flashget and tell it to automatically download the shockwave extention (*.swf)

For those of you who can not install programs this is a post to help you access SWF files or presentations for appropriate reasons. I would like to think the presenters would value you sharing their presentations and if I did not tell you how to do this, a simple Google Search would redeem 2 Millions answers and series a of Youtube videos that will guide you through the process.

‘When Right Click ‘Save Target As’ Doesn’t Work’ the link is a java…. look, you don’t care do you? You just want to download a copy of the video for use with your staff. (Remember this is a SWF file not 100% a video file but….. again, you don’t care.)

The video / presentation is stored somewhere. Your web browser knows where ‘somewhere‘ is. If it didn’t, the video wouldn’t be playing. So…

How to save SWF in IE browser

1. Click Tools – Internet Options
2. In the General Tab, click the Settings button available in the Temporary Internet Files group.
3. Click View Files to open your Temporary Internet Files folder. Depending upon your IE settings, the Temp. folder can contain tens of thousands of files.
4. Click View – Details. Now click View – Arrange Icons By – Internet Address. Depending upon the webpage, there could one or more Flash files (Shockwave Flash Object) under the Internet Address. Identify the exact file you want by looking at the URL or name / address of the file. Look for keywords.
5. Once you find the right flash file, right-click and choose Copy. Then paste the swf file in your user area. Be sure to keep the page and IE open – just trust me on this.

How to save SWF in Firefox. Although a longer description, its easier.

1. To access the ‘page info’, right-click in the window that the video is playing but not actual the video. You should be given a standard drop-down menu and choose ‘view page info’
2. On the ‘page info’ popup, choose the ‘Media’ tab.

This tab shows the locations and information on any media on the page, images, music, and video files. There should be a list of items; each of these represents one media file used on the page. You know what you’re looking for!

Just to be sure, look for files with .swf or labeled ‘application/x-shockwave-flash’ or shockwave flash files or tagged as ‘embed’ by your browser. There should be only a few on these on the list. Identify the exact file you want by looking at the URL or name / address of the file. Again, look for keywords.

1. Select the file you want.
2. click the ‘Save As…’ and download the file.
3. Once it has downloaded, open it and make sure it is correct and works. If it is the wrong file, fo back and download another file.

If you cannot open the file , right click on the file and choose ‘Open With…’, and select either your web browser or a program that can play .swf files.

Are you think these ICT people don’t get us non ICT people. Well I am trying to improve my empathy. If you still can not open/watch the file, you can download a FREE SWF file player.

This was supreme;y well supported by the final Keynote that had the audience agreeing, smiling wryly and nodding in agreement. This is one presenter to keep a track off! Richard Reeves was the highlight, the surprise package, of the SSAT 16th conference for me. Every bit a modern presenter. Great delivery, very enjoyable but also informative and a sophisticated presentation zen slide approach.

Now the highlight for me, was following the presentation I met with Jenny Lycett the web editor. The thought that a simple request may get the students performance uploaded to website was a positive end to my personal conference. There will be a fantastic resource to staff and inspiration to students at the possibilities available to them.

The conversation then progressed and we discussed how blogging the conference may help share the aims of the SSAT (I didn’t originally blog the conference for that aim, but for my own professional development). There was a potential opportunity for Hamble Digital Leaders to visit the Conference next year and cover the conference using some of the more current aspects of digital media, blogging as I have done, but also mobloging (blogging live) and Ustreaming some of the break out sessions. IMHO I was surprised that SSAT were not already considering Ustreaming this? All it would take would be low spec camcorders, operators (students) and the organisation of those students and the whole conference would be recorded and streamed live to a global audience. Did I mention it was free. Sir Ken could watch from California.

Just to challenge the SSAT here is a Ustreamed Keynote, where the presenter, Chris Lehmann talked about some of the fantastic ICT innovations and projects currently being used at The Science Leadership Academy.  Granted, the quality is not fantastic, but the message is and that message was – ‘that tools don’t teach. Teachers do.’ Enjoy.

We then looked around the exhibition, I liked one or two products, in particular nComputing who were offer low-cost virtualization software /hardware to tap into the unused capacity of the classroom PCs and share it with other users. 1 PC acting as a host to 6 PCs.

Benefits are; creating desktop space, dramatically reducing your e-waste and recycling costs and a reduction in power, well your are only running 1 PC for 6 access points. All PCs are recognised by any classroom management software you have running.

Another interesting product was Vivo Miles. Vivo Miles is a very comprehensive rewards and sanction system and very current in its design and application. Plugins allow it to integrate with websites and they have plans to marry up with the VLE providers. A powerful way to raise standards but also for students understand and achieve economic well-being. Its a schools club card – complete with its own hole in the wall. What I will note, is that its visual presentation is excellent, a very web vogue, social networked, internet market place user interface will, IMHO engage.

Next Sir Michael Barber, again a very impressive public speaker offering an aliens aural feedback from a recent Earth inspection – the written feedback to be posted later. Outlining where perhaps organisational failing are impacting on education. Concluding with E(K+T+L) an the equation / solution left by the aliens to prompt thinking. That Knowledge plus Thinking plus Leadership underpinned by ethics is required for effective leadership, and from his tone, not only in education.

Charles Leadbeater - web thinker / innovator highlighted the shareability of the web, and that term again, web 2.0. For the SSAT conference, I felt that the pitch was excellent, as web innovators / enthusiasts often engulf their audience with techno speak / babble. I wise decision considering the next keynote information….

‘The web allows them (Charles Leadbeater referred mainly to learners, which this context inferred students, but I am confident his view is broader than that) not just to publish but to share and connect, to collaborate and when the conditions are right, to create, together, at scale.’

His analogy of big organisations as boulders, including schools, being hard to move was coupled with the new technologies as pebbles more fluid and flexible, slowly swamping the cumbersome boulders. I enjoyed the analogy of User Generate Content (UGC) as pebbles, but I think the boulders are a little further up the beach than he perhaps presented, but that would have been a far less impressive communique. And yes, perhaps Google and little brother Youtube are the best pebble examples in the mainstream. In fairness he touched on others, World of Warcarft, Sims, Flickr.

(What would a seminar follow up with? Twitter? Social BookMarking)

Should any educator stumble upon the post FREE animation tools and some great examples! Now stickman may look simple, but our Year 7s and 8s spend hours creating and share it and there is a huge back channel / community sharing ideas.

Finally, the impact of generations and eras on leaders and leadership and Dr Graeme Codrington keynote. Although not obvious to me as an aspiring young teacher, this is very important. Ironically, it was as important to the seasoned professionals in the audience. It would appear, few of the professionals in the audience, either young or seasoned, had fully considered the imapct of their default settings on colleagues they worked with. Something to reflect upon. Dr Graeme Codrington has promised that these slides will be available but a short cut to the download section of his site.

So, another very good day. Now for the informal learning.

Its day one of the SSAT conference. The 3000 delegates. Impressive venue and the first two speaker set an enquiring tone. Sir Dexter Hutt, only introduced the conference but I felt that there was more I could gleaned from his approach to leadership and his experiences. IMHO it was a shame he was only introducing the Conference. A key reflection being that unless you change the ‘default setting’ for education, the outcome will rarely be changed. Change the default setting, the example given was to change the ugly 4 rows config of the ICT rooms classroom configuration, and outcome is changed. (I know I that Hamble College needs to challenge our classroom default setup, the ugly 4 rows configuration traditional in so many classrooms, to in turn impact on the way teachers and students and between student interact with one another, currently interaction is limited.)

The default system schools rely on, the way are schools are organised, doesn’t make it possible to make many special efforts, that’s why they are called ’special efforts.’

What would you have your to transform to permit more special efforts?

Sir Ken Robinson followed and the audience warmed to his ’slight of hand’ delivery and humour, did you know he now lived in California? And for the record he was never formerly known as Deardry or Angela? His key message was clear, he lives in California and creativity, ‘original ideas that add value,’ should be a central concern for educators. That creativity and intelligence are not divergent themes. (Ironically and only an minor observation, Sir Ken Robinson used the ‘default text font’ (TIMES NEW ROMAN text) in his Powerpoint, default habits die hard.) Again, a thoroughly thought provoking, expertly delivered, keynote. There are many possible soundbites to highlight, but…

‘The issue is not to reform education but to transform it into something else.’

So to the final point of the post. I am confident you are not interested in a second hand, vacious experience of the SSAT Conference. And thats is my exact reason for writing. Whilst we were listening to the Keynote from ‘up in the nose bleeds’ the video was being screen live on the back drop behind the speakers. So its being videoed LIVE. So it must be being streamed right? But it wasn’t? Why not?

Update:

I am pleased to say that the keynotes are available to watch? To reflect upon? To share with teachers all over the SSAT network? To share with our colleagues on our return? The presentations are being hosted and available for streaming, I am not sure for how long. Sadly the student presentation are not currently available. I have left a request with SSAT for higher quality DVDs be made available for purchase. I will keep you posted.

If you really wanted to get a copy of the presentation / video you should of course contact SSAT or read ‘When Right Click ‘Save Target As’ Doesnt Work.’ (A quick note SSAT presentation a SWF files, similar but a little different).